The U.S. Department of Energy Overturns the “Buy American” Waiver, Now Requiring All LED Traffic Signal Projects Funded by Stimulus to Use U.S.-Made Signals; Dialight’s Roxboro, NC Factory Stands Ready to Meet Demand

The U.S. Department of Energy has closed a controversial loophole in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and is now mandating that all stimulus-funded LED traffic signal projects across the country use U.S.-made equipment. The move positions Dialight, the global leader in LED lighting technology, as the only qualified supplier of U.S.-manufactured, fully-compliant LED traffic signal modules to meet the Buy American mandate.

The contentious waiver of the Buy American provision had previously allowed contracts for LED traffic signals to be awarded to foreign suppliers, effectively sending U.S. stimulus dollars and manufacturing jobs overseas. In response, Dialight has recently scaled up to meet increasing demand for its ultra energy-efficient and low-maintenance LED traffic signals, investing some $2 million and adding more than 80 jobs over the last two years.

Dialight has already supplied at least one-third of all LED traffic signals in the U.S. since 2008 and is well-positioned to meet the expected surge in demand as a result of the overturned waiver. The company plans to make an additional $1 million facility investment and add another 70+ jobs over the next year to further ramp up capacity.

“We’re very pleased to see that the DOE recognizes Dialight’s determination and hard work in building manufacturing capacity and creating new jobs here in the U.S.,” said Roy Burton, Dialight’s Group Chief Executive. “By overturning this waiver, which we believe had the unintended affect of sending Stimulus dollars and jobs overseas, the DOE has reaffirmed its commitment to stimulating the U.S. economy and promoting the creation of “green” jobs in America.”