WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Jake Ellzey (R-TX), Chairman of the Small Business Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Supply Chains, held a hearing titled “Fueling the Golden Age: Future Resource Needs and Small Business Opportunity” to examine the energy, water, and workforce needs necessary to support America's next generation of manufacturing, technology, and industrial growth.

“We must build the infrastructure needed to keep growing, alongside water and energy demands, without leaving families, farmers, and small businesses to pay the bill. If we get this right, we can protect ratepayers, strengthen our communities, and create lasting opportunities for the local contractors, manufacturers, and skilled workers who will help build America’s future,” said Chairman Ellzey. “Small businesses are ready to help meet this moment. Congress should make sure they have the trained workers, certifications, and opportunity to compete for these projects, so the economic benefits stay in the communities where the work is being done.”

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Watch the full hearing here.

Below are some key excerpts from today’s hearing:

Chairman Ellzey: “Representative Harris, how can the federal government best partner with States to ensure our water and electric infrastructure is capable of sustaining long term growth?” State Rep. Harris: “Thank you for the question, Mr. Chairman. What we are seeing in Texas is that the best approach for us, as a state, has been for the federal government to grant our state agencies primacy in regulatory matters, like the Railroad Commission of Texas and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, as they relate to water issues. As we transition into that nuclear renaissance that I was talking about in my testimony, that’s one of the primary areas of focus. How can we make the permitting process more efficient? We know that as soon as these reactors are demonstrated as safe, then it’s just a matter of site selection. Could the federal government then grant primacy on, at least, site selection to the state of Texas to expedite the process of building and locating those nuclear reactors where they’re needed throughout the state?”

Chairman Williams: “Infrastructure projects are often announced before a community has enough trained workers to execute them. So, to you, Mr. Harris, what workforce needs do you see in your district, particularly for electricians, line workers, welders, pipefitters, water operators, industrial-controls technicians, and on, and on?” State Rep. Harris: “Great question, Mr. Chairman. Water operators are one of the most significant needs that we see in the rural areas. We’ve got multiple; one county can have several different water systems operating. All mostly non-profit. And for those guys to find water operators is almost impossible. So, we’ve been working with the Texas Education Agency and our career and technical colleges to develop pathways for kids out of high school to get certifications in water system operation. Electrical work is another, especially as we see the proliferation of data centers and all these new technologies being built; we don’t have enough electricians and skilled labor like that. We, as the legislature, have been working for years with our education agencies to try to develop a fast track for taking kids directly out of high school, with certification, directly into the workforce as skilled labor.” Chairman Williams: “Well, plumbers, welders, carpenters, etc., save our economy.” State Rep. Harris: “That’s right.”

Rep. Finstad: “For rural manufacturing communities in states like Minnesota, what would it take to make those sites competitive locations for new energy and manufacturing investments? Mr. Ellis: “Thank you, Congressman. I think it’s an important question. My colleagues at AFPI have highlighted that the cheapest megawatt of power is usually the one we already have. Similarly, the best workforce we can use to revitalize former industrial sites is the workforce that's already there. I think we can invest in workforce development. I think we can site new large projects on brownfield industrial sites. That way, we can skip some of the remediation process. We can provide liability protection for pollution or other remediation elements that might already be there. I think that those sites can really be a place where we can springboard into the next generation of manufacturing.”

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