When the Apollo Alliance released its Clean Transportation Manufacturing Action Plan (TMAP) in October (click here for detailed coverage) one of its key job-creating recommendations was ensuring that American manufacturers and U.S. workers supply the rail cars, tracks and other mass transit equipment to modernize the nation’s mass transportation system.

But since 2005, U.S. companies and governments have spent more than $10 billion to purchase mass transit equipment overseas, even though the United States is home to five public transit bus manufacturers, a dozen railcar builders and a wide range of other transportation equipment makers.

Now the U.S. Department of Transportation, following a TMAP recommendation, has launched a new website that will post all Buy American waiver requests in one central location so that any American company can see easily if they can fill a particular need.

The foreign purchases were allowed because of waivers of federal Buy American standards that require 100 percent domestically made steel for tracks and 60 percent of U.S.-made components and U.S. assembly of rolling stock. In many cases those waivers were made with little public notice and U.S. manufacturers never had opportunities to seek the work.

With the new site, domestic manufacturers will have a better opportunity to respond to claims that products or materials are insufficiently available or cost too much.  Says Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood:

In the past, it has been difficult for companies to locate Buy America waiver requests….Now, we are improving access to business opportunities by posting all waiver requests on this page—in one central location—so that any American company can easily see if they can fill a particular need. The website also houses comprehensive information about each of our agencies’ Buy America provisions, requirements and waiver processes.

In addition, companies can subscribe to receive alerts when new information on Buy America for Department of Transportation-funded infrastructure projects is posted.

The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of labor, business, environmental and community leaders working to start a clean energy revolution that will put millions of Americans to work in a new generation of high-quality, green-collar jobs.