[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 59 (Friday, May 10, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E759]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO PITTSBURGH REGIONAL ALLIANCE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MELISSA A. HART

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 9, 2002

  Ms. HART. Mr. Speaker, recently a local economic development group--
the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA)--was selected as one of the top 
groups in the Nation. Each year, the editorial staff of Site Selection 
selects the Top 10 Economic Development Groups for their role in 
bringing large-scale corporate expansion projects to their respective 
communities. These standards used to make their decisions included: 
Capital investment in the service area during 2001; new jobs created in 
the service area; capital investment per capita; and new jobs created 
per 100,000 population.
  The PRA is an outstanding source of research and advocacy for 
regional development in western Pennsylvania, and I would like to 
submit to the Record Site Selection's explanation of why they were 
awarded this great honor:

       Pittsburgh has been the manufacturing home of big steel, 
     but much of that industry has closed and moved out of the 
     country. The Three Rivers area has suffered through a 
     downturn and repositioned itself as a city of the future. 
     Building on the historic strengths of the area's energy 
     traditions, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA) helped 
     Siemens Westinghouse Power choose a 22-acre site as the 
     location for its $122-million, state-of-the-art fuel cell 
     manufacturing plant.
       After the passage of Greenhouse Legislation by the state 
     legislature, the PRA has begun to pursue an area Pittsburgh 
     Bio/Venture Life Sciences Greenhouse approach to attract new 
     industry. With cooperation with various academic 
     institutions, the Bio Greenhouse hopes to position the area 
     as a leader in biological research and development. ``The 
     Greenhouse will be the centerpiece of technology 
     commercialization and economic development efforts,'' says D. 
     Lansing Taylor, president and Chief Executive Officer of 
     Cellomics. ``It will also be the single organization to 
     exploit synergies among university research strengths and 
     facilities, and coordinate those efforts with economic 
     development.''
       The PRA, in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Dept. of 
     Community and Economic Development, helped bring the world's 
     largest producer of medical devices, Lake Region Medical, to 
     the area. The facility will manufacture guide wires used for 
     diagnostics and machine products used in the medical field, 
     and will create at least 140 new jobs. The facility has 
     qualified for a state financial package, including an 
     Opportunity Grant and Jobs Creation Tax Credits.

  I congratulate the PRA on this great award, and look forward to 
continue working with them as we bring back new growth and opportunity 
to western Pennsylvania.

                          ____________________