IN PERSONAL CALL, SCHUMER URGES GE CEO TO WORK WITH ALLEGANY COUNTY TO BREATHE NEW LIFE & JOBS INTO LUFKIN-RMT PLANT IN WELLSVILLE – OVER THE SUMMER, GE ANNOUNCED IT WOULD CLOSE THE FACILITY; SCHUMER SAYS GE MUST NOW WORK WITH LOCAL OFFICIALS TO DEVELOP PLAN TO GET FACILITY BACK ON-LINE
In August, GE Announced It Would Close Its Lufkin-RMT Plant In Wellsville; Facility Is Set To Close By End Of November – GE Has Yet To Find A Buyer For The Plant, And County Has Offered To Take It Over If None Emerges So Local Community Can Position Facility For More Incentives & Private Investments
Schumer Elevates County’s Request & Goes Straight To The Top; Urges GE’s CEO, Jeff Immelt, To Work With Local Officials To Come To A Deal That Will Put Facility On Best Track For Future Development
Schumer: Let Community Breathe New Life Into Wellsville Plant
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer made a call directly to General Electric (GE) CEO, Jeff Immelt, to urge the company to work with local officials to ensure the Lufkin-RMT plant in Wellsville is best positioned for future development. Schumer explained that, over the summer, GE announced it would close its Allegany County facility on Tarantine Road. The plant is officially slated to close by the end of November.
As a result, Schumer urged GE to either find a buyer for the facility that will add new jobs right away or work with Allegany County to better position the facility for future investment by turning over the plant to the local IDA. Schumer, citing the importance of not letting the plant sit vacant and deteriorating for years, made a personal call to the CEO of GE to advance the County’s effort.
“It is of paramount importance that GE work with Allegany County to find a new employer for this facility ASAP – so it is not allowed to sit vacant and rusting. By either quickly bringing in a new company or turning the plant over to the local community, GE can be part of the solution,” said Schumer. “That’s why I called CEO Jeff Immelt directly and urged him to work with the local community to turn over the facility – and put Wellsville in the best position possible to breathe new life into the Lufkin-RMT plant. We need to make sure the Wellsville area has every chance to bring in new companies and pursue the kinds of economic opportunities at this facility that will create jobs and reinvigorate the regional economy.”
In August, GE announced it would close its Lufkin-RMT plant, which manufactures and refurbishes oil field equipment. Schumer explained that community residents and county officials want to see a new chapter for the GE plant to begin as swiftly and as smoothly as possible. As a result, Allegany County has offered to take over the GE facility if a new employer cannot quickly be found so it can begin pursuing new economic development opportunities and potential buyers right away. At Schumer’s request GE has been engaged in preliminary discussions with the County for several weeks, but Schumer called Immelt to make his case for Allegany County directly to the GE CEO. In the call Schumer urged GE to work with local officials so the Wellsville area can see new jobs and opportunities come out of this unfortunate closure.
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