Defending manufacturing jobs in southern Colorado
Manufacturing in southern Colorado has been a pillar of the regional economy since before Colorado was a state. Stretching back to the mid-19th century, these companies have offered good, family-sustaining jobs for generations. The question leaders here are facing is whether these jobs will survive into the next generation.
As this year’s state legislative session approaches its halfway mark, leaders in Pueblo and throughout the region — on a bipartisan basis — are again concerned about proposed bills and regulations that could have wide-ranging negative unintended consequences for the future of manufacturing in the region.
We have much at stake, including the livelihoods of thousands of families who rely on high-quality manufacturing jobs.
The most recent numbers from the Southern Colorado Economic Development District (SCEDD) show that manufacturing comprises more than 7% of the region’s economy, generating nearly 4,700 jobs and contributing $623 million to the region’s gross domestic product.
These are sought-after jobs. According to the state Office of Economic Development, the average annual wage for manufacturers statewide is 43% higher than the average annual wage for all industries.
Equally important, southern Colorado is home to manufacturing companies that are globally competitive while proactively embracing a green energy, lowercarbon future.
The EVRAZ steel mill, in operation for more than 150 years, is a global leader in reducing emissions through researching, and implementing new — and often very expensive — technologies that lessen its environmental footprint. It’s the world’s only solar-powered steel mill, with a solar field so large the only way to get a sense of its true scope is to see it from the air. And it’s the largest recycler by volume in the state.
Our region is also home to CS Wind, one of the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturing facilities, helping to lead the transition to a green energy future.
These and other forward-thinking manufacturing companies show that businesses can — and must — combine a deep commitment to Colorado’s environment with solid financial success. To build a cleaner future, we need look no further than southern Colorado.
Despite the region’s pro-environment record, policymakers from places far from here craft policies that will set us backward economically — while not meaningfully moving us forward environmentally.
That’s why we work in partnership to sound alarm bells about the real-world effects of proposals that will affect our regional economy. On a bipartisan basis, elected officials, business and community leaders, company officials and leaders in organized labor unite to explain in detail, backed by sound science, the precise impact of environmental proposals.
The best examples are a continuing wave of highly complex bills and regulations to significantly alter emissions standards that require deep scientific expertise to analyze properly. We subject each to a rigorous review that focuses on two questions: will it produce the promised environmental benefits, and at what cost to the local economy — and to manufacturing jobs?
We support any proposal that strikes that delicate balance. But, in several significant cases, a fair analysis shows that proposals that may make for attractive talking points simply cannot pass scientific or economic muster.
Each year, proposals are introduced with immense implementation costs that, by definition, tend to make our region far less competitive domestically and internationally because foreign manufacturers are not held to the same standards. If enacted, these bills would threaten jobs, prevent the creation of additional jobs — or even cause companies to look to other states more friendly to business.
Yet for every measure, even those that appear to be economic nonstarters, we examine environmental efficacy.
Too often, we see that these measures are simply not rooted in scientific reality. For example, we have seen air quality measures so aspirational that the technology doesn’t even exist to implement them. Others ask for companies to implement marginal reductions while ignoring the very significant impact on our air from I-25, one of the nation’s busiest interstate highways, that bisects Pueblo.
In many cases, these measures are proposed by lawmakers who have never conducted fact-finding visits to southern Colorado. Nor are manufacturing companies, which often have significant scientific expertise, brought into stakeholder conversations to consider if the details of measures are workable.
The good news is that our legislative delegation takes these fact-based analyses back to the Capitol. They have been highly effective in standing up for southern Colorado’s economy.
Southern Colorado is the region of our state that has helped build America, and led to its flourishing. Smart policies in tune with the economic and environmental needs of our region will preserve our manufacturing economy for decades to come.
Jeff Shaw is the president and CEO of the Pueblo Economic Development Corporation