“A Choice Between Prosperity and Decline”

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/04/22/A-Choice-Between-Prosperity-and-Decline/

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 at 5:12 pm

“A Choice Between Prosperity and Decline”

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-in-Newton-IA/">Speaking at a wind tower production facility in Iowa today, the President laid out his vision for a new clean energy economy, independence from foreign oil, keeping pollution out of our air and water, and finally addressing the climate change problem that has been neglected for decades in Washington. The President was introduced by Richard Mulbrook, the current Maintenance Manager there -- and a former Maytag employee before the company closed its operations at the same plant. As the President explained, the transformation that happened at this plant in Iowa was a sign of the transformation that America can undergo with the right vision and the right investments:

I just had a terrific tour of the facility led by several of the workers and managers who operate this plant. It wasn't too long ago, as Rich said, that Maytag closed its operations in Newton. And hundreds of jobs were lost. These floors were dark and silent. The only signs of a once thriving enterprise were the cement markings where the equipment had been before they were boxed up and carted away.

Look at what we see here today. This facility is alive again with new industry. This community is still going through some tough times. If you talk to your neighbors and friends, I know they -- the community still hasn't fully recovered from the loss of Maytag. Not everybody has been rehired. But more than 100 people will now be employed at this plant -- maybe more, if we keep on moving. Many of the same folks who had lost their jobs when Maytag shut its doors now are finding once again their ability to make great products.

Now, obviously things aren't exactly the same as they were with Maytag, because now you're using the materials behind me to build towers to support some of the most advanced wind turbines in the world. When completed, these structures will hold up blades that can generate as much as 2.5 megawatts of electricity -- enough energy to power hundreds of homes. At Trinity, you are helping to lead the next energy revolution.

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[jwirr]

1. Just got in - where in Iowa?

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. Newton, IA

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-in-Newton-IA/