By Dave Lucas
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-988717.mp3
Newburgh, NY – Nearly 2 million dollars in federal Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge grants have been awarded to the City of Newburgh to establish the New York Renewable Energy Cluster... Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports.
Congressman Maurice Hinchey directly lobbied the U.S. Department of Commerce in support of the grants, which are designed to allow the Solar Energy Consortium to expand its industry-led clean energy manufacturing cluster into Orange County through a partnership with Orange County Community College and Gateway to Entrepreneurial Tomorrows.
Hinchey emphasized this is exactly the type of economic development he has been pushing and will continue to work for. The Solar Energy Consortiums' Vince Cozzolino explained the program will help new homegrown green energy businesses and will help educate and train local workers who can be employed by those businesses.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce John Fernandez says the federal government believes renewable energy clusters are the wave of the future. With the funding now secured, it's up to the new partnership to bring those "green jobs" to Newburgh.