July 30, 2010
July 30, 2010
In radio address, governor says Michigan becoming advanced battery capital of the world
LANSING - In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today said that next week marks the one-year anniversary of a milestone in the electrification of the automobile.
"On August 5, 2009, Vice President Joe Biden came to Michigan to announce that $1.35 billion in U.S. Department of Energy grants, funded by the Recovery Act, had been awarded to several Michigan companies to support advanced battery and electric vehicle manufacturing and development," Granholm said.
"And what a 12 months we've had since then," Granholm continued. "We now have 16 advanced battery companies with ongoing projects in Michigan, representing almost $6 billion in capital investment and estimated to create almost 62,000 new jobs over the next 10 years."
"Michigan is well on its way to becoming the advanced battery capital of the world," Granholm said. "It's what we envisioned when we targeted the advanced battery market as a sector we wanted to grow to help diversify Michigan's economy and create jobs."
Granholm said Michigan's battery tax credits, the first in the nation, are a big reason for the state's success.
"When I signed these battery credits into law, it sent a clear signal to companies that Michigan is serious about being a leader in this industry," Granholm said.
"As we mark the one-year anniversary of the battery grants funded by the Recovery Act, it's very important to continue the collaborative partnerships among the federal government, state and local governments, and the private sector that have created a domestic advanced battery industry," Granholm said. "We can manufacture everything we need for a clean energy economy right here in the United States and in Michigan - and create thousands of jobs for Americans."
The governor's weekly radio address is released each Friday and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state. The address is available for download on the governor's Web site at www.michigan.gov/gov together with a clip of the quote above. The radio address also is 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
Radio Address - Batteries
Full: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov260Full_329214_7.mp3
Edited: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov260Edit_329215_7.mp3
Quote: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov260Quote_329216_7.mp3
Hello, this is Governor Jennifer Granholm.
If you've detected a buzz in the air, there's a reason why. Next week marks the one-year anniversary of a milestone in the electrification of the automobile.
On August 5, 2009, Vice President Joe Biden came to Michigan to announce that $1.35 billion in U.S. Department of Energy grants, which was funded by the Recovery Act, had been awarded to several Michigan companies to support advanced battery and electric vehicle manufacturing and development.
And what a 12 months we've had since then. We now have 16 advanced battery companies with ongoing projects in Michigan - 16 - representing almost $6 billion in capital investment and estimated to create almost 62,000 new jobs over the next 10 years.
So Michigan is well on its way to becoming the advanced battery capital of the world. It's what we envisioned when we targeted the advanced battery market as a sector we wanted to grow to help diversify Michigan's economy and create jobs.
One big reason for our success is Michigan's own battery tax credits, the first in the nation. When I signed these battery credits into law, it sent a clear signal to companies that Michigan is serious about being a leader in this industry. And as a result of those state battery credits and last year's Department of Energy grants, an advanced battery industry is sprouting up in Michigan.
At General Motors' Brownstown Township facility just outside Detroit, workers are assembling battery packs for the Chevrolet Volt.
In Midland, construction is underway on Dow Kokam's new advanced battery plant where workers will produce the lithium-ion packs for electric vehicles.
Construction also has begun on the new Compact Power/LG Chem battery plant in Holland, which President Obama visited two weeks ago for a groundbreaking.
And these are just a few snapshots of what's happening across the state.
To keep the momentum going, we need some help from Congress. And that includes legislation that would expand the advanced energy manufacturing tax credit. We also have to continue, for the next few years, to offer federal tax credits to consumers who purchase electric vehicles until the cost of manufacturing lithium-ion batteries is comparable to that for internal combustion engines.
As we mark the one-year anniversary of the battery grants funded by the Recovery Act, it's very important to continue the collaborative partnerships among the federal government, state and local governments, and the private sector that have created a domestic advanced battery industry. We can manufacture everything we need for a clean energy economy right here in the United States and in Michigan - and create thousands of jobs for Americans.
Thank you for listening.
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