Governor Josh Shapiro Awards $120 Million for Pennsylvania Industrial Brownfield Site Preparation

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Governor Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Rick Siger announced on Monday the distribution of $120 million in state economic development capital through the Pennsylvania Strategic Investments to Enhance Sites (PA SITES) program to clean up former industrial brownfields, execute mass earthwork grading, and extend high-capacity utility infrastructure across fifteen shovel-ready industrial megasites.

The funding transforms former coal mines, steel mills, and railway yards—including the 400-acre Johnstown Industrial Park, the Bethlehem Commerce Center, and the Keystone Trade Center in Bucks County—into fully permitted, utility-connected industrial parcels ready for rapid factory construction by advanced manufacturing and clean tech employers.

Winning Corporate Mega-Projects with Shovel-Ready Industrial Sites Global manufacturing corporations frequently select project locations with six-month construction start timelines, where states lacking pre-graded sites with industrial electric power, natural gas, and heavy rail spurs were previously eliminated from competitive site-selection competitions.

"Pennsylvania has the skilled workers, the prime location, and the industrial heritage to compete and win against any state in the nation," Governor Shapiro said during an announcement at an industrial redevelopment site in Cambria County. "For too long, companies looking to invest billions in new factories bypassed Pennsylvania because we didn't have shovel-ready sites prepared for immediate construction. Through the PA SITES program, we are investing $120 million to turn former brownfields into world-class manufacturing megasites, creating thousands of good-paying union jobs and revitalizing our industrial communities."

Industrial Megasite Allocations The $120 million package funds:

• 15 Shovel-Ready Industrial Megasites: Financing environmental soil stabilization, mass grading, and heavy road access.
• High-Voltage Electrical Substation Connections: Installing dedicated 100-MW utility feeds for industrial machinery and clean technology manufacturing.
• Dual-Served Freight Rail Loops: Constructing 18 miles of industrial rail spurs connecting sites to Norfolk Southern and CSX freight networks.

Chamber of commerce presidents, industrial real estate developers, and building trades labor unions commended the governor's targeted investment, noting that shovel-ready site inventory gives Pennsylvania a decisive edge in recruiting major manufacturing investments.