A Lehigh Valley lawmaker is calling for the region to be selected as the home for a Regional Innovation Hub. WDIY’s Sarit Laschinsky has more.
Congresswoman Susan Wild said last week that she has sent a letter to President Joe Biden, urging the administration to select the Greater Lehigh Valley as the site of a new hub.
Wild, whose district includes both Lehigh and Northampton counties, said in a release that the region is “uniquely qualified” to host one of the Regional Innovation Hubs created by the Regional Innovation Act – which she sponsored.
This measure received bipartisan support and was passed into law as the CHIPS and Science Act, which Biden signed on Aug. 9 this year.
In her letter to the president, Wild said the Greater Lehigh Valley’s Gross Domestic Product ranked 65th out of the 384 largest metropolitan areas in the country, and that it was larger than some states including Vermont, Wyoming and Alaska.
She also said that if the Greater Lehigh Valley were a country, its economy would be larger than 100 countries in the world.
Wild also pointed to the Greater Lehigh Valley’s location, just an hour north of Philadelphia and 90 minutes from New York City, as well as the region’s colleges and universities, its manufacturing industry and more.
The CHIPS and Science Act authorizes $10 billion to invest in 20 hubs across the country.
The White House said these hubs will bring together state and local governments, higher-learning institutions, community-based organizations, and other partners to develop the technology, innovation and manufacturing sectors.
(Original air-date: 12/15/22)
