On the recordFebruary 23, 2010
I rise to tell the story of an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act project that is set to create new high-tech manufacturing jobs in my hometown of Battle Creek. Last week, Toda America finalized a $35 million grant through the Department of Energy's Electric Drive Battery and Component Manufacturing Initiative. Without the Recovery Act, this Japanese firm wouldn't be investing $70 million to build a new hybrid battery plant in my district. They wouldn't be hiring 50 to 60 new workers at an average weekly wage of $900, plus an additional 91 indirect jobs. In Michigan, with an unemployment rate of over 14 percent, we need every job we can get. 150 people will have jobs in my district because of Toda's innovation, the Recovery Act's commitment to battery development, and a never-give-up attitude. This is how we turn our economy around one job at a time.
