By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network
LANSING, MI –
Governor Granholm says a new federal trust fund will help Michigan and other automotive states redevelop and sell shut-down General Motors factories to new owners. More than half of the eligible sites are scattered across Michigan, including some plants that have been shut down for decades.
"We've got 47 of the 90 sites in Michigan, and that means that, of course, we will probably see the bulk of this funding," she says. "We've got to cross some Ts and dot some Is in terms of the trust agreement."
The agreement also has to be approved by the judge supervising GM's emergence from bankruptcy. Granholm says she expects the first round of money to arrive this summer. She says it will be a big help since the state's environmental cleanup fund is almost empty. Some of the money can also be used to pay for demolition and payment of back taxes.