During the presidential election, Donald Trump promised to spend $550 billion to almost a trillion on infrastructure to build the next generation of roads, bridges, railways, tunnels, sea ports, and airports.
Trump’s ambitious infrastructure agenda was a consistent theme of his campaign. His signature proposal—the wall along the Mexican border—is, of course, an infrastructure project.
Another consistent theme of his campaign was an increase in military spending.
Below are selected highlights of the vision he puts for on the Donald J. Trump website and in a campaign speech he delivered in Philadelphia (https://www.donaldjtrump.com/policies/an-americas-infrastructure-first-plan) and (https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/donald-j.-trump-military-readiness-remarks)
DONALD J. TRUMP’S VISION
Infrastructure
Transform America’s crumbling infrastructure into a golden opportunity for accelerated economic growth and more rapid productivity gains with a deficit-neutral plan targeting substantial new infrastructure investments.
Pursue an “America’s Infrastructure First” policy that supports investments in transportation, clean water, a modern and reliable electricity grid, telecommunications, security infrastructure, and other pressing domestic infrastructure needs.
Refocus government spending on American infrastructure.
Create thousands of new jobs in construction, steel manufacturing, and other sectors to build the transportation, water, telecommunications and energy infrastructure needed to enable new economic development in the U.S.
Leverage new revenues and work with financing authorities, public-private partnerships, and other prudent funding opportunities.
Harness market forces to help attract new private infrastructure investments through a deficit-neutral system of infrastructure tax credits.
Implement a bold, visionary plan for a cost-effective system of roads, bridges, tunnels, airports, railroads, ports and waterways, and pipelines in the proud tradition of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who championed the interstate highway system.
Approve private sector energy infrastructure projects—including pipelines and coal export facilities—to better connect American coal and shale energy production with markets and consumers.
Develop a long-term water infrastructure plan with city, state and federal leaders to upgrade aging water systems. Triple funding for state revolving loan fund programs to help states and local governments upgrade critical drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.
Link increases in spending to reforms that streamline permitting and approvals, improve the project delivery system, and cut wasteful spending on boondoggles.
Military
We will build an active Army of around 540,000, as the Army’s chief of staff has said he needs. We now have only 31 Brigade Combat Teams, or 490,000 troops, and only one-third of combat teams are considered combat-ready.
We will build a Marine Corps based on 36 battalions, which the Heritage Foundation notes is the minimum needed to deal with major contingencies – we have 23 now.
Under “Key Issues” on the Infrastructure Positions page, the website states:
According to the Wall Street Journal, “more than a dozen
According to CNN (http://money.cnn.com/2016/11/09/investing/infrastructure-stocks-donald-trump/) Matt Schreiber, president of WBI, a money management firm, said about infrastructure spending “This would be great for the country, good for markets and good for American workers”.
It’s also good for CoolTech. An integral part of infrastructure construction is mobile electric power which has traditionally been provided by tow-behind generators.
Cool Technologies’ Mobile Generation (MG) system transforms any Class 2-6 truck into a mobile generator. The gearing system uses the truck’s internal combustion engine to run an on-board generator that delivers up to 200 kW of single or three phase electric power.
The work vehicle powers compressors, welders and other equipment or even bucket truck arms. It also eliminates the need to tow a generator to a work site, so the truck can tow other equipment.
With the MG system, mobile power generation has four wheel drive capability, which enhances its appeal to military services in need of “tactical generators”, particularly, as tow-behinds tend to be heavy and cumbersome.
Tow behind generators weigh about 4,000 pounds. Cool Tech’s auxiliary power package weighs 1,000 pounds and costs less than 1/2 the price to manufacture.
The lighter weight means better overall fuel economy. The use of a single motor increases reliability, reduces emissions and noise which should increase its appeal to an increasingly electronics-driven military.
So will increased infrastructure and military spending drive deals with OEMs and increase sales of the MG system? The answer should be obvious.
But, wait, there’s one other potential benefit.
Part of Trump’s vision is to upgrade water systems. Cooltech’s thermal technology has been incorporated in dry-pit submersible pumps which are integral parts of wastewater treatment systems.
Our thermal technology delivers the power of liquid-cooling in a smaller, lighter and simpler package. It cools electric motors more efficiently than anything else on the market. More efficient cooling means up to 40% higher output and a longer lifespan.
So will this technology also be incorporated in pumps that handle clean drinking water? You betcha.
As for Mr. Schrieber’s market prediction … it’s holding true. The Dow’s top gainer for 2016: Caterpillar with shares up nearly 35%.
According to CNBC, Shares of defense contractors such as Northrop Gumman, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have gained about 5.4 percent, 6 percent and 7.5 percent, respectively (http://www.cnbc.com/2016/11/09/trump-victory-puts-rocket-under-global-defense-stocks.html).