WASHINGTON — Thirteen counties in Southeast Michigan are getting a slice of a $1.3 billion Obama administration project to boost American manufacturing.
The Advance Michigan initiative will be led by Wayne County Edge, Detroit-based Workforce Intelligence Network and Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research.
The Michigan counties are Clinton, Eaton, Genesee, Ingham, Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Shiawassee, Washtenaw and Wayne.
Michigan is one of 12 regions designated to receive the funding, the White House said Wednesday. The federal program is designed to make the regions more attractive to manufacturing companies looking for a place to set up operations, provide a boost to the U.S. manufacturing industry and create jobs.
In Michigan, the funding will be used to boost advancements in connected and automated vehicles, lightweighting, advanced powertrain, advanced manufacturing and supply chain and logistics systems.
It’s yet to be determined what projects will receive funding.
The Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership began in September to encourage communities to develop long-term plans to pursue manufacturing-based growth opportunities.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee of Flint said the program should help boost advanced manufacturing and workforce training in the region.
The White House said 22 percent of U.S.-made vehicles and 70 percent of U.S. auto research happens in the region.
The partnership taps the resources of 11 federal departments and agencies that have $1.3 billion in economic development funds, from the departments of Commerce, Labor, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Small Business Administration.
The partnership marks another attempt by the administration to give a lift to the U.S. manufacturing industry, which has suffered as the U.S. economy has shifted away from manufacturing and companies have moved many of these jobs to countries with cheaper labor costs. Nearly 650,000 such jobs have been created in the past five years, the White House said.
The regions were chosen from more than 70 that applied, and are:
— Southwest Alabama, led by the University of South Alabama.
— Southern California, led by the University of Southern California Center for Economic Development.
— Northwest Georgia, led by the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission.
— The Chicago metro region, led by the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development.
— South Kansas, led by Wichita State University.
— Greater Portland region in Maine, led by the Greater Portland Council of Governments.
— Southeastern Michigan, led by the Wayne County Economic Development Growth Engine.
— The New York Finger Lakes region, led by the city of Rochester.
— Southwestern Ohio Aerospace Region, led by the city of Cincinnati.
— The Tennessee Valley, led by the University of Tennessee.
— The Washington Puget Sound region, led by the Puget Sound Regional Council.
— The Milwaukee 7 Region, led by the Redevelopment Authority of the city of Milwaukee.
