November 30, 2007
November 30, 2007
LANSING - In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today said that exciting things are happening in Michigan in the alternative energy industry, and the potential for growth is unmatched in this country.
Throughout November, Governor Granholm has been traveling the state with her economic development team, meeting with alternative energy leaders and looking at what Michigan can do to make sure our state is the national leader in this growing industry.
"With global warming and instability in the Middle East and soaring gas prices, now is the time for Michigan to take the lead on ending our nation's dependence on foreign oil," Granholm said. "The great thing is we can take on the challenge of finding sustainable energy sources, and that effort will create jobs right here in Michigan.
"Just a few years ago, alternative energy jobs were unheard of, but now it's a rapidly growing industry. One recent study estimated that the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries have the potential to create 40 million jobs in this country over the next 25 years. And I'm doing everything I can to make sure a lot of those jobs are right here in Michigan."
The governor's weekly radio address is released each Friday morning and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state. The address is available on the governor's Web site ( www.michigan.gov/gov ) for download, together with a clip of the quote above. The radio address is also available as a podcast on the Web site, as well as on iTunes and via RSS feed for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers. Links to the audio files and text of today's address follow.
Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
November 30, 2007
Full Radio Address Audio: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov121_Full_217013_7.mp3
Edited Radio Address Audio: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov121_Edit_217021_7.mp3
Short Clip: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov121_Quote_21703_7.mp3
This is Governor Jennifer Granholm.
Throughout November, I have been traveling the state with my economic development team, meeting with alternative energy leaders and looking at what we can do to make sure our state is the national leader in this growing industry.
With global warming and instability in the Middle East and soaring gas prices, now is the time for Michigan to take the lead on ending our nation's dependence on foreign oil. The great thing is we can take on the challenge of finding sustainable energy sources, and that effort will create jobs right here in Michigan.
I've met with dozens of companies on the cutting edge of alternative energy who are creating jobs today in Michigan communities. In Cassopolis, K&M Machine Fabricating is building wind turbine components…and they are hiring. In Grand Rapids, Cascade Engineering has started work on small wind generation systems for our homes…and they are expanding. In Detroit, I met with those who help build the ethanol and biodiesel plants across our state. In Eaton Rapids, Dowding Industries is building a second facility to produce wind turbines…and they are hiring.
Just a few years ago, alternative energy jobs were unheard of, but now it's a rapidly growing industry! One recent study estimated that the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries have the potential to create 40 million jobs in this country over the next 25 years. And I'm doing everything I can to make sure a lot of those jobs are right here in Michigan.
This week, I traveled to California where I met with six companies looking to invest in alternative energy development, and I encouraged them to invest in Michigan.
And on Monday, I am headed to the Upper Peninsula to visit the NewPage pulp and paper mill where research is underway to take the waste from the paper process and convert it into biofuels. NewPage has partnered with the Swedish company Chemrec to develop this process for the first time in the United States - in Michigan. I was proud to be a part of making their partnership happen during my recent trip to Sweden, and I can't wait to see the operation in action!
Exciting things are happening in Michigan in the alternative energy industry, and our potential for growth is unmatched in this country. The combination of our wood, our wind, our water and our waste - all these Ws - together with our engineering talents makes Michigan uniquely positioned to diversify into alternative energy and other cutting-edge sectors. What an amazing opportunity we have to revolutionize energy sources for the entire world while making our state economy thrive again.
Thank you for listening.
