State unveils stimulus web site

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Gov. Jennifer Granholm's administration created a Web site Wednesday that broadly outlines her priorities for spending Michigan's share of the federal stimulus money.

The site includes a 1,200-plus page list of projects that educational institutions, local governments and state agencies hope might get a share of the federal stimulus cash. But it doesn't give specifics on how much money the state will get or how it will be distributed.

"We are still analyzing the bill and we do not have final numbers on the level of funding that Michigan will receive," Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said. "We continue to analyze the law to get a handle on the precise number of dollars that Michigan can expect to receive."

Granholm, a Democrat, is expected to discuss the federal stimulus plan with local transportation officials at events in Lansing, Detroit and Flint on Thursday and in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo on Friday.

The wish list submitted by state agencies, schools, universities and other public agencies includes 16,000 proposed projects totaling $59 billion. Only a fraction of those projects are likely to be funded through the stimulus plan.

Granholm warns on the Web site that Michigan won't receive enough money to cover all the projects requested.

More than 1,200 projects totaling $3.3 billion in project requests came from members of the Michigan Municipal League. Other proposed projects listed Wednesday ranged from $6 million for a new roof for the main Detroit Public Library, $2.5 million for air conditioning and improved ventilation at Calumet Public Schools and $2.3 million to replace an 80-year-old forest fire experiment station near Roscommon for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

A state department proposes seeking $35 million to replace and update Michigan's unemployment insurance benefit system. Michigan State University lists $4 million to build additional greenhouse space at its plant science facilities.

The $787 billion stimulus plan signed into law by President Barack Obama is designed to put people to work and prop up the social safety net, including money for Medicaid and unemployment benefits.

It includes a tax cut of up to $800 for 3.9 million Michigan workers and their families, according to the White House. It also is expected to give a bigger tax credit to 121,000 families paying college tuition, modernize more than 380 schools and adding $100 a month to the unemployment benefits that more than 1 million jobless workers in the state receive.

Granholm said her priorities for the stimulus plan include creating jobs and retraining workers to fill them. The White House estimates the project could create or save about 109,000 Michigan jobs in the next few years.

Other priorities for the Democratic governor include rebuilding roads, bridges, water systems and other infrastructure. Granholm also wants to provide assistance for struggling Michigan families and invest in energy efficiency.

Some of Michigan's stimulus money will be distributed by existing formulas that affect federal funds. Other areas will be subject to approval and oversight by the state Legislature.

House Speaker Andy Dillon, a Democrat from Wayne County's Redford Township, said in a statement Wednesday he has appointed workgroups in the state House to help determine the best use of the stimulus cash. He's asking the chamber's 110 members to reach out to their districts to find out what projects are needed to boost their local economies.

Republicans who control the state Senate also are ready to weigh in on how the money is used. Members of a transportation subcommittee sought a list of road projects early Wednesday from the Michigan Department of Transportation, but they were denied the list because department officials were waiting on the full list of possible stimulus projects to be posted by the Granholm administration.

The stimulus package could be worth about $18 billion overall in Michigan, including all spending and tax breaks, according to the liberal think tank Center for American Progress.

Michigan may get closer to $6.9 billion in projects tied more directly to government programs, according to estimates from Federal Funds Information for States, a service of the National Governors Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Associated Press Writers Kathy Barks Hoffman and David Eggert contributed to this report.