(The Center Square) — Gov. Josh Shapiro pitched his statewide economic development plan on Tuesday to make Pennsylvania a national leader in growth and innovation.
“I think Billy Joel owes us a new Allentown song: Allentown 2.0,” Shapiro said during a news conference in nearby Bethlehem. “I’m sick and tired of hearing that old song — he owes us a new one given what is happening in Allentown and across the Lehigh Valley.”
The governor touted the valley’s economic growth, calling it a region on the rise and “a model for how to do economic development all across this commonwealth.”
His strategy calls for a decade-long focus on five key industries: agriculture, energy, life sciences, manufacturing, and robotics and technology.
“If we focus on these five key industries, that’s gonna allow us to build on that legacy of leadership that we hold in Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said.
To do so, the governor wants more state spending on economic development and innovation. Though he shrugged off giving more details until his budget address next week, he called for $3.5 million to incentivize regional planning, a $25 million investment in main streets across Pennsylvania and a $10 million agricultural innovation fund.