U.S. Sen. John Dingell (D-Michigan) said news that General Electric (GE) would house the new facility in Michigan spelled good news for efforts to get the ‘airport city’ concept off the ground, as well as prepare the way for renewable energy and green jobs.

“Governor Granholm and the Michigan Congressional Delegation have made a major commitment to attracting these kinds of opportunities into Michigan and this is just the beginning,” he said. “GE’s high-tech, advanced manufacturing jobs are the kind of opportunities we envisioned during the writing of the American Clean Energy and Security Act.”

Representatives from the company made the announcement Friday.

The Advanced Manufacturing and Software Technology Center will include a GE research and development facility that will be part of GE’s Global Research network, they said. Scientists and engineers there will develop next generation manufacturing technologies for renewable energy, aircraft engine, gas turbine and other high-technology products.

“The burgeoning green economy holds incredible promise for both a better environment and a better economy and we in Michigan are poised to capitalize on this opportunity,” said Dingell. “We have the skilled workforce. We have wonderful institutes of higher education that produce quality people like those General Electric and other companies need. We have the factories and complexes ready and built just waiting for companies to fill them. We are ready to lead the transformation of what some people call the ‘rust belt’ into a ‘green zone.’

Read more at Journal Newspapers