From: Hernandez, Angelita (GOV)
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 4:47 PM
Subject: What the Governor's Talking about Today

Importance: High

What the Governor’s Talking about Today

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

 

Governor Urges White House Action on Asian Carp

In a letter to President Obama today, the governor called for the White House to immediately establish a summit with Great Lakes governors to discuss the growing Asian carp threat.  The letter, jointly signed with Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, was in response to today’s Supreme Court decision to deny a preliminary injunction sought by Michigan and other Great Lakes states for an emergency closure of the locks in the Chicago Shipping Canal to stop the spread of Asian carp into the Great Lakes

 

“Asian carp threaten the well-being of our Great Lakes, and ultimately the well-being of Michigan,” the governor said.  “It is disappointing that the Supreme Court declined to aid our fight against these aquatic invaders, so we now ask the White House to work with us in finding a solution before it is too late.”

 

Asian carp DNA samples have recently been found above the electrical barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, providing new evidence that the carp are moving closer to Lake Michigan.  Invasive species have already had a significant impact on the economies of the Great Lakes states, and the governor warned that the introduction of Asian carp into the already fragile ecosystem would be devastating.

 

Key messages:

 

 

Governor Announces More Than 5,200 New and Retained Jobs for Michigan

The governor announced today that the Michigan Economic Development Corporation is helping seven companies grow in Michigan and is backing one brownfield redevelopment project.  Combined, the eight projects are expected to create 5,210 new jobs (2,581 direct and 2,629 indirect), retain 415 jobs and generate over $76.8 million in new investment in the state. 

 

Earlier today, the Michigan Economic Growth Authority board approved incentives to win the eight projects for Michigan over competing states and countries.  The projects include a Mumbai, India-based IT company that plans to establish a Business Protection Services center in Midland, a manufacturer of alternative-energy products that plans to build a research and development facility in Blissfield, and a brownfield redevelopment in Wyandotte that will transform an abandoned site into a new center of economic growth and activity. 

 

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