Governor Kate Brown testified before the House Interim Committee on Economic Development and Small Business to urge support of the recommendations brought forward by the Oregon Semiconductor Competitiveness Task Force, which she chaired with Senator Ron Wyden and PGE CEO Maria Pope. The task force brought together representatives of industry, government, academics, and workforce to build consensus around a package that will help create prosperity for all Oregonians through supporting research and development, recruiting and training our workforce, increasing land availability, strengthening incentives, and streamlining regulation.

Governor Brown also announced she will be investing $1 million from the Governor’s Strategic Reserve Fund in industrial land readiness. The investment will help local governments with site preparation planning, wetland mitigation assessment, and begin the process to create an Industrial Lands Technical Assistance Grant Fund to help leverage CHIPS Act opportunities.

"The semiconductor industry is truly the heart and soul of Oregon’s economy," said Governor Brown. "Because we have laid the groundwork for workforce development with Future Ready Oregon, we can continue to invest in STEM education and build on existing partnerships -- among industry, education, workforce, and community-based organizations -- to meet the education and workforce needs of the industry. It’s critical we ensure educational and job training opportunities are available to all historically underserved communities, so that no one is left behind.”

What does a semiconductor industry offer a community? Building a semiconductor is a long process in a sterile environment mostly done by machine and widget processors. Outside of a few engineers, the majority of positions are manufacturing – machinery operators, and packaging jobs. The environmental impact of the manufacturing of semiconductors can potentially cause harm to humans or the environment. Where are the safe guards?

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Today’s semiconductors are usually composed of silicon. It’s inexpensive and plentiful, but does not produce the speed for future technology. Even though manufacturing is done in a sterile environment, chemicals used in the manufacturing of semiconductors are known to have toxic effects, and there has been a history of environmental problems linked to the industry in Silicon Valley and other technology centers. Contamination from raw materials used and issues in areas surrounding fabrication plants have been identified. Drinking water was also found to be contaminated.

A study at Rice University on nanotechnology was centered on the manufacturing of semiconductors. Intel scientists and engineers are working on identifying new materials such as carbon nanotubes and nanowires to replace current transistors, and in particular they hope to develop a “tri-gate” transistor approach that would enable chip designers to build smaller and quicker transistors.

Another area of concern is the eventual fate of discarded electronic systems such as computers, pagers, mobile phones, and televisions that contain semiconductor devices. The environmental concerns have not been in the news because approximately 60% of manufacturing took place in only six states. All fifty states are impacted by semiconductor technology. Part of the problem is that little is known about the long-term health or environmental consequences of exposure to the chemicals that are used in the process.

Governor Brown states, "Between the CHIPS Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, there are incredible opportunities, if we work together, to expand manufacturing and support our workforce. But we must act quickly. We are in a 50-state competition for CHIPS funding, so it is critical that we seize the opportunities in front of us now in the highly-competitive semiconductor industry. The good news is, creating jobs, building a strong workforce, and supporting Oregon families are Oregon values. Republicans and Democrats alike -- and independents too -- understand the importance of creating good-paying jobs."


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-09-22 10:31:04