From: Whipple, Deb (GOV)
Sent: Monday, March 22, 2010 5:16 PM
Subject: What the governor is talking about today
What the Governor’s Talking about Today
Monday, March 22, 2010
 
Governor Calls Passage of Health Care Reform Historic
 
Late Sunday evening the governor issued the following statement on passage of health care reform legislation by the U.S. House of Representatives:
 
“The passage of health care reform is historic for Michigan.  After decades of failed attempts, this legislation will give Michigan families and businesses more control over their own health care, will give them the security and stability that come with health care coverage, and will reduce overall health care costs.  No state has needed reform more than Michigan, and I applaud and thank the members of our congressional delegation who voted for this legislation.”
 
Governor, Lt. Governor Issue Statement on Supreme Court Decision on Asian Carp
 
The governor and Lieutenant Governor John D. Cherry Jr. today issued the following statement on the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of the state’s emergency request to close shipping locks in Chicago to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp:
 
“While we continue the legal battle and await the court’s ruling on our remaining motions, we must increase our efforts with other branches of the federal government to physically separate the Mississippi River watershed from the Great Lakes basin to prevent Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes.  The Asian carp poses a significant threat to the Great Lakes, and it is imperative that the federal government prioritize and advance a solution that separates these two watersheds.  The current plan to continuously poison and electro-shock the canal to remove carp is not sustainable, and a permanent physical barrier must be considered to protect the $16 billion recreational boating and fishing industry in the Great Lakes region.  Without an ecological separation of the Mississippi River watershed and the Great Lakes, we increase the risk of Asian carp entering our waters, causing great harm to businesses large and small that rely on the tourism that recreational boating and fishing bring to our region.”
 
Granholm Joins Other Governors in Supporting President Obama’s Call for Expanding Clean Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit Program
 
The governor today joined 18 other governors in a letter to President Obama supporting his call to expand the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit program, also known as the 48C tax credit.
 
Authorized in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the 48C program provided $242 million in tax credits to Michigan manufacturers of clean-energy technologies in January.  President Obama’s fiscal year 2011 budget includes a $5 billion expansion of the 48C program.
  
The 48C program allows companies investing in eligible clean-energy manufacturing activities to apply for a 30-percent tax credit.  More than $2.3 billion was provided for these credits in the Recovery Act, which leveraged $5.4 billion in private sector investment.  Some of the Michigan companies receiving the tax credit are Dow Chemical, Hemlock Semiconductor, and Merrill Technologies.
 
“For too long, America has lagged behind our global competitors for the development, production, and deployment of clean-energy innovations,” the governors wrote in their letter to the president.  “Expanding the Section 48C Advanced Manufacturing Tax Credit will support new waves of domestic production and innovative new jobs and careers — as well as help re-establish American leadership in clean energy manufacturing.”
 
Expanding the 48C program has been identified as one of the Obama administration’s top priorities for promoting job creation and improving the competitiveness of American manufacturers.
 
Key message:
 
•  We are working to make Michigan a center for clean-energy manufacturing, so it’s critical that the federal government continue promoting the domestic manufacture of clean-energy products.  By expanding the 48C program, we will stimulate additional private sector investment in clean-energy technologies and create new jobs in Michigan and across the nation.
 
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