Radio Address : Mascoma Agreement Puts Michigan at Forefront of Next Generation Fuels
This week’s radio address celebrates today’s announcement that Mascoma will build the country’s first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant in Chippewa County in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Mascoma is just the latest alternative energy investment that stands to put Michigan at the forefront of renewable, next-generation fuels.
This is Governor Jennifer Granholm.
Long before the current run-up in gas prices, we declared Michigan’s intention to lead the nation in alternative energy production. We know alternative energy is good not only for our environment – it can also reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil. But most importantly for us, alternative energy will result in jobs for Michigan workers and is at the heart of our strategic plan to diversify and grow our state’s economy.
That’s why this week’s announcement by the Massachusetts-based Mascoma Corporation that it will build one of the nation’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plants in the Upper Peninsula near Sault Ste. Marie was greeted with such excitement.
It was just a year ago that we persuaded Mascoma to come to Michigan. After all, no other state offers such abundant natural resources, top-notch universities, a world-class workforce, along with a strong infrastructure that supports agriculture and timber resources, all of which are critical to a company like Mascoma.
You’ve probably heard the rush to produce billions of gallons of ethanol from corn has been pushing up the price of food, something no one wants. But Mascoma will produce ethanol that can power a vehicle from wood chips and other non-food related materials. This clean energy technology is critical to producing ethanol more quickly, efficiently and economically. And it’s cleaner burning.
Not only will this project bring as much as a quarter billion dollars in investment to the U.P.’s Chippewa County, it will create hundreds of jobs in logging and transportation as well as the construction jobs needed to make the plant a reality. Mascoma is just the latest alternative energy investment that stands to put Michigan at the forefront of renewable, next-generation fuels.
For example, in Escanaba, Swedish-based Chemrec and the Ohio-based NewPage Corporation are exploring using waste from the region’s paper industry to create clean, consumer-friendly fuel. And in Flint, Swedish Biogas is working with Kettering University to take waste from the waste-water treatment process to create biogas that could be used to fuel our vehicles, too. All three projects are working to transform resources that are abundant in Michigan into alternative fuels.
Michigan’s economic strategy is to establish and advance high-tech industries that will accelerate sustainable alternative energy production and pave the way for new jobs for Michigan workers. And that, my friends, is something to celebrate.
Thank you for listening.
9 & 10 News Cadillac/Sault Ste. Marie came down to Lansing to cover the Mascoma announcement, check out the story below-
