Portman, Brown sent letter to Barra asking for answers by Dec. 21

LORDSTOWN

As part of their ongoing efforts to save the General Motors Lordstown assembly plant, U.S. Sens. Rob Portman, R-Cincinnati, and Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, on Tuesday sent a letter to GM CEO Mary Barra asking her to answer questions about the future of the plant.

The senators set a Dec. 21 deadline for her to respond.

GM recently announced a restructuring plan that includes idling five North American plants; the Lordstown plant is among them. GM also announced it will stop producing the Lordstown-built Chevrolet Cruze on March 1.

Both senators, as well as other elected officials representing the Valley, have long been urging GM to reinvest in the Lordstown plant. Before the announcement of the plant shutdown, GM laid off two out of three shifts of workers due to slow Cruze sales.

Portman and Brown’s joint letter, which follows a meeting they had with Barra last week, notes they are “deeply disappointed in GM’s announcement to discontinue vehicle production at the plant.”

The letter also notes GM’s increase in Mexico-based production and asks Barra “to consider Lordstown as an alternative assembly facility for vehicles intended for U.S. consumers.”

Read more about the matter in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.