Midland, MI - February 23, 2012

In its Thursday, February 23 edition, The Wall Street Journal published a letter to the editor by Andrew N. Liveris, Dow Chairman and CEO, which highlights two critical elements in the ongoing debate on America's industrial revival. The letter was in response to a recent editorial, "Manufacturing Decline."

In his letter, Mr. Liveris notes the vital role government has played for decades in the manufacturing industry and how today, U.S. manufacturing and the millions of people who make their living through it are put at a disadvantage if our government isn't working to foster a hospitable business environment.

He goes on to discuss the two million manufacturing jobs lost during the recession - high paying, advanced manufacturing jobs in an industry with a higher job multiplier effect than any other sector. Mr. Liveris urges business and government to stop arguing about the scope of lost manufacturing jobs and focus instead on the tremendous potential their collaboration holds for U.S. manufacturing.

The full letter to the editor can be found on The Wall Street Journal's website. The editorial "Manufacturing Decline" can also be found online.

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted.www.dow.com.


For Editorial Information:

Greg Baldwin
The Dow Chemical Company
+1 9896380745
gbaldwin@dow.com

distributed by