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Economic and Rural Development in the 5th District
 As we've
done in Clearfield County, counties throughout the 5th
District must identify new industries that fit the
region. Clearfield County has been fortunate that the
alternative fuels and private energy production industries
identified north central Pennsylvania as a place to locate
and invest in. We've had success in Clearfield County
through a partnership of local, county, state and federal
government officials working with private industry and
community economic development leaders to bring these new
industries to the region.
Another
area that we are utilizing in Clearfield County to help
foster growth and interest in the region is the promotion
of tourism. We were fortunate that Governor Ed Rendell
and Representative John Peterson, working together in a
bi-partisan effort, proposed the Pennsylvania Wilds as a
regional tourism promotion initiative. The most
important component of the Pennsylvania Wilds plan is that
the member counties recognize that standing alone, we
don't have the single attraction to bring in visitors,
but, working together, we have numerous attractions that
visitors from across the nation and around the world want
to see. The Pennsylvania Wilds is a plan that I've fully
supported from day one and we can continue to build on in
the future.
We also
must continue to address the need to bring infrastructure
development, specifically public water and sewer, to the
most rural areas of the district. Water and sewer
projects have been a long standing priority of the
Clearfield County Commissioners and we have specifically
dedicated our federal Community Development Block Grant
(CDBG) funds for these projects for
several years. Our citizens, regardless of how far out of
town they live, deserve to have a clean and reliable
supply of water.
Economic Conditions in the 5th
District
There is clear data showing that the citizens of
the 5th Congressional District do not have the same
opportunities that other areas of Pennsylvania and the United States enjoy.
15 of the 17 counties in
the 5th district are over 5% unemployment and Census
Bureau statistics show that median income in the 5th
district is almost $12,000 less on average than the rest
of the United States. This is why our young people
are leaving this district and never
coming back.
As a member of Congress, I
will work on this problem as a partner with our state
level officials, county commissioners and local and
regional economic development agencies to turn these
trends around once and for all. We will begin a
Rural Renewal of the 5th district.
Employee Free Choice Act
As a member of Congress, I
will support the Employee Free Choice Act. It is
time to put our working people first over executive
bonuses and profit margins. |
