Missouri escapes further cuts in vehicle manufacturing while a special task force is looking for ways to rebuilt what is left of that industry here. .
The only General Motors plant left in Missouri has escaped the bankruptcy closings axe, meaning 18-hundred workers at the Wentzville plant will keep making full-size GMC and Chevrolet vans. It’s the only GM factory in this country that makes them.
That, and the Ford factory at Claycomo are the only manufacturing plants left in Missouri.
The Governor’s special Automotive Jobs Task Force is trying to plot a course through the industry wreckage so the state is ready when the economy and the industry turn around. Chairman Chris Chung says the task force regularly asks itself "What can we do." He says the task force is working on ways to make the state more competitive for businesses in that industry.
Chung says the task force is looking at what is needed by the industry in Missouri’s unique auto manufacturing climate. But he says another issue is what’s affordable. He says industry uncertainty is making discussions of short-term solutions difficult. But he says long-term issues such as workforce, helpful university research, and development incentives are being addressed.
legislation this year should help ease the burden on two state agencies charged with heading up inspections.
A major focus of the policy ideas being tossed around is something called cap and trade, which aims to cut down on carbon emissions. Blunt sees this as problematic because cap and trade makes coal a major target – and coal is very important to Missouri’s energy needs, with much of our electricity coming from coal – and Missouri is more dependent on coal than are many other states.
