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Dear Friend,
After a busy week across eastern Connecticut, I’m here with an update on two 2022 Community Projects, a growing electric vehicle charging station business in Enfield, and more. Thanks as always for starting your weekend here.
Community Project Funding to Improve Public Safety in Norwich and Greater New London County
The 2022 budget was passed in March on a bipartisan basis, and it included funding I worked with our towns to secure for ten different projects throughout eastern CT, known as “Community Project Requests.” Two of our Community Projects are going to really complement one another when it comes to helping families battle the addiction crisis: we secured $125,000 to help support the substance abuse recovery team at the non-profit Reliance Health, and $700,000 help upgrade communications systems at the Norwich Police Department. On Wednesday, we finally got to see this effort across the finish line—I got together with Norwich Police Chief Pat Daley and the team from Reliance Health to present them with official notices that this federal funding has been transmitted, and to catch up on their work to prevent substance abuse tragedies in New London County.
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| As two of Rep. Courtney’s 10 2022 Community Projects, the Norwich Police Department will receive $700,000 in federal funding to finish upgrading their dispatch system and Reliance Health will receive $125,000 to hire new Recovery Coaches |
Reliance Health and the Norwich PD work together to operate the Norwich Recovery Program, and data show that their collaborative approach reduced the 2021 fatality rate in Norwich from the previous year. Their teamwork was recognized last year by the Eastern CT Chamber of Commerce, and with their $125,000 Community Project award they’ll be able to hire on more Recovery Coaches to serve more people and hopefully to grow their model in the region.
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| On Wednesday, the team at Reliance Health and members of the Norwich Police Department – including Chief Pat Daely – stopped by Rep. Courtney’s office in Norwich to celebrate the 2022 Community Project funding |
The Norwich PD works in tandem with Reliance Health’s Recovery Coaches to provide resources to people who have recently overdosed – providing them with the emergency life-saving drug NARCAN and offering recovery mentoring. The partnership with Norwich PD sends a signal for people suffering from addiction that crisis intervention is about saving lives, not punishment. With $700,000 in Community Project funding, Norwich PD will be able to complete upgrades to their remote dispatch system so they can sync-up with the improved statewide 911 system—meaning faster, more efficient response-times to emergencies in Norwich. Chief Daley and the officers of the Norwich PD work hard to keep people safe, and my office was proud to help them secure this funding.
Visiting a Shipbuilding Manufacturer in Bozrah
Eastern CT has had some major news in terms of manufacturing and workforce development lately, and with so much demand for submarines now at hand, the 2022 budget included a provision I authored to invest $130 million to grow America’s nationwide submarine supplier base. We've got a lot of those suppliers in our region, including Collins & Jewell, a steel fabrication company in Bozrah and a major contributor to U.S. Navy submarine production. On Wednesday, I met up with co-owner Chris Jewell for a tour of the facility, and an update on the growth and expansion their business has seen due to a booming shipbuilding industry and support we’ve secured in Congress.
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| On Thursday, Rep. Courtney visited Collins & Jewell to catch up with co-owner Chris Jewell and his team about the growth their business has seen in recent years. Courtney also met with several graduates of the Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative (MPI) and Youth MPI, who are now employed at Collins & Jewell. |
Suppliers all over eastern Connecticut play critical roles in allowing us to meet demand for an ongoing 2-per-year build rate of Virginia-class submarines, and now for continued work on the first Columbia-class submarine and the Columbia fleet. Take a look at where these suppliers are located.
As Chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, I’ve worked in bipartisan fashion to deliver on the Navy’s top priorities, and to secure support to keep our region’s manufacturing sector growing healthily. It’s great to see that work paying off for local manufacturers like Collins & Jewell, and we are ready to keep the momentum going strong.
New Growth for an Electric Vehicle Charging Station Manufacturer in Enfield
We’re seeing all sorts of industries transition their delivery fleets to electric vehicles – including Postal Service. They’re aiming to electrify 40% of their fleet, which will mean lower costs and more efficient delivery service in the long-term, lower carbon emissions, and potentially new growth for manufacturers in the industry. The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is also driving Connecticut’s transition to low or no-emission transportation by building out our EV charging station network.
The CHIPS and Science Act which we passed this summer will also help maintain growth in adoption of EVs by “insourcing” the domestic manufacturing of critical semiconductor chips. On Monday, I caught up with Control Module, Inc. in Enfield – a company that designs and manufactures EV charging stations. They’re phone is ringing off the hook with groups looking to purchase their charging stations. I got an update on that recent boom in activity and potential future work opportunities on the horizon.
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| On Monday, Rep. Courtney visited Control Module in Enfield, a designer and manufacturer of electric vehicle charging stations. They’re business is growing and there’s more potential work on the horizon with investments in EVs coming through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act |
The 40% goal from the Postal Service, the investments coming now and over the next five years through the IIJA, and new tax credits coming through the Inflation Reduction Act will grow demand for the charging stations Control Module designs and manufactures. Alongside an all-of-the-above approach to build out a cleaner energy grid with nuclear, and new technologies like wind, solar, and others, decarbonizing our transportation sector is an important piece to cutting carbon emissions. You can learn more about the Inflation Reduction Act electric vehicle and home energy tax credits that are on the way here. Big thanks to the team at Control Module for welcoming me again and showing me the manufacturers growth.
Construction on the National Coast Guard Museum is Getting Set to Kick Off
In August, we marked the official keel-laying of the National Coast Guard Museum in New London. The Coast Guard is our nation’s oldest sea service, but they’re the only one of our nation’s service branches without a national museum dedicated to its heritage and legacy. Making the project a reality was a years-long effort, and there have been times when naysayers predicted it would not come to fruition. Thanks to the work the Coast Guard, the National Coast Guard Museum Association, local leaders in New London, and funding secured for the project in the 2022 budget by my colleagues and I in the Congressional delegation, the National Coast Guard Museum will open in its rightful home in the heart of New London. My team stopped by the site of the future museum to check out the progress crews are making at prepping the site for construction. It’s getting ready for building to kick-off.
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| At the future site of the National Coast Museum in New London, crews are preparing for construction to kick-off |
I’m proud to have supported this project for years, every step toward the start of construction. In this year’s federal budget, I voted to include $50 million for construction of the Coast Guard Museum – this is now turbo-charging the move toward construction in New London. I also secured $5 million in this year’s budget to support future exhibits and the preservation of artifacts at the museum. Soon, we’ll have a place here in eastern Connecticut to honor the history of the Coast Guard and tell the stories of its servicemembers. I’ll keep providing updates as construction on the Coast Guard Museum moves forward.
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| A rendering of the future National Coast Guard Museum |
Thanks for taking some time to read my update. If we can be of any assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to my Norwich office at (860) 886-0139. Enjoy the long weekend!
Sincerely,
Joe Courtney
Member of Congress
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