08/29/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/29/2024 14:25
Oswego Industrial Park Is Less Than 10 Miles From Micron's Future Home, With Many Tech & Other Companies Wanting To Locate There; BUT Site Is Rapidly Running Out Of Developable Land
Schumer Personally Visited Earlier This Month To Fight For New Fed $$$ To Fix This Problem And Develop 185 Acres Of Adjacent Land With New Roads, Water & Other Infrastructure To Prepare Oswego County For New Investment
Schumer: I Am Proud To Deliver This Major Investment To Help Oswego County Grow & Land Good-Paying Jobs Building America's Future!
After standing at the Oswego County Industrial Park earlier this month and calling for federal investment to fast-track the development of the site, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today delivered on his promise with $2.5 million from the Economic Development Administration secured to make this long-desired expansion a reality. Schumer explained the Oswego County site, which is nearly out of usable space, is less than 10 miles from the future home of Micron. This major federal investment in new infrastructure will double the size of available land, which is critical for landing new semiconductor supply chain and other tech companies in Central NY.
"We have this once-in-a-generation opportunity to ensure that Oswego County is at the forefront of building America's industrial future, and this site, less than 10 miles from the future home of Micron, is primed to be a part of that future. I stood at the Oswego County Industrial Park earlier this month and promised to fight for this funding because I know how much potential this site has to be a centerpiece of America's semiconductor supply chain right here in Central New York," said Senator Schumer. "I am proud to say a promise made is now a promise kept with this $2.5 million federal investment I have secured on the way to Oswego County. Together we're fast-tracking this expansion and getting the site 100% shovel-ready for companies to move in and set up shop."
Schumer added, "This region was once seen as a miracle valley for its strong factories that made and shipped goods along the Erie Canal, but in recent decades we have lost much of that manufacturing and those jobs to overseas. But because of my CHIPS & Science Law and investments like this, we are helping ensure that Oswego County has the tools it needs to be where America is building its manufacturing future. Today is a major step forward to making that happen and I won't stop fighting to help make sure America's future is made here in Upstate NY."
Schumer personally visited Oswego County earlier this month and wrote to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in support of this $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 will support the construction of new public roads, sewer lines, water lines, pump stations, stormwater 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.
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 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 the 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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