The Energy Efficiency and Solar (EE&S) application period closes on Dec. 31. Awardees should be announced by March 1.
Commerce adds to team connecting rural and underserved communities with economic development resources.
Extensive stakeholder process results in improved guidance, new tools for addressing current growth management challenges in some western Washington counties.
Thank you to everyone who made the Washington State Opportunity Zone Conference a huge success! Over 250 people attended the event, which was held in Seattle on Nov. 15 and hosted by Washington State Department of Commerce, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the National Development Council (NDC). Special thanks to Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib, who kicked off the event and to Emcees Craig Nulte, Federal Reserve Bank…
America’s top state for aerospace design, manufacturing and assembly brings the best in innovation and workforce to the largest aerospace industrial market in Asia.
Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) raises per-project funding limits to $3 million for core construction, $2 million for rural broadband projects The Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) has increased the maximum amount local governments and federally recognized Indian tribes may apply for to fund infrastructure projects in their communities, including rural broadband projects. The new limits are $3 million per project for CERB core construction funds and $2…
Commerce’s Low-Income Weatherization Assistance program has helped struggling families around the state for 39 years. As available funding continues to lag the significant need for help in keeping housing for low-income Washingtonians affordable, energy efficient and healthy, we’re experimenting with new ways to attack the most pressing problems. One vexing problem is a “catch-22” issue: many low-income houses, particularly in rural areas, are not eligible for some existing weatherization assistance…
News this month of housing prices and rents beginning to stabilize or even soften is welcome, given the overheated markets that had priced out many potential homeowners. Even so, there’s still a long way to go when we look at affordable housing for opportunities for workers in lower wage groups and people on fixed incomes. Options for adequate housing, let alone home ownership, for many remain few and far between…
Christopher Poulos marked his first year as executive director of Gov. Inslee’s Statewide Reentry Council this month. Poulos recently visited the Paul. G. Allen Center for Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington, where an innovative program is using virtual reality to help individuals prepare for new lives outside of incarceration. Poulos, an attorney and celebrated advocate for criminal justice reforms, was himself formerly incarcerated. Learn more about the Statewide Reentry Council’s…
Chris Green, head of Commerce’s Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness, attended the China International Import Summit in Shanghai earlier this month. We continue to address intellectual property and other challenges while also working to maintain and grow international relationships that are so vital to our state’s economy, even as more uncertainty emerges from the Trump administration. Here’s an update on recent trade news stories from around the world: The…