President Trump has said that an increase in tariffs on Chinese goods would boost manufacturing and bring jobs back to the United States.
Stephen Pelkey, CEO of Jaffrey's Atlas PyroVision Entertainment Group in Jaffrey, says that for industries like his, this is not easy to do. Atlas is the largest fireworks company in New England.
"You still have a very strong, NIMBY attitude towards any type of manufacturing, let alone a high-risk, even though its low-explosive...no one wants it in their backyard. For the current regulations, it takes a a lot of land, it has to be in a very remote area. Those are difficult to overcome," Pelkey said on NHPR's The Exchange.
Pelkey says Atlas's production of fireworks was outsourced to China when Atlas closed its own plant in the 90s. He also notes that because fireworks are not an essential good, price increases might drive away customers at higher rates than other businesses.
"For those industries that have no other alternative...there is no other country or ability for the United States to consume or produce the amount of fireworks that are required in our business, then those types of industries should be exempt for that tariff, because you are only punishing those businesses and ultimately, the consumer."
