Charles E. Schumer

06/08/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/08/2024 02:18

SCHUMER, STANDING AT OSWEGO COUNTY INDUSTRIAL PARK, WHICH IS RUNNING OUT OF SHOVEL READY SPACE FOR FUTURE TENANTS, LAUNCHES PUSH FOR $2.5 MILLION FED INVESTMENT TO FAST TRACK[...]

Oswego Industrial Park Is Less Than 10 Miles From Micron's Future Home, And Local Leaders Have Significant Interest From Many Tech & Other Companies That Want To Locate There, But The Site Is Rapidly Running Out Of Developable Land With Only About 20 Acres Left

Oswego County Already Acquired 185 Acres Of Adjacent Land, But Needs $$ To Build The Needed Roads, Water & Other Infrastructure To Make The Site Ready For New Investment; Schumer Says Feds Should Step Up To Help So Oswego County Can Start Landing These Supply Chain Companies And Related Jobs ASAP

Schumer: Let's Get Oswego County Ready To Grow & Land Good-Paying Jobs Building America's Future!

Standing at the L. Michael Treadwell Oswego County Industrial Park (OCIP), U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today launched his push to secure up to $2.5 million in federal funding through the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to fast-track the development of the site, which is less than 10 miles from the future home of Micron, to build the new infrastructure needed to land new companies to support the growth of the semiconductor industry and the good-paying jobs that come along with that investment. Schumer said this long-planned expansion, which would more than double the size of the park, using land they have already acquired, is critical as Oswego County is nearly out of usable space, just as investment opportunities increase for the region.

"With Micron coming and New York's semiconductor superhighway revving up, the time to invest is now to ensure Oswego County and Central New York land the dynamic supply chain companies and good-paying jobs building America's future. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and with the Oswego County Industrial Park less than 10 miles from the future home of Micron's massive $100 billion mega-fab, this area is primed to be at the forefront of those efforts to build out America's semiconductor supply chain right here in Upstate New York," said Senator Schumer. "That is why I am pushing the EDA to deliver the millions needed to fast-track this expansion and get the site 100% shovel-ready for companies to move in and set up shop. Oswego County, like so much of Upstate NY, is a community that was the beating heart of America's industrial past, and investments like this can help tap this region's amazing assets to ensure they are the ones building America's industrial future, too."

"Oswego County thanks Senator Schumer for coming to our community to take up the mantle on one of our biggest economic development priorities. Located just down the road from the future site of Micron, the 185-acre expansion project at the L. Michael Treadwell Oswego County Industrial Park will host the shovel-ready sites our county needs to attract major new industrial investment, create good-paying jobs, and diversify our economy," said Oswego County Legislature Chairman James Weatherup. "After years of planning, preparation and collaboration, Oswego County is nearly ready to transform a rural industrial park into one of the premier destinations for semiconductor and advanced manufacturing investment in Central New York. Today, I am proud to support the Senator in calling on EDA to provide the final investment needed to greenlight our expansion project and bring Oswego County one step closer to tapping the unprecedented opportunities around Micron and the Upstate New York semiconductor superhighway."

"On behalf of the County of Oswego Industrial Development Agency, I would like to thank Majority Leader Senator Schumer for his strong support and advocacy with the US Economic Development Administration for this important economic development initiative for Oswego County and Central New York. Thanks to the Senator's efforts spearheading federal reshoring policies and landing Micron's $100 billion dollar investment just across the border in Onondaga County, Oswego County has seen significant revitalized interest from companies looking to locate in the county and at the Oswego County Industrial Park," said Operation Oswego County Executive Director Austin Wheelock. "A federal investment at the Oswego County Industrial Park expansion site will be the catalyst to attract several new advanced manufacturing and semiconductor supply chain companies that would create hundreds of new high paying jobs, leverage hundreds of millions in capital investment in new facilities and manufacturing equipment and help to diversify and create resiliency in the Oswego County economy for generations to come."

"An investment in the Oswego County industrial park helps position the county and the region to maximize the historic growth being driven by Micron and its supply chain," said Rob Simpson, President of CenterState CEO. "We thank Senator Schumer for his continued focus on this region and the need that exists to make infrastructure improvements here that support the long-term progress of the region."

Schumer personally wrote to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in support of the $2.5 million federal investment to help the County of Oswego Industrial Development Agency (COIDA) fund the development of these new, shovel-ready manufacturing sites. The funding through the EDA's Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance (PWEAA) Program would support the construction of new public roads, sewer lines, water lines, pump stations, storm water management controls, and other critical preparations of the 185 acre expansion that is being planned on the site. Schumer cited the nearby White Pine Science & Technology Park, which will be home to Micron, as a proof positive example that shovel-ready sites are key to attracting new manufacturing companies. Schumer said there are countless other examples of site development and federal policies he created in the CHIPS & Science Law, Inflation Reduction Act, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law laying the foundation needed to help bring manufacturing back to Upstate NY, including Wolfspeed's investment at the Marcy Nanocenter in Oneida County and Edwards Vacuum's investment at the Western New York Science & Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park.

Schumer said that OCIP's strategic location, just miles from Micron's $100+ billion megafab investment in neighboring Onondaga County, is sure to make this expansion prime real estate for future semiconductor supply chain companies looking to set up shop near the mega project. Oswego County is already in conversations with prospective companies looking at the OCIP site for potential investment, and the proposed site expansion and infrastructure improvements will help local leaders better market the area to secure that new investment. Schumer explained that local officials project the OCIP expansion could create as many as ten new, shovel-ready development parcels, giving Oswego County the sites and infrastructure necessary to attract major new investments from the semiconductor, microelectronics, and advanced manufacturing industries, such as Daldrop SBB which is planning to invest over $7.2 million to build a state of the art cleanroom manufacturing facility in the business park that will create 30 new jobs.

Senator Schumer said, "I wrote the CHIPS & Science Law with Upstate NY and counties like Oswego in mind. I've been telling semiconductor supply chain companies for years that Central NY is the perfect place to expand in support of the unprecedented semiconductor industry growth happening across the state. I personally wrote to Secretary Raimondo because I know how much potential this site has, and I'll keep pushing to get this federal funding quickly so Oswego County can start construction ASAP and bring more semiconductor supply chain partners to Central NY."

Schumer has worked tirelessly to secure funding for the Oswego County IDA project after the passage of his CHIPS & Science Law, which will help bring the semiconductor industry back from overseas and spur companies to make major investments in America, including in Upstate NY. Schumer highlighted the importance of acting quickly, with Central NY's NY SMART I-Corridor winning the prestigious Tech Hub designation and first-of-its-kind $40 million Tech Hub implementation grant, rapidly emerging as the epicenter of American semiconductor manufacturing. Currently, Oswego County relies heavily on the nuclear industry, making economic and workforce diversification a priority for public officials and community leaders. This OCIP expansion will help the Oswego County attract major industrial and manufacturing investments in semiconductors, microelectronics, advanced manufacturing and more, insulating the county from volatility in the nuclear industry and increasing county-wide economic resilience.

Schumer has a strong history of investing in Central NY's semiconductor ecosystem. Last month, Schumer announced a $6 million workforce training grant for the Manufacturers Association of Central NY to expand apprenticeship programs for advanced manufacturing, helping 800+ workers get the training they need to begin manufacturing careers. After years of work to land Micron in Central NY, earlier this year, Schumer announced Micron's $6.1 billion CHIPS award, a historic federal investment that will jumpstart Micron's $100+ billion mega-fab project and supercharge the region's economy. In 2023, Schumer and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced TTM Technologies' plans to invest $130 million to build a state-of-the-art printed circuit board manufacturing facility in the Town of Dewitt, with TTM indicating the region's federal Tech Hub designation as a major reason for their continued investment in Central NY.

Schumer has long fought to secure federal investment in Oswego to support economic development surrounding the Micron Project. In February of this year, Schumer and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $1.3 million from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) hydroelectric incentives program for the High Dam Hydroelectric Station in Oswego, funding energy investments that will support the communities surrounding the Micron microchip fab in Clay, NY. In 2023, Schumer secured $4 million in federal funding from EDA to expand operations at the Port of Oswego, boost rail infrastructure, and strengthen Upstate NY's access to global markets in preparation for Micron's investment.

Schumer has long championed investment in industrial sites to prepare Upstate NY communities to benefit from the return of manufacturing to America spurred by his CHIPS & Science Law, as well as by the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Schumer successfully pushed for inclusion of his bipartisan ONSHORE Act in the reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration that passed out of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The Opportunities for Non-developed Sites to Have Opportunities to be Rehabilitated for Economic Development (ONSHORE) Act would provide much-needed federal support to preparing sites for new manufacturing investment, including support for utility readiness, workforce development, distribution, and logistics, all in an effort to prepare strategic mega sites and regionally impactful sites across places like Upstate NY for new industrial investment. Schumer is now actively pushing to get this bill passed into law to provide further federal support to project expansions like that proposed for the OCIP.

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