They say seeing is believing, so it’s a good thing when our lawmakers get to see how important chemistry is in American life. It’s easy to forget how much chemistry touches everyone’s lives on a daily basis. So a visit to a plant is a wonderful way for legislators to get familiar with how chemistry affects the lives of both themselves and constituents.
Recently, VA Congressman Bobby Scott got to tour the BASF plant in Suffolk. He toured the 100 employee facility with company representative Patrick Hochstrasser and heard about what BASF does, specifically in Suffolk.
The Suffolk plant manufactures polyacrylamide used in a variety of water treatments and other applications. The chemical also improves the efficiency of paper manufacturing and the performance of paper products. In addition, it improves the yield and recovery in oil and mining applications and enhances pollution control. Congressman Scott also heard about additives that improve the performance of other polymers and formulations.
The site is a key supply point to support the Paper and Water solutions, oil-field and mining business in North America. BASF develops, produces, and markets products and services that are used to purify drinking water, clean up industrial and municipal effluent. The company is a global leader in acrylic chemistry and the associated technology.
For Congressman Scott, it was also a chance to discuss workforce development in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Another key issue is NAFTA and clean water regulation and technology. By visiting a site like the one in Suffolk, these issues are brought to life for legislators like Bobby Scott.
