November 2009 Archives

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) agreed to provide emergency, low-interest loans to local businesses that have been economically harmed by the massive rock slide that closed Interstate 40, Congressman Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville) said Wednesday.

“The shutdown of I-40 has hurt many Western North Carolina businesses, especially those in the industries of tourism and transportation,” said Congressman Shuler. “These emergency loans could assist some Haywood County businesses that been struggling financially since the slide.”

The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program provides assistance to companies when hurricanes, landslides and other natural disasters have affected their ability to remain financially viable.  Businesses in Haywood, Buncombe, Henderson, Jackson, Madison, Swain and Transylvania counties that suffered economic losses as a result of the I-40 closure may qualify for help.

The massive October 25th rock slide is expected to shut down I-40 for months while crews work to remove debris.  I-40 serves as a vital transportation and commerce thoroughfare for the states of North Carolina and Tennessee with about 25,000 vehicles a day traveling the section of interstate that is closed. This includes about 10,000 tractor trailers that carry goods throughout the region.

Interested business owners from the affected counties can meet with SBA representatives the first week in December at Disaster Assistance Centers in Clyde and Asheville. The Clyde center will operate from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. from Dec.1-4 at the Clyde Town Hall, located at 8437 Carolina Blvd.  The Asheville center will operate from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. from Dec 7-10 at the Buncombe County Emergency Services Center, located at 164 Erwin Hills Rd.

Business owners can also call SBA’s national Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the hearing-impaired) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 

Small businesses, small agriculture cooperatives and most non-profit organizations affected by the disaster will need to submit to the Small Business Administration:
• a completed SBA Disaster Loan Application (form 5), and
•  IRS Tax Information Authorization (Form 8821).

 Additional information that may be submitted at a later date includes:
• Most recent three years Federal income Tax Returns
• Monthly sales
• Current personal financial statement
• Balance sheet
• Profit and loss statement

For more information on Economic Injury Disaster Loans, go to http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/businessesofallsizes/economicinjuryloans/index.html.

For an online loan application, go to: http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/businessesofallsizes/applyforloan/index.html.

Washington, D.C. – The Oteen Post Office in Asheville was removed from the U.S. Postal Services’ list of facilities under consideration for closure, Congressman Heath Shuler announced Friday.

“This is great news for people living in the nearby area who now won’t have to drive out of their way to reach a post office that offers the same services as Oteen,” said Congressman Shuler, D-Waynesville. “I understand that the Postal Service must cut costs, but there are better options than just closing post offices.”

The Oteen facility provides valuable services to the Charles George Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the local veterans living in the area. Congressman Shuler urged the Postal Service not to close the Oteen facility in a letter sent to the Postmaster General in September. The Postal Service has winnowed down the number of retail stations and branches that remain under review for possible consolidation to only 241 facilities.

Washington, D.C. – The Federal Highway Administration approved a request for federal emergency relief funds to repair and reopen Interstate 40 following the massive rock slide that closed it in late October, Congressman Heath Shuler said Friday.

“I am happy to see the FHA move so quickly on our request that the state of North Carolina will be reimbursed for the cleanup of I-40,” said Congressman Shuler, D-Waynesville. “This portion of I-40 is essential to the people and businesses of Western North Carolina, and the FHA’s decision today will speed up the reopening of the Interstate.”

On October 30, Congressman Shuler and Congressman Phil Roe, R-Tenn., sent a letter asking the FHA to promptly approve emergency relief funds. The letter also was signed by the entire North Carolina and Tennessee Congressional delegations.

Today, the FHA approved emergency relief funding and agreed to reimburse the North Carolina Department of Transportation for its work to remove debris and repair I-40, according to a letter sent to Congressman Shuler today.

Interstate 40 serves as a vital transportation and commerce link for the U.S., particularly the states of North Carolina and Tennessee. About 25,000 vehicles a day, including 10,000 tractor trailers, travel the section of I-40 that was closed due to the rockslide. Interstate 40 is not expected to reopen until January, according NCDOT officials.

“I am pleased and grateful that this extremely critical regional issue garnered such strong support across state and party lines,” Shuler said. “I also appreciate how quickly and effectively Governor Perdue responded to this disaster at the state level.”

On October 28, Perdue declared the I-40 rock slide a disaster, which was the first step in seeking federal emergency funds. The FHA’s emergency relief program reimburses states and local governments for the cost of fixing damage caused by floods, tornados, landslides and other natural disasters.

“I want to thank the Congressional Delegation for insuring the FHA was aware of the severity of the road damage resulting from the rockslide,” Gov. Perdue said. “NCDOT is working as quickly as possible to open the road with public safety our first goal.” 

"We understand how disruptive the closure has been for the multi-state area,” FHA Administrator Victor Mendez wrote in his letter to Congressman Shuler. “I can assure you that we will continue working with NCDOT to get traffic back to normal."

Washington, D.C. – An emergency hotline set up for citizens to report chemical and hazardous substance spills failed residents who live near the former CTS site in Skyland, according to a government report that was requested by Congressman Heath Shuler.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) utilizes a hotline that allows individuals to report emergencies 24 hours a day. But Skyland residents who called the hotline in April to report a contaminated well were sent to a voicemail system and never received responses, according to a report issued last week by the EPA’s Office of Inspector General.

The hotline’s after-hours calls were directed to the National Response Center (NRC), which is standard procedure. But the NRC failed to notify the EPA of the calls from Western North Carolina, the Inspector General said.

After subpoenaing NRC’s phone records, the Inspector General found a dozen voicemails on various topics that NRC failed to turn over to several different agencies.

“I find it totally unacceptable that this emergency line would be left unstaffed for even a minute,” said Shuler, D-Waynesville, who requested the investigation in April. “The fact that staff at the National Response Center was less than forthcoming with honest information in this situation is infuriating.”

The NRC is managed within the Department of Homeland Security. The EPA Inspector General’s office has informed its counterpart within the Homeland Security Department of its findings for further review. “I’ve been told that the situation has been corrected, but I intend to verify that myself,” Shuler said.

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Washington, D.C. – Western North Carolina businesses that have been hurt economically by the massive rock slide that has closed Interstate 40 may be eligible for Small Business Administration (SBA) aid, according to Congressman Heath Shuler.

The SBA has a program that provides emergency loans to companies that have lost substantial business due to hurricanes, tornadoes, landslides and other natural disasters. To qualify, Gov. Bev Perdue has 120 days after the October 25 rock slide to request an SBA Economic Injury Declaration and must show at least five businesses that have suffered substantial economic injury from the I-40 closure.

“I’m sure that more than five businesses in Western North Carolina have been hit hard by the closure of I-40, which is expected to last for months,” said Congressman Shuler, D-Waynesville. “I would encourage the owners of businesses that are being adversely affected by the closure to contact my office, and I will be happy to relay their information to the proper state and federal officials.”

I-40 serves as a vital transportation and commerce thoroughfare for the U.S., particularly the states of North Carolina and Tennessee. About 25,000 vehicles a day travel the section of I-40 that has been closed because of the rock slide. This includes approximately 10,000 tractor trailers that carry goods throughout the region.

Congressman Shuler and the entire North Carolina Congressional delegation sent a letter last month to the Federal Highway Administrator requesting federal emergency funds for the clean-up and repair of I-40.

“We have to get I-40 reopened as quickly as possible because it is essential to the people and businesses of Western North Carolina,” Congressman Shuler said.

For questions about the SBA emergency loan program, contact Congressman Shuler’s office at 828-252-1651.

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Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, released the following statement today after voting against H.R. 3962, the House health care reform legislation.

“There is no question that our nation’s health care system is broken. Over the past few months, I have spoken with hundreds of constituents and received thousands of calls, letters and emails about health care reform. I thank everyone in Western North Carolina who so willingly shared their stories and concerns with me. It is clear to me that we, as a country, are failing to provide enough Americans with affordable options to manage their health care, prevent illness and treat existing conditions.”

“I support many of the provisions in HR 3962. We must require health insurance companies to provide coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions, and prohibit them from dropping coverage when an insured individual becomes sick. I support expanding coverage to individuals who do not currently have health insurance. I also support a provision in the bill that repeals an antitrust loophole that currently allows insurance companies to artificially drive up the price of coverage. I recognize our nation’s need for reform.”

“However, this legislation costs $1.055 trillion and fails to include sufficient cost-containment and deficit reduction measures. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, this bill will not reduce the federal government’s spending on health care over the long term. Any reform that does not control long-term costs will be short-sighted and unwise.”

“This legislation fails to control the inefficiencies in health care that could be used to create substantial savings to drive down the bill’s overall cost. Our health care system is laden with waste, fraud and abuse, and this bill has not remedied those problems. Adding millions of people into a broken system is not an acceptable solution. We need reform that rewards quality outcomes and moves us away from the fee-for-service system that rewards the quantity of service. We need reform that rewards healthy lifestyles that would prevent excessive procedures and increased spending.”

“Unemployment has just topped 10 percent nationwide. Now is not the time to raise federal taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars and impose new and costly mandates on state governments, which would likely require states to raise taxes on working families. During these challenging times, I believe we should be focused on our economy and creating jobs, not growing the size of the federal government with new mandates. We must stop the out-of-control spending in Washington and begin reducing our skyrocketing national debt. The path we are on is unsustainable. If health care reform does not bend the overall cost curve, we are simply passing higher costs to our children and grandchildren.”

“It is unfortunate that we have not been able to draft a health care reform package in a bipartisan manner. Unlike some of my colleagues, I pledge to continue to work to improve this legislation rather than to act as a roadblock to prevent any meaningful reform. I am convinced that passing health care reform is a moral obligation and a fiscal necessity, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to address rising health care costs. Today’s vote is one of the first steps in a lengthy legislative process, and I am optimistic that we will craft a solution that will lower health care costs for working families and small businesses. America needs meaningful health care reform that gives our country affordable, accessible, and sustainable health care.”

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Washington, D.C. – The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (Ethics Committee) cleared U.S.  Representative Heath Shuler of any wrongdoing or violations of House rules related to his involvement in the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Maintain and Gain program. 

After a thorough review, the Ethics Committee found that Shuler’s actions “were not improper in any way and did not violate House Rules,” and has closed the matter without further action, the committee said in a letter released late Wednesday.

“Throughout my personal and professional life I have always held myself to the highest possible ethical standard. I maintained that standard through all my interactions with the TVA relating to Blackberry Cove. I have never and will never attempt to use my office for personal gain and look forward to continuing to work on behalf of the people of Western North Carolina,” Congressman Shuler said.

The Ethics Committee noted in its letter that because of Shuler’s position in Congress, the TVA held Blackberry “to a higher standard for approval” within the Maintain and Gain program in order to avoid the appearance of partiality. The letter also disclosed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation reviewed the facts surrounding the Blackberry application and concluded that no criminal statutes were violated.  

Before being elected to Congress in November 2006, Shuler invested in the Cove at Blackberry Ridge, a real estate partnership that owned property near the Watts Bar Reservoir in eastern Tennessee. The partnership, which originally thought it had water-access rights due to maps provided by the TVA, sought and initially received a Maintain and Gain agreement from the TVA that gave the partnership water access rights to build a dock in exchange for other waterfront land the partnership owned.

Shuler's involvement in the matter was first investigated by the TVA Inspector General, who in June found no evidence that Shuler used his position as a Congressman to pressure the TVA. Because it had no jurisdiction over a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, the TVA Inspector General forwarded its report to the Standards Committee for their review.

The Ethics Committee is the third investigative body to confirm that there was no wrongdoing on the part of Congressman Shuler. 

The Committee is composed of ten members, five Democrats and five Republicans. The letter clearing Shuler of any wrongdoing was signed by the Committee’s Chair, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), and Ranking Member, Rep. Jo Bonner (R-AL).

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