Gov. Jennifer Granholm is going to bat again for the state’s suffering auto industry, as she plans to head to Washington to press members of the Obama administration for help.

Granholm was scheduled to meet Tuesday with White House representatives, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and others. 

General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM) and Chrysler LLC are getting $17.4 billion in federal loans and have requested $21.6 billion more. The auto task force set-up by the Obama administration will make the final decisions on the loans as it tries to restructure the beleaguered industry.

A March 31 deadline has been set for GM and Chrysler to get concessions from the United Auto Workers and company debtholders as they try to complete restructuring plans.

(Chris Killian is a freelance journalist based in Kalamazoo and writes regularly for the Kalamazoo Gazette.)