Governors

Nov. 16, 2009 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter today praised the federal government's decision to purchase thousands of acres from willing sellers in Colorado, Montana and Nevada, including nearly 4,600 acres within the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.

"On behalf of the people of Colorado -- and the millions of people who visit our great state every year -- thank you to Secretaries Salazar and Vilsack for leading this effort," Gov. Ritter said.

"Adding nearly 4,600 acres to the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is a tremendous accomplishment that will allow us to protect one of Colorado's most treasured natural, cultural and archeological areas now and in the future.    » read more »

November 16, 2009 -- MONTGOMERY - With an Alabama Supreme Court ruling defining bingo in hand, Alabama Governor Bob Riley has contacted gambling commissions throughout the country notifying them of the court’s decision and urging the commissions to make sure the gambling machine manufacturers they regulate cease all illegal activity in Alabama.

“The Supreme Court’s ruling is crystal clear. All these so-called electronic bingo machines are illegal in Alabama and it’s time for them to go,” said Governor Riley. “We warned the gambling commissions and the slot machine manufacturers almost a year ago that these machines are illegal, so the Supreme Court’s ruling can’t be a surprise to them. It certainly isn’t to us.    » read more »

November 13, 2009 -- MILWAUKEE – Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle today signed into law Senate Bills 280, 299, 331 and 347, which build on his work to protect kids, ensure every child has a chance to succeed, and prevent fraud.

“As Governor, my number one priority has always been putting our kids first,” Governor Doyle said. “We have come a long way to help kids have the best education, best health care and best family support system possible. These bills signed into law today build on our efforts to protect our kids and ensure they can get a great start to life.”

Legislation signed by the Governor also builds on efforts to detect and prevent fraud in Wisconsin Shares, the state’s child care program for over 60,000 low-income working families.    » read more »

November 16, 2009 -- Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri recently issued the following statement regarding the Revenue Estimating Conference’s revised revenue projections for the current fiscal year. The Revenue Estimating Conference projected revenue shortfall for the current fiscal year is $130.5 million.

“The revenue forecast is poor,” said Governor Carcieri “It is clearer than ever, Rhode Island is still in the throes of an economic recession. Unfortunately, this is not a surprise, as we have continued to see the economy worsen and revenues decline.”    » read more »

Nov. 12, 2009 -- Harrisburg – More than $23 million was approved this week for 36 new solar and other alternative and clean energy projects that will help maintain Pennsylvania’s status as a national leader in the drive to create a green economy, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell said.

“From a geothermal energy system for the Sisters of St. Joseph in Erie; to a new high-energy-performance, mixed-use building in Lancaster, these are the kinds of investments that are crucial if we are to continue developing clean energy resources and enhancing our reputation as a leader in the field,” Governor Rendell said. “I’m committed to supporting growth and innovation that promotes energy conservation and efficiency, a cleaner environment, and a stronger green economy.”    » read more »

Columbus, OH – Ohio Governor Ted Strickland today congratulated two Ohio companies that received more than $4.4 million in federal funding to research and develop technologies to produce biofuels, bioenergy and high-value biobased products.

“With agriculture and food processing as two of Ohio’s largest industries, we have tremendous potential for creating energy out of natural, renewable resources. And growing Ohio’s advanced and renewable energy industry is a cornerstone of our plan to create new Ohio jobs,” Strickland said. “We appreciate Secretaries Vilsack and Chu for helping to boost our growth industries with these resources.”    » read more »

JDIG and One North Carolina Fund Grants Help Company Add 259 Jobs

11/13/2009 -- North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue announced today that international biopharmaceutical company Talecris Biotherapeutics is expanding its manufacturing facilities near Clayton, creating 259 new jobs over the next seven years and investing $268.7 million. The announcement was made possible in part by state Job Development Investment Grant and One North Carolina Fund awards and is contingent upon approval of local incentives.

“The competition for these types of jobs is fierce,” Perdue said. “The fact that Talecris has found the tools it needs to succeed in North Carolina shows why this state’s business climate is consistently named as the best in the nation.”    » read more »

Announces Counties Are Conducting Vaccination Clinics As More H1N1 Vaccine Becomes Available

November 13, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson today announced that county health departments across New York are mobilizing to conduct H1N1 flu vaccination clinics as more vaccine becomes available in the State.

“Due to delays in manufacturing the H1N1 vaccine, our statewide vaccination campaign has not been mobilized as rapidly as we had hoped,” Governor Paterson said. “As we move into the middle of November, more H1N1 vaccine is becoming available, and health care providers are receiving more shipments. Some county health departments have already held vaccination clinics, and others are gearing up to hold them in the next two weeks.”    » read more »

Governor signs Executive Order No. 30 Establishing the New York 2010 Census Complete Count Committee

November 12, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson has signed Executive Order No. 30, establishing the New York 2010 Census Complete Count Committee. The Committee will raise awareness of the 2010 Census and will work to maximize the participation of all New Yorkers. New York Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez kicked off the State’s 2010 Census Complete Count Campaign today at an event in the State Capitol.    » read more »

State’s Supercomputer enables Projects Eligibility for Funding

November 13, 2009 -- SANTA FE -- New Mexico Governor Richardson today announced that the National Science Foundation has awarded the University of New Mexico $41M for collaborative projects involving the state’s supercomputer, Encanto.

The New Mexico Computing Applications Center, which oversees Encanto, is under contract for $5.3 million in support of those grants. The awards will provide funding over a five-year period to the supercomputing center.    » read more »

Reiterates Cherry's belief that Great Lakes are critical to Michigan's economy

November 13, 2009 --
LANSING - Michigan Lieutenant Governor John D. Cherry, Jr. today called on the Assistant Secretary of the Army to take additional actions to prevent Asian Carp from entering the Great Lakes. Recent reports from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers indicate that Asian Carp may be much closer than previously expected to the current electrical Barrier 2A, which was designed to keep the carp from entering the Great Lakes through the Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal (CSSC).    » read more »

ANNAPOLIS, MD (November 13, 2009) – Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley issued the second in a series of online H1N1 (Swine) Flu web updates on H1N1 (Swine) Flu today, including a status update on the spread of the disease and an update on the seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccines. To date, state officials have ordered 100% of the H1N1 vaccinations available to Maryland distributors, more than 750,000 doses.    » read more »

November 14, 2009 -- AUGUSTA – Two more deaths have been reported linked to H1N1 influenza in Maine, bringing the total to five since August, and a Kennebec County long-term care facility is experiencing an outbreak of H1N1, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control.

A Hancock County resident between the ages of 25 years old and 50 years old and a Kennebec County resident older than 65 years old died last week. Both had H1N1 and both had underlying conditions.    » read more »

November 13, 2009 -- AUGUSTA – Maine Governor John E. Baldacci today registered his opposition to a proposal by the Air National Guard to allow low-level training flights over Western Maine.

A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, in Farmington in the Lincoln Auditorium on the campus of the University of Maine Farmington.

In the letter to the Director of the Air National Guard, Governor Baldacci cites the lack of responsiveness from the National Guard Bureau to questions raised about the proposal to allow the low-level flights.    » read more »

Nov 13, 2009 -- BATON ROUGE – Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine today applauded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision to delay a proposed plan banning the interstate sale of untreated raw Gulf oysters in warm months. Both the Governor and Secretary had previously expressed their concerns with the proposal directly to the FDA, which has now agreed to commission a study on both the economic impact of any decision for the oyster industry and how to decrease the incidence of vibrio vulnificus infection.

Governor Jindal sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg on Tuesday, outlining the effects of its proposed regulations on the state’s oyster industry.    » read more »