Welcome from Governor Granholm

It is a privilege to host the 2008 National Brownfields Conference in Detroit, Michigan, May 5-7, 2008. We are excited about sharing the Great Lakes State with you, and we invite you to explore Detroit and the rest of our two beautiful peninsulas while you are here.

We are also excited to showcase our experiences with our progressive brownfield redevelopment incentive programs that are helping to transform not only Michigan's urban communities and neighborhoods, but our economy as well. In the last three years alone, nearly 200 brownfield redevelopment projects were awarded state tax credits to assist with reclaiming contaminated and functionally obsolete properties. And financial assistance provided to 283 brownfield projects has resulted in more than $3.7 billion in private investment and created more than 20,000 jobs.

As you can see, Michigan is extremely committed to improving our environment and strengthening our cities. This is essential to our economic revitalization. And our host city of Detroit serves as a shining example of how these redevelopment initiatives are helping us create an environment that not only stimulates growth and reinvestment in our state, but also hope for the future.

I look forward to seeing you in Michigan in May.

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm