December 11, 2009
December 11, 2009
In radio address, governor points to Volt production, renewable energy diversification
LANSING - In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today said this was a good week for Michigan's growing green economy. General Motors announced it has invested $700 million to produce the Chevrolet Volt in the state, and five Michigan manufacturing companies were awarded Recovery Act funds to diversify into renewable energy products.
"The Volt symbolizes the new GM and the new Michigan," Granholm said. "Eight GM facilities in Michigan are involved in Volt production. GM has invested $700 million in those facilities, including its new Brownstown Township battery pack plant. Brownstown is one of several advanced battery manufacturing facilities that we worked hard to attract to Michigan, and it's estimated that battery production will create up to 40,000 jobs in the next 10 years."
"Also this week, I was proud to announce even more green jobs for Michigan," Granholm continued. "Five small Michigan manufacturing companies were awarded a total of $15.5 million in federal Recovery Act funds. These funds will help the companies diversify into advanced manufacturing of renewable energy products like wind turbines and solar panels. More than 700 jobs will be created or retained."
"This week's developments show that an economic strategy we devised five years ago is continuing to produce results," Granholm said. "In that time, Michigan has invested more than $1 billion to help nurture the growth of green manufacturing in our state, from advanced batteries and electric vehicles to solar panels and wind turbines."
"Our country needs an advanced manufacturing sector that produces everything we need for a clean energy economy," Granholm said. "We want Michigan to be a center for advanced manufacturing and the jobs that come with it, and this week's news about the Chevrolet Volt and five Michigan renewable energy companies shows that we are on the right track."
The governor's weekly radio address is released each Friday and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state. The address is available for download on the governor's Web site at www.michigan.gov/gov together with a clip of the quote above. The radio address also is available as a podcast on the Web site as well as on iTunes and via RSS feed for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers. Links to the audio files and text of today's address follow.
Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
Radio Address - Green Economy
Full: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov227Full_304144_7.mp3
Edited: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov227Edit_304145_7.mp3
Quote: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov227Quote_304148_7.mp3
Hello, this is Governor Jennifer Granholm.
This was a good week for Michigan's growing green economy.
First, GM announced that it's investing $336 million in its Detroit Hamtramck Assembly plant to begin producing the Chevrolet Volt, its new electric vehicle, late next year.
The Volt symbolizes the new GM and the new Michigan. It's designed to go up to 40 miles on electricity without using gasoline or producing tailpipe emissions. When the Volt's lithium-ion battery is depleted of energy, a small gasoline engine and generator operate to extend the total driving range to about 300 miles.
Eight GM facilities in Michigan are involved in Volt production. GM has invested $700 million in those facilities, including its new Brownstown Township battery pack plant. Brownstown is one of several advanced battery manufacturing facilities that we worked hard to attract to Michigan, and it's estimated that battery production will create up to 40,000 jobs in the next 10 years.
Also this week, I was proud to announce even more green jobs for Michigan. Five small Michigan manufacturing companies were awarded a total of $15.5 million in federal Recovery Act funds. These funds will help the companies diversify into advanced manufacturing of renewable energy products like wind turbines and solar panels. More than 700 jobs will be created or retained.
These five Michigan companies are developing breakthrough technologies in wind and solar energy. One of them produces an affordable solar panel that resembles a roof shingle and can be easily integrated with other shingles on your roof. Other companies are working on designing and manufacturing advanced-composite, advanced-materials wind turbine blades and other components.
This week's developments show that an economic strategy that we devised five years ago is continuing to produce results. In that time Michigan has invested more than $1 billion to help nurture the growth of green manufacturing in our state, from advanced batteries and electric vehicles to solar panels and wind turbines.
Recovery Act funding has also helped tremendously. This past August, 12 Michigan projects were awarded more than $1.35 billion in federal grants to support advanced-battery and electric-vehicle manufacturing and development. Other Recovery Act dollars are helping Michigan companies in areas such as alternative fuels and geothermal technologies. And Michigan's No Worker Left Behind program is training workers for jobs in these new green industries.
Our country needs an advanced manufacturing sector that produces everything we need for a clean energy economy. We want Michigan to be a center for advanced manufacturing and the jobs that come with it, and this week's news about the Chevrolet Volt and five Michigan renewable energy companies shows that we are on the right track.
Thank you for listening.
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