Federal $250,000 Grant to Improve Delta Program, Add Lithium Battery Lab
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Senators Stabenow and Levin wield shovels at a recent groundbreaking event for a federal automotive lab in Warren.
Delta College is accelerating its bid to become a more important part of the electronic transportation revolution.
U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin, Michigan Democrats, announced the inclusion of $2 million for nine Michigan projects -- including a $250,000 grant to help purchase digital and electronic instruments to update Delta College's Chemical Process and establish a Lithium Battery lab.
Delta is working with Dow Kokam to develop a Battery Fast Start program to fill positions expected to open in the spring of 2011, said Dr. Jean Goodnow, president.
The nine federal projects announced by the senators are included in the fiscal year 2011 Appropriation bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and related agencies.
"This funding will make sure that families in Michigan have access to state-of-the-art educational programs that will give them better job opportunities," Senator Stabenow said.
"These programs are especially critical for our colleges that are struggling to meet increasing demands for services that will prepare workers for jobs in a new global economy."
This is the first step in the funding process as the bill must be approved by the Senate and a House-Senate conference committee before it is given final approval by Congress. It will then go to President Obama for his signature.
Sen. Levin said:
"Already, we've accomplished a lot when it comes to bringing electric vehicles to market. The federal government invested more than $2 billion in advanced batteries and the associated technology we need to make mass-market electric vehicles a reality. That's part of a $5 billion investment aimed at electrifying -- literally and metaphorically -- the U.S. transportation sector.
"But the work is far from over. The next crucial step is figuring out how to make electric vehicles affordable and sustainable in an economy that has spent more than a century shackled to oil.
"How do we bring down the cost of these electric vehicles so that they're not just for the wealthy and environmentally conscious, but affordable to families who are stretching their paychecks to make ends meet? How do we give drivers who have spent their lives knowing there's a gas station every mile down the road confidence that they'll be able to recharge these new vehicles? How do we give them batteries they'll depend on?
"There is so much to do -- so many challenges ahead of us, now that we have turned a corner on the road toward electric vehicles. There is a common denominator running through all these challenges: the need for the determination to see things through.
"We need the determination to support research and development of the technologies that will make electric vehicles practical; determination to build the recharging stations and other infrastructure that drivers will need; determination to find ways to generate the electricity to power these vehicles without adding even more carbon to our atmosphere.
"We need that determination, because I believe we have to fight -- and win -- a revolution in transportation, for the sake of our economy and for the sake of our planet. That includes the determination not to allow oil producers to throw us off our course toward energy independence by slashing the cost of oil, as they've promised to do if we ever come close to breaking our addiction to their product.
Based on what we know today about technology development, consumer demand and government incentives, industry projections indicate that U.S. production of plug-in hybrid and battery-electric vehicles can reach 10 percent of new vehicles by 2020, said Sen. Levin,adding:
"We are on the threshold of a second electric revolution, one that transforms our streets and highways, our economy, and the lives of the millions of workers who could go to work producing vehicles that will dominate this century just as Edison's light bulbs dominated the last. And in the process, that revolution can save the planet from the slow warming process that so fundamentally threatens us."
Delta College Administration is very pleased with the support of the senators for job training. "This grant would create a win, win, win situation. A win for local citizens who will be trained on the state-of-the-art equipment for available jobs. A win for our local business partners who are looking for candidates qualified to perform specialized tasks from day one on the job. And a win for Delta College working as a conduit for economic growth in the region," said Dr. Jean Goodnow, Delta College President.
This grant would be used to update the equipment in the Chemical Process Lab from analog to digitized instrumentation to be consistent with what students would find on the job at local companies, including The Dow Chemical Company, Dow Corning Corporation, and Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation.
In addition, this would help purchase training equipment for more Alternative Energy programs. Right now Delta College offers an Alternative Energy Wind Turbine Technology program, a "green" Residential Construction program, has developed a First Start Solar Manufacturing program training employees needed for a local solar manufacturing company with its first session beginning in September.
Delta College has been very successful in training local residents for jobs, said Dr. Goodnow. The Chemical Process First Start program has had six training sessions resulting in 107 graduates of which 88 percent have been hired.
"With this grant everything is coming into place to make Delta College a one-stop training center for local students wanting to prepare for green and alternative energy careers," said Pat Graves, Delta College Director of Business Partnerships and Interim Director of Corporate Services. ###
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