WASHINGTON – Representative Dale E. Kildee (D-MI) announced that $1 million has been appropriated for the Casting Emission Reductions Program (CERP) in the Defense Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2006, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on June 20.  The House-passed bill now awaits Senate action before it can be signed into law by the President.  The funding was added to the House bill at the request of Representative Kildee, who worked with Dennis Fiting, president of United Auto Workers Amalgamated Local 455, to ensure the participation of the Saginaw Malleable Iron Plant in CERP.

“I am very pleased that we have now been able to secure funding for this program for the last three years,” said Representative Kildee.  “This program is important to our workers at the Saginaw Plant, our automobile industry, our environment, and our national defense.”

CERP is a cooperative research and development agreement between the federal government (U.S. Army, Industrial Ecology Center in conjunction with the EPA) and U.S. Automobile Manufacturers (Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Daimler-Chrysler Corporation) under the auspices of the U.S. Council for Automotive Research (USCAR).  CERP is a pollution prevention program focused on developing sustainable industry objectives for replacement materials and methods in metal casting industries to reduce foundry emissions.

CERP will help American foundries meet new environmental regulations, improve their international competitiveness and keep the manufacturing of parts for defense machinery in the United States.  Additionally, this funding will help ensure that thousands of jobs in auto parts foundries are maintained.

This is the third consecutive year of CERP funding due to Congressman Kildee’s efforts.

Kildee obtained $8 million total for CERP in Defense appropriations bills for Fiscal Years 2004 and 2005.