By Zack Colman Republicans in the House Energy and Commerce Committee say they have more work to do to “rein in the activist” Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) before the congressional session ends. Failure to keep the EPA from wielding the Clean Air Act as a regulatory job-killer ranks among the committee’s signature shortcomings thus far, committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said in his second quarter report released Monday. Most of the policy goals were political rallying points for Re... Read more

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton visited Dowagiac Thursday, touring two local factories and speaking at this week’s Rotary Club meeting. The day after many in the region celebrated the country’s independence, Premier Tool and Die Cast Corporation and Ameriwood Industries welcomed Upton to their facilities. After an initial walk-through at Premier’s existing factory, Upton toured the new building across the street that Premier is readying for an August or September opening that could produce more than 100 jo... Read more

By Al Jones KALAMAZOO, MI – Stryker Corp.’s top executive praised the progress Thursday of legislation to repeal a 2.3 percent excise tax facing medical device makers in the U.S. “Stryker appreciates House passage of legislation to repeal the medical device tax,” Curt Hartman, interim CEO and chief financial officer at Stryker, said in a press release. “This tax is anti-competitive and decreases the money available for jobs and innovation.” Hartman responded to passage Thursday in the U.S. House... Read more

On Tuesday, Congressman Fred Upton got a firsthand look at the problems Michigan farmers are facing. Unseasonably warm temperatures in March followed by freezes in April devastated fruit farms in Michigan. On Tuesday, Congressman Fred Upton got a firsthand look at the problems Michigan farmers are facing. Upton toured local farms and took part in a roundtable discussion with area farmers facing big crop losses this season. Upton says, “This is not just a grower problem because it is virtually ev... Read more

The record-setting high temperatures in March devastated fruit crops throughout Michigan and brought US Rep. Fred Upton to local fruit farms in southwest Michigan Wednesday. The congressman - who chairs the Commerce committee in the House of Representatives -- also took part in a roundtable discussion with area farmers. Rodney Winkel is a third-generation fruit grower, but this year he won't be growing much. Normally on his 240-acre orchard he would "get somewhere near 800-900 bushels to the acr... Read more

Mike Arney Reporting Getting the Keystone XL oil pipeline approved to come into the U.S. from Canada remains a priority for Congressman Fred Upton. The St. Joseph Republican appeared on CNBC's "Squawk Box" program today and said approving the pipeline should be a "no-brainer." Full story and audio here: http://www.wsjm.com/Upton-Continues-Push-For-Keystone-XL-Pipeline/13081072 Read more

By Scott Aiken - The U.S. House approved legislation this week that would ensure funding for maintenance dredging to keep harbors on the Great Lakes in operation. A provision included with a short-term highway bill guarantees the use of all funding going into the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund is used as intended. The fund, supported by a tax imposed on commercial shippers, is used to maintain harbors and has always been adequate to keep open deep-draft ports and waterways. But only about half of... Read more

Andrew Green Reporting: The US House this week approved a short term highway funding bill that includes a provision which guarantees that all money in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund actually goes towards paying for things like harbor dredging. Congressman Fred Upton hailed the move on the House floor Thursday, saying that in places like Saint Joseph, Great Lakes shipping is vital to the economy. Upton's been trying to get more Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund money released for dredging projects... Read more

Delta Industrial Valves in Niles is growing, and congressman Fred Upton wants everyone to know it. He stopped by the company Wednesday to talk about how well they are doing. The company has grown from 15 to 62 employees and also grown in actual size. They moved into a 90,000 square foot facility last year. While he was there, Upton also spoke about a hot button policitical issue, the Keystone pipeline, which he says Delta would benefit from. "Here is a company in Niles that is actually expanding... Read more

By Yvonne Zipp Reaching customers 140 characters at a time may not come naturally for every business in Kalamazoo. Even companies with active Facebook pages can't rest on their number of likes, with sites like Pinterest growing faster than you can push a virtual pin into an online bulletin board. While social media marketing has been the buzzword since at least 2008, smaller businesses in Southwest Michigan may not always have the time or manpower to best leverage their online presence. The U.S.... Read more