Tuesday Morning, August 3

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Confirmed Speakers:

To view Speaker presentations, click on Speaker name.

If not listed, the presentation is not available at this time.

Co-Chairs:

Kim Hill, Assistant Director, Economics and Business Group, Center for Automotive Research and Steve Tomaszewski, Manager Air Quality Support North American Environmental Operations, World Wide Facilities Group, General Motors Corporation

Steve Chester, Director, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

Lana Pollack (1) (2) (3), Executive Director, Michigan Environmental Council

Mike Johnston, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Michigan Manufacturing Association

Joe Nowak, President, Chassis Group, Metaldyne

Fred Hoffman, Director of State Relations, DaimlerChrysler

The Companies, the Regulatory Agencies, and the Communities

Building a new vehicle assembly plant in the United States—or substantially expanding or renewing an existing plant—is a complex process. An assembly plant has a tremendous positive impact on the surrounding community in a number of ways, not only in terms of direct employment, but also through a regional economic multiplier effect. Conversely, the plant, without adequate planning and environmental safeguards, could adversely impact areas such as regional transportation, the environment, and the general quality of life in a community. With these effects in mind, the decisions by the company to build, or the community to support, an automotive facility cannot, and should not, be made hastily. However, such decisions need to be made in a timely manner, without any sacrifice to current environmental regulations, while a company’s limited window of opportunity to bring a competitive product to market still exists. All else being equal, manufacturers will likely decide to locate facility investments in states with the most predictable and easily navigated public approval processes-those that can match the company’s own product development timelines.

There are a number of factors that together determine when a new, or expanded, facility comes on line. From the company side, factors beginning with business case development, product engineering, and manufacturing process engineering, through site selection, preparation, and plant construction, are all occurring at an ever-quickening pace. Simultaneously, approval of environmental permits, local zoning/planning permits and the required public input must mesh with the companies' time constraints if the product launch is to stay on schedule.

Speakers for the workshop were drawn from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), the automobile manufacturing firms, environmental organizations, and community leaders. They discussed their experiences with bringing a plant on line and the interaction among manufacturers, regulating agencies, and the public throughout the governmental and public approval processes. The over-arching theme the speakers addressed is the mutual goal of permitting a world-class facility, equipped with state-of-the-art pollution abatement technology, in the shortest possible time.

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