Bo WatsonNASHVILLE -- Calling reports over Volkswagen's violation of U.S. emissions-testing standards "troubling," Sen. Bo Watson wants the Senate Finance Committee to hold a meeting "without delay" and hear testimony from company and state officials.
In his letter to Finance Committee Chairman Randy McNally, Watson, a Hixson Republican, said that "while all of the relevant facts" regarding the company's use of software designed to evade emissions-testing equipment "may remain unreported at this time, I am very concerned as to the financial impact these violations could present to the State of Tennessee."
"As the chairman is aware, Tennesseans have made a significant investment in Volkswagen and any action that threatens the stability and sustainability of the investment should be reviwed by the Finance Committee, without delay," Watson added.
Watson, the Senate speaker pro temporare, also sent a copy of the letter to Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville.
The Hixson lawmaker has been critical of VW in the past over the company's dealings with the United Auto Workers union.
Earlier this year, Watson refused to vote in one committee for the latest $168 million state incentive package that helped the company decide to build a second line of production for SUVs in Chattanooga. He later voted for it as a part of the state budget.