Apollo Alliance News Updates

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Apollo Alliance News Updates

Last month, the Apollo Alliance partnered with Eagle Manufacturing Corporation of Shelby Township, Mich., to spotlight Eagle as a model for how traditional manufacturers can benefit from moving into the clean energy market. Eagle manufactures automated robotic punching systems and special machine tools and has recently begun producing biodegradable, compostable plates. On Thursday, with Apollo President Jerome Ringo at his side, Eagle CEO Brent Short announced that his company is now going to partner with Michigan-based Mariah Power to build parts and serve as a local distributor for Maria Power's Windspire residential wind turbines.
"Our strategic plan is to provide more manufacturing jobs by taking our expertise and diversifying into the defense, alternative energy, and green bio-friendly consumer product industries," Short told the crowd of journalists, government officials, businesspeople and environmental activists who attended the event at Eagle's manufacturing facility.
In addition to spotlighting Eagle as a budding clean energy manufacturing firm, the Thursday event emphasized the need for federal investments to create and retain manufacturing jobs in Michigan - whose unemployment rate has now reached 15.2 percent - and across the country. Eagle, Mariah Power and 67 other manufacturers, distributors and assorted businesses in Michigan have joined the Apollo Alliance in endorsing U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown's clean energy manufacturing bill, the IMPACT Act.
"Eagle and hundreds of other manufacturing organizations around the country are calling on Congress to support the IMPACT Act, which will help all of us domestic manufacturers enter into green products and allow us to diversify our product portfolios and, most importantly, add manufacturing jobs," Short said.
Apollo President Jerome Ringo spoke at the Michigan event. Other speakers included Dave Booth, principal of MasTech, parent company of Mariah Power; Dan Luria, research director at the Michigan Manufacturing Tech Center; Paul Gieleghem, chairman of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners; David Austin, president of IBEW Local 58; and Liesl Clark, deputy director of the Michigan Dept. of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth.
Click here to read a great article about the Michigan event in the Macomb Daily.
In Other News From Michigan...
While in Michigan, several Apollo staff members, including Jerome Ringo and Apollo Michigan Coordinator Dana Sevakis, also took a tour of the UNI-SOLAR manufacturing plant in Auburn Hills. UNI-SOLAR manufactures an innovative thin-film solar laminate that is being used on commercial, government, military and school rooftops. The primary market for the company's product is currently Europe, but if the U.S. adopts a national renewable energy standard to increase demand for solar power here in America, you may be seeing more thin-film solar laminates in your neighborhood.
States Use ARRA Funds to Spur Clean Energy Manufacturing
As momentum builds for national clean energy manufacturing legislation like the IMPACT Act, many states are taking the need to galvanize clean energy manufacturing into their own hands. Last week, the Department of Energy announced a number of Recovery Act grants that would be distributed to states through the State Energy Program (SEP). Illinois received $40.5 million (and will receive an additional $50 million+ later) to jumpstart the manufacture of wind turbine components in Illinois, among other clean energy projects. Funds will go to help manufacturers retool to enter the clean energy market and become more energy efficient.
According to ChicagoBusiness.com, Illinois is targeting wind component manufacturing in its ARRA State Energy Program grant because the Chicago area is home to many makers of gears and other components that could be used in wind turbines and other kinds of renewable energy systems.
Wisconsin is pursuing a similar approach but is taking it ever further. According to a statement by Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, "Wisconsin is the only state to target its SEP funds exclusively to manufacturing. Wisconsin has a larger percentage of employees in manufacturing than any other state, and we can leverage our innovative, high-skilled workforce to create clean energy products and processes."
Wisconsin will use its $55 million in SEP Recovery Act funding for retooling Wisconsin businesses to enable them to produce renewable energy systems and energy efficient products; reducing fossil fuel use in manufacturing; and investing in renewable energy projects.
Meanwhile, the state actions to support clean energy manufacturing couldn't come at a better time. As the U.S. government has yet to pass a clean energy and climate bill, China- which has been criticized for its refusal to take action to limit greenhouse gas emissions - is already well on its way to becoming the global leader in solar manufacturing, according to an article that ran in The New York Times last month.

Dennis Spisak
Mahoning Valley Green Party
Ohio Green party
www.ohiogreens.org
www.votespisak.org/thinkgreen