Rosslyn, VA, July 16, 2004 -- Electrical manufacturing executives are praising Congressional ratification of the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA). In Washington, DC, for a board of governors meeting of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), several said that the accord -- featuring immediate tariff elimination for almost all manufactured goods, including electrical equipment -- would be beneficial to their companies, the electrical manufacturing industry, and consumers.

On Wednesday, July 14, the agreement easily cleared the House of Representatives by a bipartisan vote of 314 to 109, and on Thursday, July 15, it gained Senate endorsement by a vote of 80 to 16. Completion of Australian parliamentary voting on the agreement is anticipated in the near future.

"Free trade is good for our company and for this nation," said John Estey, president and chief executive officer of S & C Electric Company, a producer of high-voltage electrical equipment based in Chicago. "The free trade agreement with Australia will help us be competitive. A lot of what Australia uses in the utilities market comes from outside the country. If we have an agreement and others don't, we are ahead of the game.

"Critics of FTAs," he said, " always talk about how they hurt jobs in the United States. That has not been our experience. We think they are good for the company and the economy." Estey cited as an example the North American Free Trade Agreement, which meant growth for S & C plants in both Canada and the U.S.

For his part, Larry Powers, chief executive officer of Genlyte Thomas Group LLC, a Louisville, Kentucky-based lighting company, said, "Free trade strengthens the U.S. and our capabilities. This country can produce great products, and the more we tear down these trade barriers, the more good jobs will be created in the U.S. We design and engineer a lot of our products here. FTAs will provide more opportunities to grow our companies and add employees. Free trade is good for all of us."

As NEMA President Malcolm O'Hagan said, "NEMA is very much in favor of FTAs such as this one. We would like to see a worldwide elimination of all tariffs. In the long term, free trade benefits everyone, particularly the consuming public, because it fosters healthy competition to provide the best product, spreads economic benefits across national borders, and keeps production cost and prices down."