Battery backer downplays politics.

FRANKFORT — The co-founder of a consortium that hopes to manufacture cutting-edge electric car batteries in Glendale sounded upbeat Friday about the project’s chances of landing federal economic stimulus money — and he downplayed potential political hurdles.

James J. Greenberger, who recently visited Kentucky to meet with officials and to attend the Kentucky Derby with Gov. Steve Beshear, said the National Alliance for Advanced Transportation Batteries has received high-level attention.

In fact, the Chicago attorney said that when the office of President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, called to ask him how much money would be needed to develop the industry, Greenberger said $2 billion.

“Lo and behold, that’s what ends up in the stimulus package,” said Greenberger, who was a member of Obama’s energy and environmental team.

The Glendale site, being shovel-ready, fit well with the intent of the stimulus, which is intended to put people back to work. If funding comes through in July, the factory could open a year later. It is expected to create up to 2,000 well-paying jobs.

The site — which would be called the Bluegrass Advanced Energy Park — will be a cluster of NAATBatt and perhaps suppliers and customers. It could become the center of lithium-ion battery manufacturing in the United States, Greenberger said.

Why Glendale? Other than the prepared industrial site, a battery research and development center plans to locate near Lexington. And the location of the U.S. auto supply chain has increasingly centered in Kentucky. Plus, the state’s incentive package was “very attractive,” Greenberger said.

I am searching for more information on Joseph J Greenberger. The full article says that Greenberger is a Chicago attorney and was a member of Obama's energy and environmental team. And that when the office of President Barack Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, called to ask him how much money would be needed to develop the industry, Greenberger said $2 billion. "Lo and behold, that's what ends up in the stimulus package" said Greenberger. The Governor of Kentucky and local officials are jumping for joy over the prospect of 2,000 new high tech jobs coming to central Kentucky. And at the same time ignoring the prospect of Chicago political, union, and mafia tactics being brought into play here. But again as the title says. Battery backer downplays politics.

Isn’t it comforting to know that the country’s industrial and energy policies under the Obama regime are based on figures pulled out of Rahm Emanuel’s rear end?

2 posted on 05/04/2009 11:32:12 AM PDT by The Electrician ("Government is the only enterprise in the world which expands in size when its failures increase.")

2,000 jobs divided by $2 billion dollars.....at that rate will only need a gazzillion dollar stimulus package to get the rest of the unemployed to work.

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