Biden administration awards $1 billion for economic projects

By JOSH BOAK
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is announcing $1 billion worth of federal grants for manufacturing, clean energy, farming, biotech and other sectors. The grants announced Friday will go to 21 regional partnerships. The government chose the winners from 529 applicants that vied for grants that were part of last year’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. The grants include $65 million in California to improve farm production and $25 million for a robotics cluster in Nebraska. Georgia gets $65 million for artificial intelligence. There’s $64 million for lithium-based battery development in New York. West Virginia coal counties would receive $63 million to help with the shift to solar power and find new uses for abandoned mines.