Pictured from left are CHQ Chamber Chief Executive Officer Dan Heitzenrater and Rep. Nick Langworthy. P-J photo by Gregory Bacon

When Nick Langworthy graduated from Pine Valley High School in 1999, he was part of a graduating class of 65 students. When the Congressman was the commencement speaker at this year’s graduation ceremony, there were 32 students.

“We export way too many of our young people, and nowhere has seen that as much as the Southern Tier has,” said Langworthy, who represents District 23 in New York state.

Population loss was one of many topics Langworthy touched on during this year’s CHQ Congressional Chamber Luncheon, held at Shorewood Country Club in Dunkirk.

Langworthy noted that in some school districts in Allegany and Cattaraugus counties, there are some schools that are graduating as few as 17 students a year.

“We need to keep our families together. … People left for better economic opportunities,” he said.

Langworthy said the population exodus has hurt local companies looking for good employees. “We need to make sure we’re educating people about jobs that are here. … We need more workers,” he said.

Langworthy said he’s glad to see more young people exploring skilled trades. He credits schools for understanding that not everyone needs to or should go to college for a four-year degree.

“I see a shift when I visit our community colleges and the P-TECH program here. You see young minds that are gravitating toward fields in tech, where jobs exist in factories, and they’re educating the young people about the jobs that are available now,” he said.

He believes manufacturing is ready to turn the corner, but it needs help from the state.

Langworthy notes that New York has pushed up the minimum wage so much that people who work in fast food make almost as much as people who work in factories.

“It’s tough for our manufacturers to compete when Tim Hortons is advertising $17.50 to pour coffee and make bagels,” he said.

He was also critical of the state’s regulatory environment and taxation.

Langworthy notes how his district includes the marcellus shale, a boon of natural gas.

The marcellus shale has been crucial for Pennsylvania’s economy, as well as Ohio and even parts of West Virginia. But in New York, that natural gas remains untapped.

“Our state says ‘no’ because New York City doesn’t want it. It wouldn’t affect New York City. In fact, it would allow us to produce wealth, power and opportunity for our state. We could create thousands of jobs overnight, but they won’t let us do it, because of virtue signaling,” he said.

Langworthy said he is seeking a seat on the Energy and Commerce Committee. “I see my state going in a direction that hurts my district,” he said.

Langworthy shared how he is “100% against” wind turbines in Lake Erie. He noted how the very first bill he introduced after being elected to Congress was the “Lakes Before Windmills Act,” which would strip all the tax subsidies for any wind turbines on the Great Lakes.

While the bill hasn’t been passed yet, he said he is still working on it.

Langworthy was critical of wind turbines and solar projects in how they’re funded.

“A lot of this is just a scam. If you took the tax benefit away it wouldn’t even be a thing. They wouldn’t be doing it. It’s only because there’s so much tax incentives to build it,” he said.

Langworthy added that he is not opposed to all green energy. He shared that he personally drives a hybrid vehicle which boosts his gas mileage significantly. However he knows that an electric car wouldn’t work for him, nor would it work for many residents in his district.

There were a number of other topics he addressed, including:

– The port strike. “I’m not an anti-union Republican. … We need our ports to be open. To be a strong country you need the free exchange of goods and services,” he said.

– U.S relationship with China. “We need to loosen our reliance on China in a big way. They’re addicted to our money, but at the same time they’re spying on us and stealing our technology. They’re militarily threatening our allies, essentially setting up colonies all over the globe and they have massive human rights problems,” he said.

– Federal deficit. “We have a budget that is out of control. We have $35 trillion in the national debt right now. That’s the legacy our kids and our grandkids have,” he said.

– Financially supporting foreign countries. “The concept of America first should not be seen as a bad thing. We should obviously hold our own highest. That doesn’t mean you can’t be charitable and compassionate where we need to be, but we have to take care of our people,” he said.