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Grants will help develop cheaper production methods and reduce energy consumption

The Energy Department has unveiled a $54 million program for grants that help manufacturers design energy-efficient products. General Motors and Dow have both announced that they received grants from the program to improve energy efficiency in operations.
 
The awards from the Energy Department are matched with $17 million in private funding for 13 projects aiming to advance technologies, materials, and processes that can help U.S. manufacturers increase energy efficiency of operations and cut costs.
 
"The projects announced today will improve the competitive position of U.S. industry and help Michigan's manufacturers produce more while saving energy, saving money and protecting our air and water," said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu.
 
“By investing in breakthrough technologies that can drastically reduce the amount of energy consumed during manufacturing, the Energy Department is supporting President Obama’s blueprint for an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, and skills for American workers.”
 
The goal of the Energy Department is to reduce energy consumption of industrial production within the U.S. The reason is industrial production consumes about one-third of all the energy produced in America. Dow will invest $9 million into its project to create a low-cost carbon fiber production process. 
 
The goal is to reduce the cost of manufacturing carbon fiber by 20% and reduce carbon dioxide emissions from production by 50%. Carbon fiber is very lightweight, and strong making it ideal for use in aerospace and automotive applications. However, the high cost of working with carbon fiber has kept the material out of mainstream use in the automotive market. Lighter weight materials such as carbon fiber would mean better fuel economy and longer driving distances for EVs.
 
General Motors will use its $2.7 million grant to develop an integrated die-casting process for creating car doors. General Motors hopes to save 50% of the energy needed to create car doors while reducing the weight of the doors themselves to improve fuel economy and carbon emissions savings.
 
"To get our state growing rapidly again, we must continue to transform our economy and see more advanced manufacturing products being made in Michigan," said U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing. "This public-private partnership will support Dow Chemical and General Motors as they continue to develop new innovative technologies that will help reduce America's dependence on foreign oil and create new high-tech jobs here in Michigan."

Sources: Detroit News, Department of Energy


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There you go again...
By knutjb on 6/12/2012 11:49:09 AM , Rating: 3
quote:
“By investing in breakthrough technologies that can drastically reduce the amount of energy consumed during manufacturing, the Energy Department is supporting President Obama’s blueprint for an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, and skills for American workers.”
Investing, the label for debt spending but with a guilt trip for those who oppose. This is not government territory, they have a bad track record, don't hang on to the rights, they don't have a high bar for return on investment, they don't concern themselves if it fails, no one gets fired for making bad investments, and are throwing money they don't have at it. This belongs to private enterprise. The more government "invests" the more they push real investors out.

quote:
"To get our state growing rapidly again, we must continue to transform our economy and see more advanced manufacturing products being made in Michigan," said U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing. "This public-private partnership will support Dow Chemical and General Motors as they continue to develop new innovative technologies that will help reduce America's dependence on foreign oil and create new high-tech jobs here in Michigan."
Yep, corporate welfare. Tax dollars thrown at companies in Michigan, one of which has a bad track record and is already a $60B money pit. When republicans conduct the same bad waste it's called crony capitalism but here the media praises it. This is nothing more than early stages of socialism, not capitalism, crony or otherwise.




RE: There you go again...
By ppardee on 6/12/2012 1:29:03 PM , Rating: 1
I think I'll quote T-Paine here: "What we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly"

This applies to this all over. Congress didn't earn the money they are giving to GM and Dow, so they have no motivation to spend it wisely. Also, if they run out, they just print more (QEn+1).

GM and Dow didn't earn the money that Congress is giving them, so they are more likely to spend it unwisely. In reality, funds are fungible. In the mind, it is free money. GM isn't known for making wise financial choices, why should we expect that trend to change?

Elect socialists, get socialism.


RE: There you go again...
By tjcinnamon on 6/12/12, Rating: 0
RE: There you go again...
By Solandri on 6/12/2012 3:41:18 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
The government only gave to the private sector because the republicans would throw a fit if money was given to the public sector (such as an educational institutions) for clean tech research.

That's a false dichotomy. The third alternative is not to give money away at all. Given Federal debt is at about 100% of GDP, I'd say the third alternative needs more looking into.

"But we need to spend money to stimulate the economy!" you say. That's a naive interpretation of what's going on. When you go into deficit spending, you're time-shifting productivity from the future into today. That is, whatever stimulus effect we experience today is paid for by depressing the economy in the future. That's why we're having such a bad recession right now. We stimulated the economy in the past with decades of deficit spending, and depressing effect of that on the economy is being felt now.


RE: There you go again...
By bah12 on 6/12/2012 4:57:03 PM , Rating: 2
Although you are 100% correct, to paint both sides of the ugly political fence. Anything that reduces revenue (aka tax cuts) is also a short term gain but a long term drag.

Unfortunately what both sides don't want to do, but is the ONLY way out of the hole we've dug. Is to both raise revenue (aka taxes) and cut spending. Yes it would cause a big downturn, but all we are doing now is postponing what must happen regardless. Quite literally mortgaging our future for a comfortable today.

Problem is neither one of those options gets you any votes. Sad state.


RE: There you go again...
By tjcinnamon on 6/12/2012 6:00:45 PM , Rating: 2
I didn't suggest that those were the only two options. I just was pointing out a reason as to why the money was given to private companies as opposed to public educational institutions. I agree that not giving the money is a viable 3rd alternative. In this case, I'd say it's the best alternative.

quote:
When you go into deficit spending, you're time-shifting productivity from the future into today.


That's true but if you make good investments via stimulus(i.e. you get a return on them) then the time shift is nullified.

But more to my point: I was trying to figure out ppardee's definition of socialism. That term is thrown around so loosely. If the government tries to spend any money, outside of operations, then the government is completely socialist. That's incorrect and dangerous thinking.

I like bah12's point, that a compromise must be reached of both raising taxes and lowering entitlements. However, I feel that funding research and encouraging entrepreneurship is paramount to the long term success of any nation.


RE: There you go again...
By knutjb on 6/12/2012 6:41:58 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
I like bah12's point, that a compromise must be reached of both raising taxes and lowering entitlements. However, I feel that funding research and encouraging entrepreneurship is paramount to the long term success of any nation.
The flaw with what seems to be a rational idea is that the spending cuts never take place.

Regan was promised spending cuts with his tax cuts. The spending cuts never happened. The massive new revenues generated enticed liberal law makers (of both parties) to not only ignore their obligation to cut spending but increase it. Cuts to both would have had a dramatic impact to the deficit and our long term outlook. Now we have politicians who think spending cuts are just for the campaign trail.

In recent memory only Gingrich cut entitlement spending under Clinton. Obama reinstated those cuts.


RE: There you go again...
By OneArmedScissorB on 6/12/2012 7:51:25 PM , Rating: 2
Good luck ever increasing federal tax revenue.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hauser%27s_law

Revenue should sustain a pretty nice peak, which is something that didn't even happen during the dotcom bubble and the resulting illusory period of a temporarily balanced budget.

The efficiency of the system is what determines revenue, not rates. We can't really ask for much better.

There simply is no way out of this, and it's not just for the US. Practically every developed country on the face of the planet is in the same position.

They've all just been printing money to live beyond their means, for a very long time, and it's finally catching up to us.

Markets always correct themselves. Just let it happen. Every time we try to kick the can down the road by playing games with someone else's money, we just make the impending correction worse.


RE: There you go again...
By OneArmedScissorB on 6/12/2012 2:03:51 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
This is nothing more than early stages of socialism, not capitalism, crony or otherwise.


You missed that call by about 100 years, if not more. :p

This is the marriage of socialism and fascism. After the collapse of both, the developed world didn't learn its lesson and tried to merge them together ever since.

Trying to pin the blame on one or the other after ignoring the problem for so long is like lifting up a rock that's always been in your back yard to be confronted with a pit of rattle snakes.

Where does one end and another begin? It doesn't matter. They're all telling you to run!


RE: There you go again...
By knutjb on 6/12/2012 6:28:54 PM , Rating: 2
Yes I know Wilson was the first to implement organized socialism during his terms. To ignore what is going on merely condones it. To ridicule pointing it out as
quote:
Trying to pin the blame on one or the other after ignoring the problem for so long is like lifting up a rock that's always been in your back yard to be confronted with a pit of rattle snakes.
still doesn't change the fact, as you put it "a pit of rattle snakes," from existing.


RE: There you go again...
By TSS on 6/12/2012 7:39:39 PM , Rating: 2
With socialism there's usually a benifit to the people involved. Basically the fact that you know that michigan is a $60B hole makes it impossible for this to be socialism, as with socialism that would not be benificial to the people and it should be stopped. National healthcare is socialism for instance, where at a large cost to everybody, everybody also gets a benifit (only your corrupt for profit healthcare system might not be the best example. The europian systems of the 90's where a much better example, though those got corrupted by privatization as well).

I think the term you're looking for is either Oligarchy or Plutocracy. Which i thought was pretty well established at this point....


Feds give more money to GM
By OnyxNite on 6/12/2012 11:39:02 AM , Rating: 2
Wow, I'm shocked that the Feds are giving more money they don't have to Government Motors.




RE: Feds give more money to GM
By KCjoker on 6/12/2012 6:24:57 PM , Rating: 1
Well, GM won't be selling me a car/truck ever again. Ford has a better product anyway.


RE: Feds give more money to GM
By mindless1 on 6/14/2012 3:07:45 PM , Rating: 2
You might as well buy GM considering your tax money is already paying for the product whether you benefit from it or not. Blame the government, not one of the millions of businesses (like anyone) who will gladly take a handout.


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