From: Whipple, Deb (GOV)
Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2010
5:07 PM
Subject: What the governor is talking about today
What the Governor’s Talking about
Today
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Governor Announces Canadian Offer to Cover
Michigan Costs of Detroit River International Crossing
Bridge
The governor today announced that the Canadian
government has offered to cover Michigan’s costs of the Detroit River
International Crossing (DRIC) bridge up to $550 million. Michigan would
repay Canada with toll revenues from the bridge.
The DRIC will connect I-75 in Detroit with Highway
401 in Windsor, the busiest international trade corridor in the world.
Given Michigan’s budget problems, finding funds to
cover Michigan’s construction costs for the DRIC was a potential roadblock to
approval of the project by the state legislature. The Canadian offer
eliminates that roadblock.
The governor said the Canadian offer is “an
enormous gift to our citizens” that will create 10,000 construction jobs and
30,000 indirect jobs during the construction period for Michigan
workers.
The financial arrangement offered by the Canadian
government is not unusual. Canada and Michigan had reverse roles in the
construction of the Blue Water Bridge in the 1930s. Michigan paid for the
Blue Water Bridge and was repaid by Canada through toll revenue.
Key messages:
• This project is all about jobs for Michigan
workers. The DRIC will create 10,000 construction jobs for Michigan
workers, generate an additional 30,000 indirect jobs during the construction
period and support the 220,000 Michigan jobs related to trade with
Canada.
• The DRIC will enhance trade and tourism
between Michigan and Canada, and bring long-term job benefits. Michigan
could retain or create as many as 25,000 permanent jobs by 2035, mostly in
manufacturing and related sectors.
• Canada is Michigan’s top trading
partner. Fifty-eight percent of all Michigan trade is with Canada.
In 2009, this totaled $43.8 billion.
• Canada’s offer to pick up Michigan’s costs
for the DRIC doesn’t mean Canada will have sole control of the bridge.
Governance of the bridge will be 50-50.
Governor Speaking Tonight at Michigan Celebrates
Small Business Awards Event
The governor is speaking this evening in Lansing at
the Michigan Celebrates Small Business awards event that celebrates small
business excellence and the importance of small business success to Michigan’s
economy.
The event highlights more than 60 small businesses
that have helped build Michigan’s economy in 2009. More than 1,000 people
are expected to attend.
Award categories include the Michigan 50 Companies
to Watch, and the U.S. Small Business Administration of Michigan Small Business
Awards.
Key messages:
• We’re thrilled to celebrate the success of
these Michigan small and medium-sized businesses that are vital sources of
innovation and job creation in Michigan.
• Helping these businesses grow at every
stage of development is a critical component of our economic diversification
plan. From the 21st Century Jobs Fund and the Michigan Business One-Stop
to the Michigan Small Business Financing Alliance and Small Business Investment
Tax credit, we’ve made great progress in helping small businesses grow in
Michigan.
• There’s still much we’re working to
accomplish before the end of the year, such as legislative passage of a small
business investment tax credit.
• To transform Michigan, we have to continue
to support entrepreneurship and encourage small business development by
providing technical assistance, strong advocacy and targeted resources.
That’s because small businesses are the job-creating engines that drive our
economy and are the key to Michigan’s future.
Governor Announces Two New Centers of
Energy Excellence
On Wednesday. the governor and Michigan Economic
Development Corporation President and CEO Greg Main announced two new Centers of
Energy Excellence (COEE) designations for wind manufacturing companies Energetx
Composites and Astraeus Wind Energy. The COEE program brings companies,
academic institutions, national labs and the state together to support
cutting-edge research and development and pioneer new energy
technology.
The Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) board approved a
COEE designation and $3.5 million in funding for Energetx Composites, the
Holland-based spin-off of S2 Yachts, which will collaborate with Oak Ridge
National Laboratory (ORNL) and the Dow Chemical Company to manufacture wind
turbine blades with advanced materials. Dow and ORNL will deliver innovative
materials and technical expertise to Energetx, and the University of Michigan
and Kettering University will contribute workforce training. The project will
receive $3.5 million in matching funds from the U.S. Department of
Energy.
The MSF also approved a COEE designation and $6
million in funding for Astraeus Wind Energy, a cooperative venture between MAG
Industrial Automation Systems and Dowding Machining and in collaboration with
ORNL and the Dow Chemical Company. The center will be focused on the automated
manufacturing of wind turbine blade components using advanced materials. The
project will receive $7 million in matching funds from the U.S. Department of
Energy.
Key messages:
• Michigan is bullish on new energy,
especially wind. We are acting boldly and decisively to be the state that
develops the technologies, manufactures the products and creates the green jobs
that will make us the new energy manufacturing capital of North
America.
• The new projects have the potential to
revolutionize the way that wind turbine blades are manufactured, and position
Michigan as the center for advanced manufacturing, advanced materials and the
supply chain for wind energy systems.
• In total, there are 10 Centers of Energy
Excellence. The others are A123Systems Inc., Adaptive Materials and Sakti3
in Ann Arbor; Working Bugs LLC in East Lansing; American Process Inc. in Alpena;
Swedish Biogas International in Flint; Mascoma Corporation in Kinross and Dow
Chemical in Midland.
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