By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-858452.mp3
SAGINAW, MI – Governor Granholm led an invitation-only town meeting in Saginaw on Wednesday. She was joined by Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle and White House officials to try and generate support for President Obama's energy plan.
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The president's proposal for cap-and-trade credits as part of an energy policy overhaul has been controversial in manufacturing states, where big utility bills can stifle job growth.
But Governor Granholm and the White House say the long-term effect will be cleaner, less-expensive energy. And they say it could mean jobs for Michigan workers building wind turbines, next generation batteries, and energy conservation components.
Granholm says she hopes the final version of an energy package will have preferences for U.S. built products.
"And if they are, you gotta make em in a place that knows how to make things, and that's what we do," she says. "It's in our DNA."
The president's auto recovery czar, Ed Montgomery, was also here. He says a quarter of all the nation's manufacturing jobs have disappeared in recent years, and something needs to be done to recover them.