From: Hernandez, Angelita (GOV)
Sent: Monday, June 21, 2010 5:01 PM
Subject: What the Governor's Talking about Today

Attachments: TPs 6-21-10.doc

What the Governor’s Talking about Today

Monday, June 21, 2010

 

Governor Joins Vice President Biden at Dow Kokam Groundbreaking in Midland

The governor today joined Vice President Joe Biden and Dow Chemical Company Chairman and CEO Andrew Liveris at the groundbreaking for the Dow Kokam advanced battery plant in Midland.

 

Dow Kokam is a joint venture between Dow Chemical and battery maker T.K. Advanced Battery.  A thousand construction workers will build the 800,000-square-foot plant which is expected to employ nearly 800 people when it’s completed in 2015.  The plant will be able to build batteries for as many as 60,000 fully electric or hybrid vehicles a year.

 

The U.S. Department of Energy allocated $161 million to the project, one of 12 Michigan projects that last August won DOE grants funded by the Recovery Act.  The state provided $180 million in tax incentives to Dow Kokam for the plant, which is slated to cost a total of $600 million.

 

“We are mortgaging our children’s future by burying our money in the sands of the Middle East or the jungles of Venezuela,” Biden said.  “This is the beginning of a revolution in the production of energy in the country.”

 

“With transformational companies like Dow Kokam, we are creating new green jobs and reshaping Michigan into the clean energy manufacturing capital of North America,” the governor said. “Today’s groundbreaking marks a significant milestone in our strategy to diversify Michigan’s economy and grow our continuing leadership position in new energy sectors like advanced battery, solar and wind.”

 

Key messages:

 

·        The Dow Kokam story demonstrates what can be achieved when we have strong public-private partnerships and government can present a convincing business case to a particular company or even an entire industry such as advanced batteries.

·                                The Department of Energy grants, combined with Michigan’s first-in-the-nation battery tax credits, have generated an entire new industry in our state that didn’t exist a year ago.

·                                Since last August, 16 companies representing the entire advanced battery and electric vehicle supply chain have begun operations in Michigan.  These 16 companies are projected to create 62,000 good-paying jobs here in our state in the next decade.

·                                Michigan is ready to be a leader in the clean energy economy.  By moving to electric vehicles and producing our own energy here in the United States, we can create millions of jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and enhance our national security.

 

Governor Announces Centers for Regional Excellence Grant Awardees Will Discuss Regional Collaboration Projects at June 23 Conference

The governor today announced that nine Michigan communities awarded Centers for Regional Excellence (CRE) grants in 2008 for collaborative projects among local governments will discuss their successes and challenges this Wednesday at a statewide conference in Okemos.

  

The conference will run from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Meridian Township Hall in Okemos and be accessible statewide via the Internet at www.homtv.net.  People watching the conference on their computers will be able to phone in or e-mail questions to the nine CRE awardees.  Also on hand to answer questions will be representatives from the Michigan Municipal League, Michigan Townships Association, Michigan Association of Planning, Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), and the governor’s office.

 

The 2008 round of grants was the second awarded through the CRE program created by the governor to promote regional cooperation throughout Michigan.  The program is funded primarily through MSHDA.

 

Each of the nine communities was awarded a grant of up to $25,000 over the following two years for collaborative projects among local governments that make their communities better places to live, work and play.  In the CRE request for proposals, emphasis was placed on projects involving regional economic collaboration.

 

The projects to be discussed at the June 23 statewide conference range from developing a master plan for Aerotropolis — an economic development project for the areas surrounding Detroit Metropolitan and Willow Run airports — to the Eastern U.P. Maritime Experience which markets local maritime and cultural tourism attractions. 

 

For more information on the CRE grant program, visit www.michigan.gov/cre

 

Key message:

 

 

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