At Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, Feingold Calls New CalStar Plant an Example of Wisconsin’s Leadership in Green Industries that Create Sustainable Green Jobs

Caledonia, WI – Today, U.S. Senator Russ Feingold praised Wisconsin’s leadership in green job creation during a ribbon cutting ceremony for a CalStar Products facility in Caledonia. Feingold, who had success last year in advancing his E4 Initiative to create jobs and enhance Wisconsin’s economy by addressing our energy challenges, spoke about the need to support innovative American businesses in order to ensure our nation has a competitive advantage in developing new renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. CalStar Products’ Caledonia plant is the first non-fired, fly-ash brick manufacturing facility in the nation. Calstar’s method of manufacturing bricks from fly-ash, which too often is disposed of as waste, would use a fraction of the energy of normal bricks and produce a green building material available to consumers at a comparable price.

“The development of energy saving and renewable energy technologies offers an enormous opportunity to reduce energy costs, address environmental challenges, create jobs and boost small businesses,” Feingold said. “As the work here in Caledonia makes clear, developing new, green technologies to reduce emissions can help keep U.S. businesses competitive in the emerging, carbon-conscious global marketplace.”

CalStar Products’ Caledonia plant was one of eight Wisconsin businesses that just received funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the economic stimulus, in the form of tax credits for clean energy manufacturing projects. CalStar received $2,443,547 in stimulus funding to support the investment in the facility to produce bricks and pavers, which require 88 percent less energy to produce and avoiding carbon dioxide emissions associated with global warming.

Feingold is working to support Wisconsin businesses and job creation in several ways. Among Feingold’s top 2010 priorities is advancing his jobs tax credit proposal which would provide firms a tax credit for expanding their payroll through hiring more people, raising pay, or just expanding hours of work. Feingold will also continue to advance his E4 Initiative to create jobs and enhance Wisconsin’s economy. In 2009, Feingold successfully advanced several provisions of his E4 Initiative including:

* Energy Efficiency upgrades – A provision of Feingold’s E4 Initiative to boost green jobs by helping more buildings become energy efficient was included in the economic stimulus package. Feingold’s legislation expands the types of projects eligible for the Qualified Energy Conservation Bond program and could help programs that make energy efficiency upgrades in homes and buildings at a time when both jobs and energy efficiency are needed most.
* Helping small businesses – The Senate passed a provision of Feingold’s E4 Initiative to prioritize federal research funding for energy, water quality, domestic security and transportation projects – top national priorities where Wisconsin has a strategic advantage. The provision was passed as part of a bill reauthorizing the Small Business Innovation Research Act.
* Moving Energy Technologies to Market – A provision of the E4 Initiative allowing the USDA, including the Forest Service, to partner with businesses, universities and other interested parties by opening their facilities, equipment and technical expertise to advance new energy technologies – like biofuels – to the market, was enacted as part of the Department of Interior appropriations bill.