Already, MEP is working with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to improve its ability to assess the merits of requests for waivers from Buy America requirements, eliminate the need for some waivers, and strengthen FTA’s support for these requirements. In June, representatives from MEP joined FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff and Deputy Secretary John Porcari for a meeting between transit agencies and rail manufacturers to promote the domestic production of steel rails for streetcar projects.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will partner with MEP to help identify U.S. manufacturing capabilities to produce new technologies and emerging products for the nation’s highway systems. FHWA tasked MEP to identify U.S. manufacturers with potential production facilities for specialized steel fibers used in ultra high-performance concrete, which is a joint filler material between prefabricated bridge elements. Currently, this steel fiber is only made overseas.

At the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. MEP is a catalyst for strengthening American manufacturing – accelerating its ongoing transformation into a more efficient and powerful engine of innovation driving economic growth and job creation.

President Obama has called on Congress to pass measures in the American Jobs Act, which invests $50 billion in new transportation construction.  In addition to construction jobs, these investments will pump billions into the domestic manufacturing sector, creating new orders and jobs at American manufacturers and suppliers.