Advocacy & Economic Development
Building on Continued Progress BY GOVERNOR JOHN CARNEY
DELAWARE CELEBRATED a lot of good news in 2023, putting us in a position to build on our continued economic development success as we begin the new year. I’m excited about the partnerships and investments that will bring jobs to Dela ware, strengthen our communities, and preserve and protect our environment. With our neighbors in Pennsylvania and South Jersey, we were successfully designated as a Hydrogen Hub by the Biden Administration. Notably, we were one of only seven Hydrogen Hubs chosen across the country. Hydrogen is a clean fuel of the future, and one of the ways we can pollute less. Delaware companies and institutions already have led on hydrogen and now will play a big role in the Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub, or MACH2. Our region expects to receive a federal infusion of $750 million that will create thousands of jobs and show how hydrogen can be made, transported, and used in a real-world way. Another significant federal win for Delaware will benefit the Port of Wilmington, where a $50 million Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) grant will allow the Diamond State Port Corporation to expand the Port’s Edgemoor terminal. That expansion project plan includes constructing a container yard featuring all-electric operations and a new truck gate to provide new cargo capacity. The plan will enhance cargo resiliency, reduce emissions, improve safety, and provide capacity at the existing Port of Wilmington. For decades, jobs at the Port of Wilmington have been a gateway into the middle class for thousands of workers and their families— the kind of jobs our state and country were built on. This grant will help make the planned Edgemoor expansion a reality and bring new good-paying, full-time union jobs to Wilmington and the region. Another area where we have seen impressive collaboration and funding partnerships make an impact is our work to expand broadband throughout the state. Our goal is to make Delaware the first state in the country to connect every home and business to highspeed internet within the next few years. If there is any state that can connect every home and business, it ought to be ours. 48
Jan uar y / Fe b r uar y 2024
| DELAWARE BUSINESS
