4 A.M. Closing Time? Gov. Granholm Proposes Extending Michigan Bar Hours and Selling Alcohol Before 12 pm On Sundays

Detroit News Lansing Bureau

Gov. Jennifer Granholm is betting that liquor sales and longer bar hours will bring in more money for the state.

The plan involves liquor stores and restaurants selling spirits on Sunday mornings and bar owners buying permits for their establishments to stay open until 4 a.m.

The expanded hours for liquor sales would generate an estimated $13.7 million for the state's general fund, the pot over which the governor and lawmakers have spending discretion.

Additional revenue would come from the sale of the special permits priced at $1,500 each.

"Clearly, this is an opportunity for revenue enhancement," said Megan Brown, spokeswoman for the governor. "It's also an opportunity for communities to enhance entertainment districts and for businesses to expand profits.

"And it's more convenient for Sunday shoppers. Grocery stores could eliminate those gates in front of their liquor aisles."

The revenue estimates are based on 3,050 bars taking advantage of the longer night hours and 6,100 merchants buying licenses for Sunday morning sales.

Tom Dunleavy, owner of Dunleavy's bar in Allen Park, said he likes the idea of later bar hours.

"Say you had a nice crowd at 2 a.m. and didn't feel like kicking everybody out," he said. "You could make a couple hundred dollars extra or maybe even a thousand if you could stay open until 4 a.m. Opening on Sunday morning would be good for someplace like a hotel downtown that could have a breakfast and maybe serve Bloody Marys before a ballgame."

Sen. Gilda Jacobs, D-Huntington Woods, said extending hours for the sale of spirits is long overdue.

"These laws stem from Prohibition," said Jacobs, sponsor of the bill to allow Sunday sales between 7 a.m. and noon. "The times, they are a-changing. If we want to be competitive with other entertainment venues, we need to do this."

Lance Binoniemi, government affairs director for the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association, said his group has pushed for longer hours for four years but not necessarily with costly new fees attached.

There has been talk during that time of increasing the basic fees for liquor licenses. Granholm also proposes that those fees be doubled as part of her budget plan. License fees haven't been increased since 1976.

"We suggested longer hours because we thought we should get something in return if they're going to increase our fees," he said.

Binoniemi said a few other places, including Virginia, New York, metro Chicago and some metro areas of Georgia allow liquor sales until 4 a.m.

Granholm lists $850M in road projects to be funded by stimulus

MATT HELMS
Detroit FREE PRESS

M-59 would be widened to six lanes from four between Crooks and Ryan roads -- a chronic choke point for commuters in Oakland and Macomb counties -- under the state’s proposed plans to spend about $850 million in federal stimulus money Michigan will receive.

The long-sought, $60-million project would be fast-tracked to begin this year, possibly in September, according to a list of projects statewide that the Michigan Department of Transportation said are most likely to meet federal requirements for economic stimulus spending.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm told an audience of regional leaders this afternoon that the spending on infrastructure is expected to create about 25,000 construction-related jobs.

Under President Barack Obama’s stimulus plan, Michigan will get another $135 million for transit systems, Michigan Department of Transportation Director Kirk Steudle told the gathering at the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments offices downtown.

Steudle said the federal government will make additional money available for roadwork and high-speed rail, which could help efforts to build a high-speed route between Detroit and Chicago.

“This is about job creation and putting people to work," Steudle said. “This is a great opportunity for us.”

Granholm said the emphasis will be on speed to meet federal requirements to get the projects rolling within the timeframe the stimulus plan requires.

MDOT said many of the projects will have to be approved by regional planning agencies statewide, a process the state said it’s working to finish quickly. The Legislature also must approve the additions to the roadwork budget.

Other major projects in metro Detroit that would be paid for with stimulus money include $15 million in major bridge repairs on I-96 in Wayne County; $10 million to resurface Michigan Avenue between Livernois and Rosa Parks Boulevard in Detroit; $13 million to resurface M-8 between Oakland and Conant in Detroit; $18 million to rebuild I-94 between St. Clair Highway and Allington Road in St. Clair County; and a $12-million reconstruction of northbound Telegraph Road between Square Lake and Orchard Lake roads in Oakland County.

Steudle said the state’s top priority with transportation stimulus money is to fix existing roads, but some of it also will address congestion relief.

Michigan Governor Presents 'Bold' Energy Plan

http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/

In her State of the State address Tuesay, Michigan's Governor Jennifer Granholm announced sweeping changes that could make Michigan a leader on clean, alternative energy.

The Governor's new plan will effectively put the brakes on Michigan's new coal plants, while also spurring renewable energy and efficiency for homes and schools.




Some specifics of the plan include:
Reducing dependence on fossil fuels 45% by 2020
Requiring all new coal plant developers to go back to the drawing board and consider clean energy alternatives
Weatherization of at least 100,000 homes and 1,000 schools
Promotion of distributive generation, including wind and solar on schools
Under this proposal, Michigan would dramatically expand the use of in-state renewable resources--both through utility-scale applications as well as through a proposed "feed-in tariff" for residential and business customers.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) commended Granholm for the "bold" proposal.

"If fully implemented, this bold proposal would jump Michigan into the front row among states," ACEEE Utilities Program Director Dr. Martin Kushler, said.

Michigan State Senator Glenn Anderson Understands Governor's Upbeat Tone

Hugh Gallagher

OBSERVER STAFF WRITER

Gov. Jennifer Granholm offered an optimistic view that things will improve during her State of the State address Tuesday.

State Sen. Glenn Anderson, D-Westland, who represents Redford Township, understands the governor's approach.

"It was good speech," he said Wednesday in a call from the Senate floor. "One thing we have to do is assure people that things will get better.

Anderson said his fellow legislators seemed more open to her ideas.

"I was really taken by the reaction to the speech by folks on both sides of the aisle, how many times they applauded her," he said. "What she said had more bipartisan support than I have seen since I've been here."

The governor looked mostly to the future, emphasizing Michigan's prospects as a producer of green energy technology from solar panels to wind turbines. She marked a goal of reducing electricity generated from fossil fuels by 45 percent by 2020.

"Certainly we'll never get close to that unless we set goals," Anderson said. "Renewable energy from wind turbines and solar panels is exciting. We are in a position to be a leader in the country and certainly in the region."

Granholm also pointed to the film industry's continued interest in Michigan since special tax incentives were approved last year. She announced major film production facilities for Detroit and Pontiac and a digital games manufacturer for Plymouth.

"There was a lot of good news about the film studios. Livonia has done a lot to be a one-stop source for the film industry," Anderson said.

The other major initiative announced by Granholm was a major shrinking of state government under the leadership of Lt. Gov. John Cherry.

"It's very ambitious to go from 18 down to eight (state departments)."

Anderson said he will need to see the details outlined in the governor's budget report in a couple of weeks.

"This is just the broad outline. We have to wait for the nuts and bolts," he said.

MI's Vehicle Battery Market Predicted To Bring $50B+ by 2020

Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. - Gov. Jennifer Granholm and lawmakers hope generous tax incentives will help make Michigan the center of efforts to research and manufacture advanced batteries used in hybrid and electric vehicles.

Legislators say the United States today has no large-scale production plant for the lithium-ion battery, the technology General Motors Corp. expects to power its touted Chevrolet Volt.
Most battery technology is being developed in Asia.
"It is imperative that Michigan possess this technology to keep Michigan the center of car manufacturing," said Sen. John Pappageorge, a Troy Republican. Before adjourning this month, the Legislature approved tax credits worth up to $335 million depending on how many battery packs are assembled here, production expenses and other factors. Granholm is expected to sign the legislation.

Lawmakers were motivated to act at a time auto demand has dropped due to the ailing economy and the credit crunch, which has made it tougher for some buyers to get financing. GM and Chrysler LLC recently secured a $17 billion lifeline from the federal government.

The same week lawmakers voted for the credits, GM announced it was delaying construction of a Flint engine factory to conserve cash. The plant eventually will make 1.4-liter engines for the Chevy Cruze and the Chevy Volt plug-in electric car, key products in the century-old automaker's bid to turn itself around after relying on highly profitable truck and SUV sales.

"That's just temporary," Granholm said. "They are going to produce the Volt. ... The battery that is going to power the Volt -- we intend that to be made in Michigan." GM could make a decision early next year.

The state also is working with a cell manufacturing company to build a facility in Michigan. The governor says the rechargeable lithium battery not only will store energy in people's cars but potentially could be used for their homes and businesses, too.

"All of that we want to make a big play for Michigan," Granholm said. "We want it to be an American solution produced by American workers."

Things are moving quickly on the battery front. Fourteen U.S. technology companies and a national laboratory this month created an alliance to seek billions in federal funding for construction of a plant to make advanced vehicle batteries.

The U.S. will lose out on high-tech jobs if Japan, South Korea and other countries continue dominating battery development, according to the new coalition.

Michigan's tax incentives are similar to those offered the film industry earlier in 2008. To entice moviemakers to choose Michigan over competing states, Granholm and legislators created refundable tax credits for in-state movie production expenses.

Giving tax breaks is nothing new, with the state often deciding to forgo tax revenue in exchange for economic investment and job creation. But refundable credits go further. They are more like a rebate for production expenses and can require the state to cut checks to businesses if the credits exceed their tax liability.

Refundable credits have been castigated by critics such as Sen. Nancy Cassis, a Novi Republican who has said Michigan would be more attractive if it provided "broad-based tax relief ... benefiting all, rather than just a selected few."

The criticism mostly has been ignored. Senators scaled back the battery bill's potential price tag by nearly $200 million before voting 31-3 to pass the legislation. It was approved 94-0 by the House.

Backers say Michigan just cannot afford to miss out on a vehicle battery market that could total $50 billion by 2020. They describe the tax incentives as a "down payment" toward fostering high-tech industries. The battery bill is House Bill 6611.

Gov. Granholm Puts Mit Romney and Cable News Commentator's In Their Place About The Big Three

The Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Jennifer Granholm has differed in the past with U.S. automakers, squabbling with the United Auto Workers union over party politics and wishing out loud that Michigan’s fortunes weren’t so tied to the ailing industry.

But when detractors in recent weeks portrayed the Big Three as manufacturing dinosaurs that didn’t deserve bridge loans to avoid bankruptcy, Granholm became an impassioned advocate for the industry. "It has been extremely frustrating, and I have probably used some words I should not be using," she said.

The two-term Democratic governor has been a frequent guest on national talk shows and news programs, taking on the naysayers. She has rallied governors worried about losing major factories and suppliers, plotted Capitol Hill strategy with congressional members from Michigan and other states, and sent letters to President George W. Bush.

"The auto industry is seeking only a fraction of what was given to the  . . . financial industry and it’s a loan. And that loan is going to ensure that we have a manufacturing infrastructure and 3 million jobs are protected in this nation all across the country, not just in Wall Street but in small communities all over," Granholm said on PBS’ Nightly Business Report this month.

The feisty and hard-charging governor, who ran a half-marathon in less than two hours this fall, is easily angered by injustice, and she thinks that the automakers and her state are being wrongly maligned.

The Senate’s failure to pass a $14 billion bridge loan for General Motors Corp. and Chrysler Llc. — which could run out of money within weeks without assistance — infuriated Granholm, who sits on President-elect Barack Obama’s transition economic advisory board. She accused Senate Republicans who refused to back the bridge loans of "protecting the foreign companies that are in their borders. They’re not acting as Americans."

When former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said during an exchange Sunday with Granholm on NBC’s Meet the Press that U.S. automakers had a cost disadvantage compared with foreign automakers, an impassioned Granholm skewered his comments as inaccurate and pointed a finger at him as she argued over legacy costs.

During an appearance last month on CNN, she accused Romney of "breathtaking hypocrisy" for saying in January during his presidential campaign that he’d be a partner to the automakers and fight for jobs, then arguing in November against giving them the loans.

More than a few television anchors have felt the governor’s polite but pointed displeasure. When CNN’s Kyra Phillips asked why auto companies deserved the bridge loans, Granholm took aim at the financial-sector meltdown and shot back that "it’s really important to know that the auto industry didn’t put us into this position."

She also hasn’t pulled any punches in her news conferences.

"I really felt so deeply for these workers who have felt powerless to be able to change the minds of people in Congress who were spouting untruths about the industry," she said after watching the bridge-loan plan fall apart. "Those who caused this financial meltdown were allowed to walk away with $700 billion, with no oversight, many of them ultra-rich hedge-fund players. Those who were the victims of their greed — people who work on the factory line — were blamed and were asked to pay the price," she added.

Don’t tell her automakers aren’t trying to lower costs to match their foreign competitors or that they haven’t improved quality or taken steps to move more fuel-efficient cars and hybrids.

"The bottom line is, the industry has recognized that it must change," the governor said.