The Department of Commerce revealed this week that First Solar's president, Bruce Sohn, will serve as the council's chairman. The purposes of the council, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said in remarks delivered August 6, are to improve communication between the $1.6 trillion manufacturing sector and the government; advise the Commerce Secretary on manufacturing issues; and offer policy recommendations.
"This administration knows full well that we don't have all the answers; that we need to hear from people on the front lines what works and what doesn't," Locke noted.
Rhone Resch, the president of the Solar Energy Industries Association, called the creation of the council "an effective step to help America create good-paying jobs." Indeed, as Locke pointed out in his remarks, manufacturing jobs pay 13 percent more than the U.S. average.
The appointment of a solar-company executive is significant, too, Resch said. "The Obama Administration has told the world that the solar industry is becoming a backbone for our economy," he indicated.
