Walk into any home in West Virginia, and you will find something locally made, from kitchen cabinets to car parts to cat litter, and lots more. These products are part of everyday life, just like the paychecks earned in the making of these products.

All these products and jobs face a challenge: Having adequate, reliable and affordable electric power to run our manufacturing plants in the near future. Regardless of size, it is a real concern for companies that make products that we use every day, ship around the world, and contribute to the Mountain State’s economy.

There is a lot of talk about “America First,” especially when it comes to manufacturing, and with good reason. I like to think of “West Virginia First,” because no one in Charleston, Martinsburg, or Weirton is getting up for work every morning and reporting to a plant in China, Vietnam, or Mexico.

That bothers me. I want to be certain that our manufacturers have all the tools they need to make their products right here at home.

That starts with easy to get, affordable, ample power. Modern manufacturing depends on electricity, and they tend to need this resource twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, even if they are not always in operation.

Right now, the “easy to get” part of that is hurting. Our electric grid is hitting a wall, one built from bureaucracy, complacency, and a lack of understanding. I want not just America First, but West Virginia First at all times.

Let us break that down.

Bureaucracy

It can take five to ten years or more to get approval and build new transmission lines. But manufacturers do not have that kind of time.

Complacency

There is an old story about a man who jumps from a 30-story building. As he passes the 22nd floor, someone asks how he is doing. “So far, so good,” he says.

That is where we are with our power grid. It has kept the lights on for now, but we are falling fast and need to change course. But we need to act now.

Education

The electric grid has been called the most important invention of the 20th Century. It took decades to build, and now it is decades old. We need investment of up-to-date power lines to build a stronger, more resilient grid. Without this – we put our manufacturing future at risk and the jobs of thousands here in West Virginia at stake.

This challenge affects all of us. “No country is ever successful in the long term without a really strong and vibrant manufacturing base.” That quote was said by the former Ford CEO who is also an aerospace engineer.

He is correct.

It does not matter if we are talking about dinnerware from Fiesta Tableware Company in Newell, charcoal from Kingsford in Parsons, dining room tables from Berkeley Spring’s Gat Creek, or any other West Virginia-proud products.

They need to run their plants and, to do so, they need reliable power.

That means wires to get power to our people and manufacturing plants.

Here is my request.

Support the people who make the products you use every day.

Support the companies that pay taxes, hire your friends and neighbors, and keep our communities strong.

Support the power infrastructure needed to power our economy and lives.

Without reliable, affordable electricity, we are not just standing still but falling behind. Let us build an electric system that will benefit all of us including our growing manufacturing sector.

Bill Bissett is the President of the West Virginia Manufacturers Association, the voice for manufacturing in the Mountain State.