Governor Beshear took two steps to mitigate the impact of the worsening economy on Kentuckians:

• He won approval from the U.S. Department of Labor to use his executive powers to help extend unemployment insurance benefits for jobless Kentuckians. The change could bring up to an additional 20 weeks of federal-paid benefits to those who have exhausted their federal and state benefits.

• He also transferred $2 million to the state public defender system, which was in danger of running out of money in May, to maintain legal representation for criminal defendants unable to afford a lawyer. The money is coming from a state fund that helps agencies offset increased costs of retirement contributions. Gov. Beshear called the transfer a short-term fix but said it was needed to preserve the criminal justice system.

More on Kentucky's work to become the epicenter of development of the car of the future

• This week Kentucky further staked its claim as the epicenter of the car of the future when a national consortium of more than 50 companies picked Kentucky as the site of a proposed battery manufacturing facility and headquarters.

• The competition for the complex was fierce, but officials from NAATBatt (National Alliance for Advanced Transportation Batteries) said they were "blown away" by the fervor and sophistication of Kentucky's proposal.

• Officials said they were particularly impressed by Governor Beshear's vision for the state and his commitment to helping American manufacturers regain the competitive advantage against Asian companies who dominate the production of the high-tech batteries for electric and plug-in hybrid cars.

• The announcement came less than a week after Governor Beshear announced the creation of a national applied research center in Fayette County focused on perfecting the technology for high-tech batteries so they could be mass-produced. That lab is a collaboration of the Commonwealth, the Chicago-based Argonne National Laboratory and research centers at the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville.

• Many experts say battery technology - particularly lithium-ion technology - could one day be as important as oil. But the United States currently has no large-scale production facility.

• The manufacturing plant would be located in Hardin County on 1,550 acres. Total investment could top $600 million, and it eventually could provide 2,000 jobs, not to mention about 1,500 construction jobs and spin-off jobs.

• Already some members of the consortium, which includes giants like 3M, BASF and Procter & Gamble, have discussed the possibility of co-locating facilities on the site. Governor Beshear said the facility's impact on Kentucky's economy could rival that of Toyota Motor Manufacturing some two decades ago.

• NATTBatt will soon apply for funding from President Obama's stimulus package, which has set aside $2 billion for battery-related projects. The application deadline is May 19, and an answer could come in early summer.

• The competition for that money will also be fierce, but the consortium model has won praise because it is set up to benefit the entire U.S. economy, not just one company.

Once again, Governor Beshear has demonstrated his commitment in this tough economy to helping Kentuckians, to preserving critical state services and to investing in the future.