U.S.
Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that
the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Financial
Services and General Government has approved the Fiscal Year 2010
Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill. The bill
includes $117,500 for The City of Buffalo to convert an historic
City-owned grain elevator site adjacent to an ethanol production
facility. This funding will establish a clean business energy incubator
project in Buffalo’s “Green Belt”. The bill will now move to the full
Senate Appropriations Committee, after which the bill will proceed to
the Senate Floor. Schumer and Gillibrand worked closely with members
of the Subcommittee to include funding for the project in the 2010
spending bill.
“This
funding is a win-win for the Buffalo region; it creates green jobs and
improves the quality of life for New Yorkers and their families,” said
Schumer. “In tough economic times, it is crucial to the region’s
economic health that we invest in clean energy infrastructure and give
our businesses the tools they need to remain competitive. This funding
will give our small businesses a leg up and will bring a much-needed
boost for the local economy. I will continue to push at a federal level
to bring Buffalo the funding it needs to become a leader in the green
energy movement.”
“This
is a great victory for Western New York,” Senator Gillibrand said. “We
cannot rebuild our economy without our manufacturers. This
establishment of this incubator puts Buffalo on the map for green
business technology. During these tough economic times, investing in
clean energy infrastructure is a crucial step toward New York’s
economic recovery.”
Federal
funding will support one-time capital improvements to establish a clean
energy business incubator at the site of a City-owned grain elevator
along the Buffalo River. The site borders ethanol manufacturer,
RiverWright LLC and will anchor the City’s green energy hub to grow
alternative energy technology companies, promote jobs in a rapidly
expanding sector, and establish Buffalo as a green energy leader.
The
clean energy business incubator program will attract developing and
innovative green technology businesses to Buffalo. Concentrating
similar entrepreneurs and small businesses in one location will help
leverage private and public resources that promote green energy
initiatives. It will be a key component in positioning Buffalo as a
regional and national leader in the green sector – while attracting
corresponding “green jobs” to a depressed economy. With increasingly
more federal incentives to promote a new energy economy, it makes sense
to bring these small and developing green companies together to help
promote design and implementation by offering secondary opportunities
and support services.
The
incubator project will provide professional office space, receptionist
services, and technical assistance preparing marketing strategies,
implementing business plans, financing, sharing technologies, and
assisting with professional networking opportunities to client
tenants. The City will also work closely with regional higher
education research institutions, and seek to ensure that a notable
share of new job opportunities is specifically targeted to residents in
the local area.
The
elevators are badly deteriorated from years of neglect. The funds
requested will primarily be used to restore the historic industrial
structure and install utilities at the site, provide shared office
space for the incubator project including technical training, and
provide analytical and physical testing labs.
Senators
Schumer and Gillibrand pushed the subcommittee to include funding in
the 2010 Appropriations Bill to provide one-time capital improvements
to establish a clean energy business incubator in Buffalo. Schumer and
Gillibrand noted that the development of clean energy technology and
the creation of green jobs is a cost-effective and worthwhile
investment.
Next,
the appropriations bill will need to be approved by the full Senate
Appropriations Committee, after which it will be sent to the Senate
floor. Following approval by the Senate, the bill will move towards
Conference with the House and then to the President for signature.
Clearing the Senate Subcommittee is the most difficult step in the
process.