President Joe Biden on Friday announced the 21 winners of the Economic Development Administration’s $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge, but a set of eight projects centered on the port of New London was not one of them. The Offshore Wind Industry Cluster had been named one of 60 finalists, out of 529 applicants, in December. Each finalist received $500,000 to further develop its project for Phase 2, in which 20 to 30 coalitions would get between $25 million and $100 million each. “We’re going to move forward, because we’re still funded from our Phase I through December 2023,” Whitescarver said, and that funding includes a regional economic competitiveness officer. According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the 21 winners of the Build Back Better Regional Challenge include projects that add solar energy to former coal land, support manufacturers transitioning to electric vehicles, establish a digital finance sector in Tribal communities, rebuild pharmaceutical supply chains to lower drug costs, and more. Each winner is getting between $25 million and $65 million, which comes from American Rescue Plan Act funds.
https://www.theday.com/local-news/20220906/local-offshore-wind-coalition-not-among-projects-chosen-for-millions-in-federal-funding/