Obama Signs Manufacturing Enhancement Act

USA Today Kiely) - President Obama just reiterated his call for a revival of American manufacturing, as he signed into law the Manufacturing Enhancement Act, a bill that adjusts import fees to benefit U.S. companies. The measure, which Obama says will "help American companies compete" in a global economy, passed the U.S. House last month with overwhelming bipartisan support. The Senate approved it unanimously, without a roll call.

Democrats Focusing On Boosting Manufacturing Jobs

Washington Post (Montgomery, Dennis) reports that congressional Democrats are "shifting toward a longer-term strategy that promises to tackle persistently high unemployment by engineering a renaissance in American manufacturing." This approach, first "heralded by Obama last week in Detroit and sketched out in a memo to House Democrats as they headed home for the August break, is still evolving and so far focuses primarily on raising taxes on multinational corporations that Democrats accuse of shipping jobs overseas." "We know manufacturing produces good jobs, high-paying jobs," House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer said this week "as Democrats released a report showcasing small gains in manufacturing since Obama took office." The Post notes that the "Make It in America" has "won high marks from United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard. The Republican-leaning National Association of Manufacturers has been less enthusiastic, though Hoyer said he was working with NAM...to incorporate their ideas." Hat Tip: NAM

Lithium Battery Oversupply Debate Rages

greentechmedia (moslet) - Makers of lithium-ion batteries are rapidly expanding their factories in anticipation of a ballooning market for electric cars. The trouble is, none of them can be sure what the demand will be..For many battery makers, the consequence of long-term oversupply could be catastrophic. A flooded market will push down prices and send profits tumbling. Start-ups with innovative technology could find it hard to survive.

Recovery Act funds have played a big role in the build-out. One company to benefit is Johnson Controls-Saft. Without stimulus funds, the company would have built a factory in Asia, says John Schaaf Jr., vice president of market development at Johnson Controls. John Gartner, a senior analyst at Pike Research, says oversupply is possible. He projects that by 2015 the installed price of battery systems (including thermal management gear and other finishing equipment) will be cut in half.

US Recovery Act: the progress so far in electrifying America’s transport
cars21.com - The US Department of Energy has released a report which documents how the funds from the Recovery Act have been allocated so far in projects related to electric vehicles, how investments interact to stimulate both supply and demand for electric vehicles, as well as the progress so far and the future expectations in terms of advancing electromobility in the US. Read the report

Gov Contractors Must Track Emissions or Risk Losing Contracts

Environmental Leader - Contractors for the federal government that do not track their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions could risk losing their contracts, according to a report in the Federal Times about new rules by the General Services Administration (GSA).

The new rules are a part of the GSA’s response to an executive order by the Obama administration issued in October which directed federal agencies to find ways to reduce their GHG emissions. Potentially, the new rules could have far-reaching consequences through the entire economy, not just government contractors.

Weighing the Impact of the National Export Initiative

IMTI Insider - It’s been months since President Obama first announced his administration’s goal of doubling exports over the next five years. In this first four months of 2010, U.S. exports have grown 17% from the same period a year ago. Has his National Export Initiative made an impact?

Formally unveiled by Executive Order in March, the National Export Initiative (NEI) sets forth five administration objectives for doubling exports: improve advocacy on behalf of U.S. exporters, increase access to export financing, reinforce efforts to remove trade barriers, enforce trade rules, and international cooperation of policies leading to sustained and balanced economic growth. Earlier this month, the President released a progress report on the NEI to discuss what actions have been taken in each of these five categories and their effect on U.S. exporting.

Obama says U.S. will make 40% of advanced vehicle batteries in five years

autobloggreen (Blanco) - President Obama was in Michigan today to visit the construction site of LG Chem/CPI's new advanced battery plant in Holland. The federal government is involved in the plant through a $151.4-million grant, and the visit gave the President the chance to promote American manufacturing...As for where the U.S. will be going in the plug-in vehicle space, Obama said this country will make 40 percent of the world's automotive batteries in five years. Right now, the U.S. makes around two percent.

The feds have put money into nine battery manufacturing projects around the country. Most of the government's $2.4 billion help for advanced batteries went to Michigan. [Source: Lansing State Journal]

Hearing on H.R. 4692, the National Manufacturing Strategy Act of 2010

U.S. House of Representatives - The Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection held a hearing on H.R. 4692, the National Manufacturing Strategy Act of 2010, on Wednesday, July 14, 2010, in 2322 Rayburn House Office Building. Representative Lipinski introduced the bill on February 25, 2010.

The National Manufacturing Strategy Act of 2010 will require the President to undertake a deep and broad analysis of the nation’s manufacturing sector, including the international and economic environment, related technological developments, workforce elements, the impact of governmental policies, and other relevant issues affecting domestic manufacturers. Based on this analysis, the President will develop a national manufacturing strategy that identifies goals and recommendations for how the federal government, as well as state, local and private institutions, can best support the improvement and growth of our nation’s manufacturers and support their efforts to move into the markets of the future. This process will recur every four years, in order to assess the implementation of prior recommendations, review changes in markets, adjust for changes in technology and the economic climate, and respond to any other influences that may arise.

DOE Releases New Report on Economic Impact of Recovery Act Advanced Vehicle Investments

Department of Energy - [DOE] released a new report on the economic impact of Recovery Act investments in advanced batteries and vehicles. The report, "Recovery Act Investments: Transforming America's Transportation Sector," documents how Recovery Act funds are being matched with private capital to create new jobs, construct new plants, add new manufacturing lines, install electric vehicle charging stations across the country and help build the emerging domestic electric vehicle industry from the ground up. Read the report (PDF 341 KB). Among the key highlights of the report:

GAO to White House: Do More on R&D

GovInfoSecurity (Chabrow) - The Government Accountability Office is taking the White House to task for not demonstrating sufficient leadership in shepherding cybersecurity research and development. In a 36-page report issued Tuesday, the GAO said the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy must do a better job in setting a prioritized national cybersecurity R&D agenda, providing stronger leadership and establishing ways for the public and private sectors to share key R&D information.

Obama Encourages Clean Energy Tax Credit

Manufacture This  (Eckert) - President Obama urged Congress to pass a $5 billion dollar clean energy manufacturing tax credit today to spur job growth. According to Reuters:

“He [President Obama] estimated that a the $5 billion expansion would generate nearly 40,000 jobs, and the $12 billion or more in private sector investment it is expected to trigger could create up to 90,000 more jobs.”

Read more here.

President Obama Provides Progress Report on National Export Initiative, Announces Members of the President’s Export Council

White House - Today [July 7], President Barack Obama will provide a progress report on the National Export Initiative (NEI), which shows that the President’s goal of doubling exports and supporting several million new jobs over five years is on track, and that exports in the first four months of 2010 grew almost 17 percent from the same period last year...The full Progress Report on the National Export Initiative can be viewed HERE.

The President will also announce that he has appointed members of the President’s Export Council, which includes a group of business and labor leaders who will offer advice on how to promote U.S. exports, jobs, and growth.  They include:

White House Releases Joint Strategic Plan to Combat Intellectual Property Theft

White House (Victoria Espinel, U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator) - The strategy contains more than thirty concrete recommendations for improvement, falling into six main categories. First, we will lead by example. Specifically, we will work to ensure that we do not mistakenly purchase or use illegal products. Second, the strategy underscores that this Administration supports transparency. That includes transparency in our development of enforcement policy, information sharing, and reporting of law enforcement activities at home and abroad. Third, we will improve coordination and thereby increase efficiency and effectiveness of law enforcement efforts at the Federal, state and local level, of personnel stationed overseas and of our international training efforts. Fourth, we will work with our trading partners and within international organizations to better enforce American intellectual property rights in the global economy. In that regard, we will initiate a comprehensive review of current efforts in support of U.S. businesses that have difficulty enforcing their intellectual property rights in overseas markets, with a particular focus on China. Fifth, we must secure our supply chain. To achieve this most important goal, we will take a close look at the unique problems posed by foreign-based websites and other entities that provide access to counterfeit or pirated products, and develop a coordinated and comprehensive plan to address them. We will make sure our law enforcement has the authority it needs to secure the supply chain and also encourage industry to work collaboratively to address unlawful activity on the internet, such as illegal downloading and illegal internet pharmacies. Sixth, and finally, we will make sure we spend your money wisely, a process we have already begun. To do that, we have, and will continue to collect and track the amount of money we spend on intellectual property enforcement per year. We will use this information to map out the most effective way to fight this theft. Read Strategy

Department of Energy Seeks Input on Wind Energy Workforce Development Roadmap

U.S. Department of Energy - DOE has issued a Request For Information (RFI) to gain public input on the development of a Wind Energy Workforce Roadmap, which will provide details on the current workforce landscape in the wind industry as well as future steps necessary to train and develop a green workforce for the sector. The purpose of the Roadmap is to establish the policy objectives and overall direction that workforce development efforts throughout the wind industry should assume as it moves forward. This RFI provides leaders from academia, industry, and government with the opportunity to provide insight and guidance to DOE as the nation ramps up its wind energy production. A draft Roadmap document has been developed, and the public may provide comments on the initial draft or may provide alternative or additional viewpoints.

This RFI does not constitute a request for specific project proposals. The information being sought under this RFI is intended to assist DOE and the wind industry in maximizing ongoing efforts to spark interest and skills development in the growing wind industry. The information collected may be used for internal DOE planning and decision-making to align future activities under the Wind and Water Power Program with the Administration's goals for increased use of renewable energy and domestic job creation.Comments must be provided by no later than July 30, 2010.

Is 100% American Content the Best Route for High-Speed Rail?

Progressive Policy Institute (Reutter) - The Obama administration’s determination to enforce 100 percent American content for high-speed train systems is roiling the rail supply industry, with some executives saying the rule would be “impossible” to achieve and others wondering how much it will slow down high-speed rail (HSR) development and add to the sticker price.

“We’re living in a global rail industry,” said an official at a large U.S. transportation manufacturer that depends on foreign parts. “Insisting on all-American content could mean losing 10 years in building our HSR supply chain.” Karen Rae, deputy director of the Federal Railroad Administration, surprised rail advocates when she announced last month that the White House has decided to enforce the “domestic buying preference” provision of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA), which authorized $8 billion in HSR grants to state governments earlier this year.

Rae said at a conference sponsored by America 2050 that the administration had determined there was “enough excess manufacturing capacity in the country” to permit HSR equipment to be made of U.S. content. As a result, the administration did not anticipate issuing exemptions from the domestic buying rule, as permitted under Section 504(2) of PRIIA. While Rae lauded the decision as a tool “to help reenergize manufacturing in the U.S.,” executives canvassed in the railway supply business say the provision could have the opposite effect. “We could wind up getting 100 percent of nothing,” said one executive who exchanged candor for anonymity.

Polishing Technology’s Golden Triangle

White House (OSTP) - [T]he President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) wants to hear from you about how the Federal government can best use its resources so three of the newest and most promising technologies provide the greatest economic benefits to society...information technology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology.

[PCAST] is interested in gaining a better understanding of how the Federal government can enhance this potential, and would like to gather public information and input as to how to best do so. It is posing the following question:

What are the critical infrastructures that only government can help provide that are needed to enable creation of new biotechnology, nanotechnology, and information technology products and innovations that will lead to new jobs and greater GDP?

The information we gather from these activities will guide PCAST/PITAC as we recommend policies and programs...We look forward to hearing from you!

MIT Dean Is Nominated to Head National Science Foundation

The Chronicle of Higher Education - Subra Suresh, dean of engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been nominated by President Obama to serve as the next director of the National Science Foundation...If confirmed by the Senate, he would succeed Arden L. Bement Jr., who returned this month to Purdue University after five years heading the NSF.

Homegrown Innovation

Center for American Progress - CAP Event with Undersecretary of Commerce David Kappos on Job Creation and Innovation. Kappos detailed how the USPTO can play a vital role in fostering a robust, competitive economy. He focused on the importance of strengthening patent protection, increasing efficiency in the patent application process, and fostering innovation in crucial sectors of the economy such as green technology.

Kappos argued that a system that strongly protects and enforces patents forms the bedrock of the United States’ economic growth. This approach encourages inventors, researchers, and businesses to create the kinds of innovations that give rise to new businesses and new jobs. “The economic success of the United States is deeply rooted in the history of American innovation,” said Kappos. And if we don’t adamantly protect intellectual property, our overseas competitors will appropriate, and perhaps even misappropriate, ideas, research, and technologies born within the United States in order to compete against us. This lapse in protection of intellectual property could spell the loss of untold numbers of domestic jobs.

When Kappos was sworn in to his position, he found himself confronted with an enormous backlog of patent applications left over from the previous administration. Due to the pressing need for more jobs in the current economic recession, Kappos is making efficiency a top goal at the USPTO, saying, “Reducing that backlog is one of my highest priorities” and that “the backlog of more than 700,000 patent applications stands as a barrier to innovation and economic growth.”

STAR METRICS: New Way to Measure the Impact of Federally Funded Research

National Science Foundation - A new initiative promises to monitor the impact of federal science investments on employment, knowledge generation, and health outcomes. The initiative--Science and Technology for America's Reinvestment: Measuring the Effect of Research on Innovation, Competitiveness and Science, or STAR METRICS--is a multi-agency venture led by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

STAR METRICS will help the federal government document the value of its investments in research and development, to a degree not previously possible. Together, NSF and NIH have committed $1 million for the program's first year. There are two-phases to the program. The first phase will use university administrative records to calculate the employment impact of federal science spending through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and agencies' existing budgets. The second phase will measure the impact of science investment in four key areas:

• Economic growth will be measured through indicators such as patents and business start-ups.
• Workforce outcomes will be measured by student mobility into the workforce and employment markers.
• Scientific knowledge will be measured through publications and citations.
• Social outcomes will be measured by long-term health and environmental impact of funding.

For more information about STAR METRICS, please visit here.

Patent snafus cost U.S. $6.4 billion yearly

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Schmid) - The United States wastes at least $6.4 billion each year in "forgone innovation" - legitimate technologies that cannot get licensed and start-ups that cannot get funding - because of backlogs and dysfunction at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the agency that's supposed to protect and encourage innovation in America.

That figure, enough to provide an average round of venture capital funding to more than 1,000 start-up companies each year, comes from the first-ever effort to quantify the economic damage inflicted by the chronic delays at the Patent Office. It was calculated by London Economics, a British research group commissioned by the British patent office to study the impact of patent backlogs around the world.

According to the London Economics study, the U.S. leads the world in the cost of forgone innovation - employers and jobs that don't exist because they were impeded or snuffed out by inability to get a patent. The economic drag imposed by the European Patent Office, which represents 37 nations, amounts to less than a quarter of the U.S. cost. Japan, the world's second-biggest patent office behind the U.S., inflicts even less than half of the European losses.

At the root of the U.S. agency's current problems are nearly two decades of congressional raids on the fees collected by the Patent Office. From 1992 to 2004, Congress siphoned off $752 million into unrelated spending, which in turn left the agency unable to hire enough examiners to keep up with its mounting workload.

The current Patent Office administration, which took office nine months ago, has been fighting an uphill battle to get congressional funding to reform the agency. But Congress once again skimmed an additional $100 million in the current fiscal year...Striving to get Congress' attention, the Patent Office last month issued a white paper that concedes that the agency handicaps American innovation. The report corroborates many of the Journal Sentinel's findings. Read More

Feds serve as green tech ‘test bed'

Federal Times (Kauffman) - The Defense Department and General Services Administration, which control three-fourths of the government's office space, say they want to use those facilities to test the latest green technologies. "We hope to be a test bed for new technologies and take advantage of our long-standing role as an early adopter and help to create a market," said Dorothy Robyn, deputy undersecretary of Defense for installations and environment.

Likewise, GSA Administrator Martha Johnson wants to reduce her agency's carbon footprint to zero — not just in the facilities GSA builds and manages, but in all of the goods and services agencies purchase through GSA. That will require GSA to test new energy sources for powering buildings, new technologies for measuring and reducing energy consumption and new green materials for office products and cleaning supplies.

Efforts by GSA and the Pentagon to expand the use of new energy-saving technologies come as the Obama administration is calling on all agencies to shrink their carbon footprints and become better stewards of the environment. Agencies must cut their energy consumption 30 percent by 2015 as compared to 2003, increase their use of renewable energy to 7.5 percent annually by 2013, and cut their greenhouse gas emissions by an average 26 percent by 2020. Both agencies point to several projects in the works that will serve as test beds for emerging technologies that could help agencies do that.  Read More