In a letter to President Obama today, the governor called for the White House to immediately establish a summit with Great Lakes governors to discuss the growing Asian carp threat.  The letter, jointly signed with Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, was in response to today’s Supreme Court decision to deny a preliminary injunction sought by Michigan and other Great Lakes states for an emergency closure of the locks in the Chicago Shipping Canal to stop the spread of Asian carp into the Great Lakes .

“Asian carp threaten the well-being of our Great Lakes, and ultimately the well-being of Michigan ,” the governor said.  “It is disappointing that the Supreme Court declined to aid our fight against these aquatic invaders, so we now ask the White House to work with us in finding a solution before it is too late.”

Asian carp DNA samples have recently been found above the electrical barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, providing new evidence that the carp are moving closer to Lake Michigan .  Invasive species have already had a significant impact on the economies of the Great Lakes states, and the governor warned that the introduction of Asian carp into the already fragile ecosystem would be devastating.

Key messages:

    * The Granholm administration has taken aggressive steps to stop the spread of Asian carp into the Great Lakes including:

          o Directing the attorney general to explore all possible legal actions to protect the Great Lakes from the imminent threat
          o Prohibiting the possession of live Asian carp
          o Providing direct financial support for the electrical barrier in 2004
          o Urging additional protections be put in place to block carp from entering the Great Lakes

Governor Announces More Than 5,200 New and Retained Jobs for Michigan

The governor announced today that the Michigan Economic Development Corporation is helping seven companies grow in Michigan and is backing one brownfield redevelopment project.  Combined, the eight projects are expected to create 5,210 new jobs (2,581 direct and 2,629 indirect), retain 415 jobs and generate over $76.8 million in new investment in the state.

Earlier today, the Michigan Economic Growth Authority board approved incentives to win the eight projects for Michigan over competing states and countries.  The projects include a Mumbai, India-based IT company that plans to establish a Business Protection Services center in Midland , a manufacturer of alternative-energy products that plans to build a research and development facility in Blissfield, and a brownfield redevelopment in Wyandotte that will transform an abandoned site into a new center of economic growth and activity.

 Key messages:

     * The scope of these projects demonstrates that Michigan has exactly what companies are looking for as they choose where to locate and grow their business: an aggressive economic growth strategy, a competitive business climate, innovative economic development tools and an outstanding workforce.
    * These job-creating company expansions and brownfield redevelopment project are the result of successful collaboration and teamwork with our economic development partners around the state.
    * Today’s successes did not come easily.  Michigan won out over stiff competition from Florida , Mississippi , North Carolina , Ohio , Tennessee (twice), Texas , Wisconsin , Canada and China .