Bill Haslam
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam on Wednesday said he will not expand TennCare rolls under the Affordable Care Act.
Instead, the governor said, he wants to use federal dollars as part of a plan to purchase private health insurance for Tennesseans who would not otherwise have access to coverage.
In a Wednesday press release, Haslam called his plan “real health care reform.” [Read more…]
Gary R. Lownsdale of Plasan Carbon Composites, right, talks to Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, center, near a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 hood at the Carbon Fiber Technology Facility on Tuesday as federal, University of Tennessee, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory officials listen.
A unique manufacturing plant in west Oak Ridge that started operating about six weeks ago can make 25 tons of carbon fiber each year. It’s material that could be used for prototype parts in products ranging from cars and airplanes to wind turbine blades and natural gas tanks.
The $35 million Carbon Fiber Technology Facility at Horizon Center Business Park is designed to “scale up” laboratory research on low-cost carbon fiber, make enough material to help industrial partners build prototype carbon-fiber composite parts, and develop a skilled manufacturing workforce.
Carbon fiber is strong and lightweight, but it is also expensive and that has limited its use.
Officials hope to use the 42,000-square-foot Carbon Fiber Technology Facility to change that. They want to make producing carbon fiber as cost-efficient as manufacturing steel or aluminum. [Read more…]
Officials from the U.S. Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory will celebrate a unique carbon fiber facility on Tuesday morning.
DOE will also announce a new U.S. manufacturing initiative during the ceremony at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Carbon Fiber Technology Facility at Horizon Center Business Park in west Oak Ridge. [Read more…]
Bill Haslam
Gov. Bill Haslam will be the featured speaker at an annual Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Tuesday, and the Eugene Joyce Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented posthumously to longtime Chamber board member and volunteer Kerry Trammell.
The Tuesday luncheon is the Chamber’s kickoff ceremony for the 2013 Program of Work. The annual event marks the beginning of the Chamber’s program year, and all Chamber member representatives are encouraged to attend, a press release said. [Read more…]
Daniel B. Poneman
The federal funding cuts that went into effect March 1 could result in 1,400 furloughs or layoffs for U.S. Department of Energy contractors in Tennessee, an official said this week. The furloughs could start as early as April 1.
There could also be spending reductions of about $90 million for DOE contractors in the Volunteer State, DOE Deputy Secretary Daniel B. Poneman said in a March 5 letter to Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.
Funding for contractors at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge could be cut by roughly $41 million, and more than 1,000 contractor employees could be furloughed, Poneman said.
Information from WYSH Radio
Gov. Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Karla Davis have awarded Incumbent Worker Training Program grants totaling $29,947 to Protomet Corp. in Oak Ridge and $25,000 to Techmer PM in Clinton.
“If Tennessee is going to become the number one location in the Southeast for high-quality jobs, then we must offer a well-trained workforce to employers,” Haslam said. “This kind of training grant not only helps educate workers, but also provides incentive to employers looking to relocate or expand in Tennessee.”
Since the program’s inception, Incumbent Worker Training grants have assisted more than 600 businesses by providing $14 million to train approximately 50,000 employees.
A concept plan by Benefield Richters of Knoxville for the $1 million revitalization of historic Jackson Square in Oak Ridge.
After a brief discussion Monday, the Oak Ridge City Council unanimously agreed to award a $150,000 contract to a company that will help in the first phase of a $1 million project to redevelop Jackson Square, the city’s original town center.
The contract for design services was awarded to Vaughn and Melton Consulting Engineering Inc. of Knoxville. V&M will help with services ranging from deed research and field surveys to preliminary plans and construction estimates.
Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said V&M has helped with the redevelopment of Gay Street in Knoxville.
The work is part of a project funded with help from a Tennessee Department of Transportation Enhancement Grant that was announced by Gov. Bill Haslam in Jackson Square in June 2012.
Gov. Bill Haslam
NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam this week announced his priorities for the 2013 legislative session, building on momentum from his past proposals focused on attracting and growing Tennessee jobs, pursuing meaningful education reform, managing an efficient and effective state government, and strengthening public safety.
“In working together over the past two years with the Legislature, we’ve accomplished a lot for the people of Tennessee, and I look forward to working with the 108th General Assembly in the same way,” Haslam said. “Our proposals represent our top priorities of making Tennessee the No. 1 state in the Southeast for high quality jobs, continuing to improve education, being the best managed state in the country, and keeping our citizens safe.”
The governor’s legislation:
Gov. Bill Haslam
NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam on Monday delivered his 2013 State of the State address before a joint session of the General Assembly, contrasting Tennessee with Washington, D.C., and other states across the country that have struggled to keep their fiscal houses in order.
“Unlike the news coming out of our nation’s capital and so many other states around the country, good things are happening in Tennessee,” Haslam said. “We have a long history of fiscal restraint that crosses party lines. We have been deliberate about not spending money we don’t have and in making a concerted effort to save for the future…And now we are well-positioned to continue to invest in a thoughtful, strategic manner.”
John Ragan
Perhaps illustrating the importance of the race, top state and national Republicans are showing their support for Rep. John Ragan, an Oak Ridge resident and GOP candidate seeking re-election to the Tennessee House of Representatives.
A first-term legislator, Ragan is opposed in the Nov. 6 election by Democrat Jim Hackworth, a Clinton Democrat who used to hold the seat but lost to Ragan in the 2010 election.
Democrats and Republicans have both said the race in Tennessee’s 33rd District, which includes much of Anderson County, is one of a half-dozen key contests in the state.
On Friday, the Tennessee House Republican Caucus announced that U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander will be in Clinton and Anderson County on Tuesday to support Ragan. Alexander will be joined by U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican whose district includes Oak Ridge; Tennessee Sen. Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican; and Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank.
“They will be meeting with Anderson County citizens and discussing plans for economic growth, the importance of fiscal responsibility, and the need to re-elect conservative state Rep. John Ragan,” a press release said.
They will meet at Hoskins Drug Store in Clinton from 2-3 p.m. Tuesday. Hoskins Drug Store is located at 111N. Main St. in Clinton.
Also this week, Republicans announced that top Tennessee officials had unanimously endorsed Ragan. The endorsements came from three top Republicans, Gov. Bill Haslam, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, and Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell.
“Having strong leaders in the state legislature is incredibly important, and I can always count on John Ragan’s consistent conservative approach to tough issues,” Haslam said. “John has a true servant’s heart, and works hard on behalf of Anderson County every day.”
Ramsey said Ragan has worked closely with senators to create a better environment for business and served as a “voice of reform” on the House Education Committee. Harwell said Ragan’s wide range of military and business experience make him a vital part of the Republican team in Nashville.
The outcome of the contest between Ragan and Hackworth could help decide whether Republicans pick up a supermajority in the Tennessee House. That would allow them to conduct legislative business without Democratic support, and they could pass legislation even if Democrats walk out of session.
In June, a Republican campaign aide said Republicans now have 64 representatives in the 99-member Tennessee House of Representatives. They would have a supermajority if they pick up three seats, giving them 67 total members, said Holt Whitt, a member of the Republican Caucus field staff in Nashville.
Early voting for the Nov. 6 election began Wednesday and ends Nov. 1.
Oliver Springs and Clinton have received more than $800,000 in grants for water system improvements and housing rehabilitation, Gov. Bill Haslam announced Tuesday.
Haslam also announced about $1 million total in Community Development Block Grants for sewer system improvements in Lenoir City and a water line extension in Cocke County.
Haslam also announced grants from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation for two local parks. One $100,000 grant will help Oliver Springs develop Carmichael Park and expand Arrowhead Park, and a second $22,000 grant will aid the continued development of Marlow Park in Anderson County, a press release said.
