Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumIt turns out that Foxconn's deal includes billions in tax breaks and huge environmental law waivers
When unpopular President Donald Trump isnt fabricating congratulatory phone calls hes received from Steve Bannon holding a handkerchief over the phone the Boy Scouts, hes trying to tout the big $10 billion investment in Wisconsin being made by Tawanese electronics giant Foxconn. Thats a big deal. I wonder how they made it happen? With incentives of course.
The factory will employ 3,000 people initially and as many as 13,000 people eventually. The plant also could draw as many as 150 supporting suppliers to Southeastern Wisconsin and surrounding states, according to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. The state is providing Foxconn with a $3 billion, 15-year incentive package of tax credits, Walker said.
According to a Scott Walker state official these jobs will lead to more jobs and the incentive package is tied to those increased jobs. Fair enough. I doubt the math will work out, since it never does in these cases, but at least you are making an argument. However, Wisconsins Journal Sentinel has a few more details about how wide a net these incentives may be cast.
The Taiwanese company will require an array of air and water pollution permits, ranging from prescribed limits on smokestacks to the construction of green infrastructure to keeping rain from washing off a 1,000-acre campus and flooding neighboring areas.
This is going to require all hands on deck, former Natural Resources Secretary Matt Frank said.
Business Insider points out that the need to create space, and soon, for Foxconn means cutting some cornersand by corners we mean breathable air and non-polluted water.
The draft bill allows Foxconn to discharge dredged or fill material into some wetlands without state permits. The legislation also would allow Foxconn to connect artificial bodies of water with natural waterways without state permits.
[Foxconn Chairman Terry] Gou told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Wisconsin was appealing in part because of its proximity to abundant fresh water from Lake Michigan.
"New business is great, but it shouldn't come at the expense of our water and air," Clean Wisconsin said on Facebook.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/8/2/1686365/-It-turns-out-that-Foxconn-s-deal-includes-billions-in-tax-breaks-and-huge-environmental-law-waivers
dlk
(11,597 posts)Sounds like Republican business as usual.
sinkingfeeling
(51,490 posts)lapfog_1
(29,239 posts)was outsourced.
1. We would engage former enemies as trading partners
2. We would give them manufacturing jobs and improve their standard of living making them potential consumers
3. We would trade our dirty manufacturing jobs for high tech information age jobs
4. We would not have to deal with pollution from the dirty manufacturing jobs
Of course, this was all bullshit... except for number 4...
So now we bring them back, only much more automated (negating and benefit for employment)... but getting the pollution back... SAD