— Public and private sector leaders say Wisconsin’s use of stimulus funding has greatly helped government entities and programs, but admit it’s had a more mixed impact on private companies. City of Milwaukee Director of Administration Sharon Robinson said stimulus funds helped the city avoid some budget cuts. “This has by far been the toughest budget cycle we’ve experienced since Mayor Barrett took office,” Robinson said. “So, the stimulus has had a significant impact in helping us to thwart severe budget cuts this past cycle.” The panel discussion was sponsored by the Public Policy Forum to gauge the impact of the stimulus program on southeastern Wisconsin. Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association Executive Director Pat Goss agreed that Wisconsin’s portion of the stimulus was a “tremendous success.” Already, he said, the consulting and engineering community was put to work by DOT to set up and deliver “shovel-ready” projects around the state to meet the criteria set by the federal government. See more from the forum in a new WisBusiness story: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=179950 — Gov. Jim Doyle says that even if a broad international agreement on carbon caps eludes the dignitaries at the Copenhagen climate change summit this week, Congress should still move ahead with legislation to institute cap-and-trade in the United States. But he cautioned Wednesday that states like Wisconsin that rely heavily on coal-fueled electricity would need a significant “lead-in” period — perhaps as long as 15 years. “We can have a very active cap-and-trade model, and I think we can do it in a way that does not cause a huge shift in the economy of the United States,” Doyle told reporters in a conference call from the summit. “It’s a significant change. … I don’t think it’s a year or two.” Doyle also said an agreement to limit deforestation could be one of the major achievements of the Copenhagen climate change summit, and that Wisconsin’s timber and paper producers stand to benefit from carbon credits offset by renewable forests. “We receive credits for forestation, which is obviously something we are strong in with our sustainable forests,” Doyle said. “It’s also a way that Wisconsin industries over time will be able to have offsets for carbon emissions that are at significantly lower prices than they otherwise would be.” See more from Doyle: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=179893 — BizOpinion columnist Tom Still says market should be given a chance to meet energy and climate change needs. He writes: “Some of the best examples of land, water and wildlife conservation in the world are private or a blend of private and public incentives, not top-down public solutions. Manufacturers, energy producers and consumers, land owners and other business leaders are as concerned about the possible results of climate change as much as anyone. But they’re also worried a command-and-control response will lead to less innovation, not more.” See more in his new column: http://blogs.wisbusiness.com/bizopinion/2009/12/give-market-forces-chance-to-meet.html — Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen is promising to take action to ensure that Asian carp don’t invade Lake Michigan through a Chicago canal. Officials fear the invasive species could get into the lakes and drastically change the ecosystem. They say it could hurt the lakes’ recreational boating and fishing industries. One of the people Van Hollen is reaching out to is Michigan attorney general Mike Cox, who is preparing to file a lawsuit to force Illinois and the federal government to do more to keep the Asian carp out of the Great Lakes. See more from Van Hollen: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=179905 TOP STORIES Madison council rejects Hammes’ Edgewater plan: The Hammes Co. had no comment on Madison city officials rejecting the company’s plan to redevelop and expand the Edgewater Hotel in the city’s historic Mansion Hill neighborhood. Appleton, NCR paper companies’ case that sought help paying for Fox River PCB cleanup thrown out: A federal judge on Wednesday threw out a lawsuit filed by papermakers Appleton Papers Inc. and NCR Corp. to diffuse the $1 billion to $1.5 billion cost of cleaning up PCB contamination in the Fox River. Oshkosh Corp awarded $63M contract: Oshkosh Corporation has another multi-million dollar Army contract under its belt. The company was awarded a $63 million contract for production of 1,150 palletized load system trailers.
************************************************************ See commentary from around the state and columns from WisBusiness contributors Jennifer Sereno, Kevin McKinley, Tom Burzinski, Gregg Hoffmann, Tom Still and Steve Jagler: ************************************************************
TECHNOLOGY (back to top) – UW gets $10 million grant to research nanotechnology in metal castings
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