Liz:
For your review, attached and below,
is What the Governor’s Talking About this Week.
Governor Speaks at
Regional Clean Energy Economy Forum in Saginaw
The governor spoke Wednesday in Saginaw at one of the White
House’s regional clean energy economy forums. Other speakers at the event
included Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, White
House Office of Auto Recovery Director Ed Montgomery and David Sandalow,
U.S. assistant secretary of energy
for policy and international affairs. Earlier in the day the governor
visited Compact Power in Troy which on August 5 received a $151.4
million Department of Energy grant for the production of lithium-ion polymer
battery cells for the GM Volt.
Talking
points:
- Alternative and
renewable energy is a key sector for Michigan, building on our automotive
legacy.
- We intend as a
state to lead the nation and hopefully the world to energy independence
through technologies we are developing in Michigan today and in the near
future.
- Michigan is
uniquely positioned for this sector because of our manufacturing
talents. Many auto suppliers in the state can diversify into making
parts for renewable energy products such as wind turbines and solar
panels.
- Advances in
renewable energy will not be slow — they will be rapid and
transformational. Those regions that take the lead in this
transformation and solve the world’s energy problems will be home to the
greatest export industry of this century. Michigan and the Midwest are poised to capitalize on this
opportunity.
Michigan Neighborhood Food Movers Deliver Fresh Produce to
Detroit
Residents
Last week the governor spoke at a Detroit press conference
about the Michigan Neighborhood Food Movers, a pilot project. The food movers
are entrepreneurs who drive through specified Detroit neighborhoods selling fresh fruit and
vegetables out of trucks. Low-interest loans from the state are provided
to entrepreneurs to start up or expand these mobile truck businesses. The
project is an innovative way to deliver fresh produce to people in urban areas
where there are few grocery stores and many residents don’t have
automobiles.
Talking
points:
- Citizens should
not be denied access to fresh, nutrient-rich food choices, particularly in
underserved communities. We are committed to improving
access.
- Increasing the
availability of fruits and vegetables at reasonable prices will help improve
people’s health.
- Michigan
Neighborhood Food Movers is one of several programs that are part of our Fresh
Food Initiative designed to improve fresh food options for people in urban
centers. Other programs include promoting urban gardens, increasing the
number of farmers markets in urban centers, constructing “hoop houses” to
allow vegetables to be harvested year-round, and expanding the number of urban
grocery stores.
Governor’s Great Lakes
Wind Council Identifies Areas for Wind Turbine
Placement
The Michigan Great Lakes Wind Council, created by
Executive Order 2009-1, makes recommendations related to offshore wind
development in the state. On Tuesday the council issued its report to the
governor saying there are 537 square miles of Great
Lakes bottomland that are most favorable for wind turbine
placement. Currently wind turbines cannot be set in water more than 20
feet deep, but new technological developments might allow placement in deeper
waters.
Talking
points:
- Offshore wind
energy in Michigan’s Great Lakes could be a
significant source of clean, renewable energy that improves energy security,
reduces dependence on foreign oil, cuts greenhouse gas and other emissions,
and creates new investment and jobs in Michigan.
- Any wind turbine
would have to be at least six miles from shore, five miles from endangered
species habitats and one mile from fish spawning
sites.
- National
lakeshores would get 13-mile buffers. Turbines would be prohibited in
shipping channels and along certain aircraft routes.
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Jon
Ogar
Senior
Writer/Editor
Communications
Division
Office of Governor
Jennifer M. Granholm
Office 517-335-6819
Cell
517-515-2743
Fax
517-335-6790