U.S. Senator J.D. Vance discusses challenges with local plant workers

MARIETTA, Ohio. (WTAP) - As a part of a statewide tour, U.S. Senator J.D. Vance met with workers at a Marietta Solvay plant Thursday afternoon. They discussed issues and challenges the site and industry as a whole face.

J.D. Vance’s visit began with a meeting then a tour.

Site Manager Marty Lawhon said some of the topics discussed include government restrictions tightening, inflation, and supply chain issues from Covid.

“When we talk about expanding here, the price of construction, the price of raw materials, the price of everything is going up, and it really challenges the discussions of growth,” he said.

Lawhon said that, while they have a good working relationship with the Ohio EPA, regulations present challenges.

“We used to receive all of our raw materials if not all of our raw materials from the United States, however, that has changed due to regulations and the cost of our suppliers having to pay to reach these regulations,” he said.

Now they get over half of their raw materials from outside of the U.S., according to Lawhon.

Vance said that he’s working on legislation to reduce regulatory burdens on manufacturers, making it easier to build and do things in the U.S.

“The other thing we’re looking at is local content requirements, which would actually make it easier to source materials from the state of Ohio, from the broader country. We should not be getting so much stuff from East Asia, especially China,” he said.

Amidst tensions between the U.S. and China, Vance pointed to the importance of American-made goods.

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