Here you will find excerpts from Gov. Jim Doyle’s Jan. 23, 2008 State of the State address, in which he outlined state efforts to boost tech-based development and energy initiatives, as well as President Bush’s Jan. 28 State of the Union speech.
From Gov. Jim Doyle’s State of the State Address, Jan. 23, 2008
I present to you tonight the next step in my Grow Wisconsin strategy – real priorities to foster innovation, seize new energy opportunities, make health care more affordable and build an educated workforce ready to compete around the world.
Growing Wisconsin’s Economy
It starts with investing in those things that offer the greatest promise for Wisconsin’s long term economic growth, like expanding our high tech sector. Thanks to the ingenuity of innovators across the state, we’re doing it.
Institutes for Discovery
Just last month… not at Harvard, not in California, but at the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Jamie Thomson and other Wisconsin researchers embarked on the next frontier of stem cell research – using skin cells to create new stem cells that may one day save lives.
Please welcome Dr. Thomson. Because we kept politicians out of it, Wisconsin remains the world leader in stem cell research. Thank you Dr. Thomson and so many other Wisconsin researchers for helping Wisconsin lead the way.
In the coming months, we’ll break ground on the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, a new research center that will enhance human health and enhance our economy. We’ll bring biotechnology, nanotechnology, and information technology together to turn new discoveries into economic opportunity.
From research at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Medical College of Wisconsin to the NanoRite project in the ChippewaValley and new facilities at the Marshfield Clinic, we’re building economic engines in every corner of the state.
Research and Development
Research and development is what keeps Wisconsin at the forefront of the changing global marketplace. From the supercomputer to the outboard motor, Wisconsinites have always been committed to innovation. This commitment has changed our economy and changed our world. Today our universities and public institutions are global centers for research and development. We must drive private sector investment in R&D as well.
We can create an economy built around innovation if we work with Senator Kreitlow and Representatives Kleefisch, Sheridan, and Smith to encourage business to center their research and development operations in Wisconsin.
When a business increases its research and development by 25 percent, let’s reward them dollar for dollar for what they invest beyond that.
Attracting Investment
In recent years Wisconsin’s share of venture capital investment has doubled. Together we provided tax credits to leverage over $400 million in private venture capital investment by 2015. That’s a great bang for our buck.
With the help of Senators Sullivan and Plale, and Representatives Strachota, Schilling, and Hintz we can take it to the next level to further accelerate new business in Wisconsin.
Businesses like Virent Energy Systems, led by Eric Apfelbach – this company is developing renewable fuel technology and could become the next Google or Microsoft.
By helping kick start companies like Virent or reforming our capital gains tax to drive reinvestment in our state, we can unleash the entrepreneurial spirit of Wisconsin.
Next Generation Agriculture and Manufacturing
Wisconsin manufacturing and agriculture are the core of who we are. We must streamline regulation and make smart investments in the next generation of these industries.
Today we’re producing more milk than we have in twenty years because we helped our dairy industry become more efficient. Let’s work with Representatives Ott and Steinbrink and Senator Vinehout to do the same for our cheese makers, meat processors, and others.
Small and mid-size manufacturers like GenMet in Mequon have gone from 50 people and $3 million in sales to 80 people and $12 million in sales because they’ve maintained a commitment to quality and became more efficient. Let’s continue our investments in lean manufacturing and work with Senators Lassa and Sullivan and Representatives Jeskewitz and Strachota to direct $85 million to strengthen Wisconsin manufacturers.
Creating Renewable Energy
We have set Wisconsin on the right course to seize new economic opportunities and lead our nation’s response to one of the most critical challenges of our time…
Our addiction to foreign oil is compromising our national security, paralyzing our economy, and melting the polar ice caps.
The global threat of climate change is undeniable. Temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere have reached their warmest point in over two thousand years.
A barrel of oil has topped $100… and just look at the price of gasoline at the pump – nearly double what it was just five years ago.
The oil companies don’t care. They’re making the biggest profits in history.
Our country is sending over a billion dollars a week in oil payments to the Middle East. Just imagine if we were investing that kind of money right here in Wisconsin.
Energy Accomplishments
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – we should depend more on the Midwest and less on the Mideast, and today we are.
Since I became Governor, we’ve worked together to increase production of Wisconsin-made ethanol from zero gallons to half a billion gallons per year.
Last fall, I brought governors from across the Midwest together in Milwaukee to chart a new energy direction for our region and our world.
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison we are launching the Great LakesBioEnergyResearchCenter bringing together researchers from five other universities across the country.
Our nation’s dependence on foreign oil must end, but drilling our way out of this crisis is not the answer. We must invent and innovate our way to a cleaner, safer energy future.
…and tonight, from generating wind power in Fond du Lac to harnessing the power of biomass in Rice Lake, Wisconsin is ready to lead the way.
Energy Independence Fund
Tonight we’ll launch an aggressive new strategy to reduce the pollution that causes global warming and grow Wisconsin’s economy – the Wisconsin Energy Independence Fund – a major new investment to make Wisconsin a world leader in renewable energy and homegrown power.
Over the next 10 years Wisconsin will invest $150 million to help our businesses, our farmers, our foresters, and our manufacturers produce and promote renewable energy.
Our strong manufacturing base and rich agricultural industries, along with the wealth of resources in our vast northern forests and world-leading research universities, position Wisconsin to become the Saudi Arabia of renewable energy.
From manufacturing wind turbines and solar panels to retro-fitting fuel pumps and exploring the latest clean technologies, we will seize green opportunities and create good jobs for our citizens.
But we won’t stop there.
Renewable Fuel Initiative
Tonight we’ll launch a new campaign to increase the availability of renewable fuel by 1 billion gallons.
First we’ll provide new tax credits for biodiesel fuel producers and add 400 new renewable fuel pumps to our roads.
Second let’s pass a renewable fuel standard sponsored by Senator Kreitlow and Representative Suder to require oil companies to provide renewable fuel for our consumers.
Energy Efficiency
Energy costs continue to rise and Wisconsin families deserve relief. Over the next 18 months, we will make another historic investment – $95 million – to help save families and businesses over half a billion dollars over the next decade.
From President Bush’s State of the Union Address, Jan. 28, 2008:
“To build a future of energy security, we must trust in the creative genius of American researchers and entrepreneurs and empower them to pioneer a new generation of clean energy technology. Our security, our prosperity, and our environment all require reducing our dependence on oil. Last year, I asked you to pass legislation to reduce oil consumption over the next decade, and you responded. Together we should take the next steps: Let us fund new technologies that can generate coal power while capturing carbon emissions. Let us increase the use of renewable power and emissions-free nuclear power. Let us continue investing in advanced battery technology and renewable fuels to power the cars and trucks of the future. Let us create a new international clean technology fund, which will help developing nations like India and China make greater use of clean energy sources. And let us complete an international agreement that has the potential to slow, stop, and eventually reverse the growth of greenhouse gases. This agreement will be effective only if it includes commitments by every major economy and gives none a free ride. The United States is committed to strengthening our energy security and confronting global climate change. And the best way to meet these goals is for America to continue leading the way toward the development of cleaner and more efficient technology.
To keep America competitive into the future, we must trust in the skill of our scientists and engineers and empower them to pursue the breakthroughs of tomorrow. Last year, the Congress passed legislation supporting the American Competitiveness Initiative, but never followed through with the funding. This funding is essential to keeping our scientific edge. So I ask the Congress to double Federal support for critical basic research in the physical sciences and ensure America remains the most dynamic nation on earth.
On matters of science and life, we must trust in the innovative spirit of medical researchers and empower them to discover new treatments while respecting moral boundaries. In November, we witnessed a landmark achievement when scientists discovered a way to reprogram adult skin cells to act like embryonic stem cells. This breakthrough has the potential to move us beyond the divisive debates of the past by extending the frontiers of medicine without the destruction of human life. So we are expanding funding for this type of ethical medical research. And as we explore promising avenues of research, we must also ensure that all life is treated with the dignity it deserves. So I call on the Congress to pass legislation that bans unethical practices such as the buying, selling, patenting, or cloning of human life.”
America is leading the fight against global hunger. Today, more than half the world’s food aid comes from the United States. And tonight, I ask the Congress to support an innovative proposal to provide food assistance by purchasing crops directly from farmers in the developing world, so we can build up local agriculture and help break the cycle of famine.
America is leading the fight against disease. With your help, we are working to cut by half the number of malaria-related deaths in 15 African nations. And our Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is treating 1.4 million people. We can bring healing and hope to many more. So I ask you to maintain the principles that have changed behavior and made this program a success. And I call on you to double our initial commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS by approving an additional $30 billion over the next five years.
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