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Sen. Shelby lauds economic development
Shelby spoke Saturday at his annual county Town Hall Meeting at Gaston's Grill in Thomasville. He is in his fourth term in the U.S. Senate. "…What is going on in Mobile County is going to have a positive effect on this area." Shelby had his fingers crossed about the outcome of the $40 billion Air Force contract for Northrop Grumman/EADS to build refueling aircraft in Mobile. An appeal by Boeing against the reward to Northrop must go through the General Accounting Office. "We have to work through the process." Shelby serves on the Defense Appropriations Committee. He called the Northrop contract "a significant award." Northrop's proposal was judged the best, the senator said. "It will carry more fuel, carry more troops and cargo. We can build 21 fewer planes - a lot of big savings. "…The Northrop Grumman proposal was superior to an old Boeing plane (the 767) that they were getting ready to discontinue making. "…The GAO will evaluate every aspect of this proposal and the award," Shelby said. "I'm hoping and praying that they will affirm that….We should hear around the first of June." The GAO has 100 days to report back, he said. "Assuming that comes to the Mobile area…we're going to have 1,500 to 2,000 direct jobs, but there are going to be 30,000 jobs created (through suppliers). "…I know the timber industry and lumber is hurting some now because of the housing slowdown. It will come back. "…(Overall in the economy) the jobless rate is kicking up some," Shelby said. "We've got some problems in our financial sector because of greed and too much money chasing bad loans and the sub-prime problems. It is affecting all of us." The senator said taxpayers couldn't bail out everybody. Shelby voted against the recent stimulus package. "It's a question of how disciplined we are in the future." The senator addressed higher fuel prices. "I believe the oil availability and pricing is the greatest challenge we have in America in the next two or three generations," he said. "…Not only are we importing 65 percent of our oil…we have found no big pools of oil or gas in 30 years in this country. We're strangled because of politics (limiting our availability to drill in Alaska and offshore). "We're exporting our wealth to these countries, Venezuela, Iraq, Russia, Canada, the Persian Gulf, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Angola, and others," Shelby said. "Until we come up with a substitute for oil to run our cars and trucks, we are going to pay through the roof.
"Now we have China and India growing fast and not just buying oil, which is a world commodity, but coal, iron ore, copper, gold, platinum…you name it. We are in a world struggle for basic products."
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