EPA RULING HITTING AREA TRUCK COMPANY HARD WITH LAYOFFS
An initial phase of a EPA rule put into place by then-President Obama is hitting an area company hard. A recent failure to repeal the ruling has forced Fitzgerald Glider Kits in Fentress County to cut its production by 90 percent by the end of this year. The company is in its third round of layoffs and expects additional layoffs to come. The EPA rule has limited Fitzgerald’s production to 300 trucks this year, down significantly from 3,000 the company has produced. The company has also been the target of multiple IRS examinations, resulting in roughly $70 million in taxes, penalties and interest due by the company. It is unknown whether the impact would affect the Fitzgeralds’ other company, Country Farm and Home Centers in Byrdstown, and another slated to open soon on Highway 111 in the Rickman area.