What the Governor’s Talking about
Today
Wednesday, October 20,
2010
Governor Announces
URV USA Expanding Michigan
Operations
Today during her investment mission to
Sweden the governor met with
the managing director of URV, a manufacturer of wind turbine castings, and
announced that URV USA will expand its Michigan operations in Eaton Rapids to
accommodate increased market demand. While initial plans called for a
40,000 metric ton facility, the company now plans to increase its capacity to
80,000 metric tons which will double the number of direct jobs being created to
276 by 2014.
URV USA is collaborating with Oak Ridge
National Laboratory to develop a next-generation casting process to produce
large, utility-scale wind turbine components. Michigan Technological University will assist with alloy
development, casting gating system design and solidification simulation.
The project is slated to receive $4 million in matching funds from the U.S.
Department of Energy.
Pending financial support from the U.S. Department of
Energy, the company’s foundry could grow to 160,000 metric tons, creating more
than 550 jobs. It would be the largest specialized foundry for wind
turbine castings in the world, supplying two-thirds of the big castings market
in North America.
Earlier today the governor addressed a gathering of
Swedish business and government leaders on Michigan’s growing clean energy manufacturing sector at
the annual conference of VINNOVA, the Swedish state agency that promotes growth
and prosperity throughout Sweden.
Key
messages:
- The URV USA
foundry in Eaton Rapids will ultimately quadruple in size to develop a
next-generation casting process that produces large, utility-scale wind
turbine components. This new technology has the potential to
revolutionize the way wind turbines are made, and would put URV
USA at the forefront of
wind technology with the potential to create even more jobs in Michigan.
- Since 2008,
Michigan has
announced the creation of approximately 90,000 clean energy jobs from 47
companies that are investing more than $9.4 billion in the
state.
- The governor’s
investment mission to France and Sweden is her 11th overseas
investment mission since 2004. Previous missions to Austria, Belgium,
Germany, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Italy and Sweden have resulted in 48 companies
announcing more than $1.8 billion in new investment in Michigan and 20,699
(9,244 direct) jobs created and retained.
Michigan to Receive $159 Million to Clean Up Former Auto
Sites
The governor today applauded the environmental
settlement agreement reached by the Obama administration and the Motors
Liquidation Company (Old GM), formerly known as General Motors Corporation, that
will result in the cleanup and redevelopment of 56 auto properties in Michigan,
accelerating the state’s Project Phoenix, an effort to redevelop former
manufacturing facilities. The new agreement will result in a trust which
will provide 14 states and one tribe with more than $641 million to return
contaminated properties back to productive use.
The settlement, announced today by the U.S. Department
of Justice, addresses Old GM’s environmental liabilities under several federal
and state environmental laws at the 89 properties still owned by Old GM in
Michigan and 13 other states. Under the settlement, an environmental
response bankruptcy trust will be established to take ownership and possession
of the properties and provide the funding to clean the properties up, administer
them and return them to beneficial use.
Michigan’s Project Phoenix program, introduced by the
governor in her 2010 State of the State address, brings the state, current and
former property owners, businesses, communities, developers and other parties
together to inventory — and promote for reuse — former manufacturing
sites. The program includes buildings of 500,000 square feet or more, and
land sites of 80 acres or more where former manufacturing facilities already
have been demolished. The new trust announced today will provide funding
for cleanup of 18 properties involved in Project
Phoenix.
Key
messages:
- Today marks
another important step in Michigan’s economic recovery. Cleaning
up these former GM sites will allow new companies a greater opportunity to
invest in Michigan and create
jobs.
- Existing
manufacturing infrastructure, a well-trained workforce and significant
incentives have already led to billions of dollars of investment in Michigan by advanced
battery, wind and solar manufacturers. The additional sites that will
become available to new investors as a result of this environmental cleanup
will continue to help Michigan diversify its economy and create
new jobs.
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