© 2024 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Granholm defends stimulus, energy grants on eve of Obama visit

By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-912860.mp3

LANSING, MI –
https://wkar.org/newsroom/images/reworkingmichigan-title.jpg

Governor Granholm says Michigan is the nation's top beneficiary of President Obama's energy policy. The president visits west Michigan Thursday to help launch a new advanced battery factory.

AUDIO:
Michigan already has 16 advanced battery factories. Governor Granholm says those operations are feasible because the Obama administration has provided research funding, as well as financial incentives to make future electric vehicles like the Chevy Volt and the Ford Focus more affordable.

She says Michigan capitalized on that with job retraining, so there was a ready-to-go, experienced manufacturing workforce. The governor says that also helped Michigan stem the loss of jobs, though unemployment remains high.

"We are in a world of hurt, and we would have been in a much bigger world of hurt without a commitment to American manufacturing," she says.

She says Michigan factories are getting battery business that would otherwise go to manufacturers in Asia. She says that shows U.S. companies can win back jobs that are going overseas.


reWorking Michigan
For more on job creation and workforce evolution in Michigan, visit WKAR.org/reworkingmichigan

Journalism at this station is made possible by donors who value local reporting. Donate today to keep stories like this one coming. It is thanks to your generosity that we can keep this content free and accessible for everyone. Thanks!