21 regional groups to get $1B in fed grants

WASHINGTON — The government will send $1 billion worth of federal grants for manufacturing, clean energy, farming, biotech and more to 21 regional partnerships across the nation, President Joe Biden and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced Friday.

The 21 were chosen from 529 initial applicants vying for grants that were part of last year’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. The Biden administration has repeatedly laid out a vision for the economy that is more self-sufficient and driven by hightech manufacturing and the development of renewable energy.

Unlike much of the pandemic aid that was meant to address immediate needs, the grants are part of a longer-term effort to revitalize parts of the country that have needed an economic jolt.

The grants include $65.1 million for California to improve farm production and $25 million for a robotics cluster in Nebraska. Georgia gets $65 million for artificial intelligence. There is $63.7 million for lithiumbased battery development in New York. Coal counties in West Virginia would receive $62.8 million to help with the shift to solar power and find new uses for abandoned mines.

Raimondo estimated that the investments, which will be provided over five years as reimbursements, will result in at least 100,000 jobs.

There is $44 million for regenerative medicine in New Hampshire; Pennsylvania is set to receive $62.7 million for robotics and artificial intelligence.

The New Orleans area will receive $50 million to use hydrogen produced by wind power that does not cause carbon emissions.