Whitmer in DC to pitch Michigan for economic, workforce development aid

Washington — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is spending two days in Washington this week in meetings with Biden administration officials to pitch Michigan for “additional investment in economic and workforce development, innovation and cross-border cooperation,” her office said.

Whitmer in a statement said she’d be meeting with federal officials to advocate for Michigan and talk about several “key priorities” from economic development to land conservation. Her office did not detail the economic development opportunities.

“I am excited to work with allies in our congressional delegation and my cabinet to win more investments, create more jobs, and revitalize more communities back home in Michigan,” Whitmer said in the statement. “Let’s keep telling our story and working together to get stuff done.” 

Whitmer’s office said she would meet with Department of Defense officials to discuss Michigan’s Uncrewed Tripled Challenge, which is a state-sponsored autonomous drone competition.

Whitmer wants the Pentagon to participate in the event, planned for next May, when competitors from industry and academia will use unmanned, autonomous drones that they build to transport a package across the state over air, land and water.

Several state agencies are sponsoring the competition ― the Michigan National Guard, the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Michigan Economic Development Corp., according to a news release.

Whitmer has also scheduled for meetings at the U.S. Department of the Interior in support of an effort to designate the Keweenaw Peninsula as Michigan’s second-ever National Heritage Area. The MotorCities National Heritage Area in Detroit was the state’s first, designated in 1998.

The first National Heritage Area dates to 1984 when the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Area was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan.

A National Heritage Area is not a national park but is created by Congress to promote the conservation of natural, cultural or historic resources that form some kind of cohesive “landscape” of national importance, according to the National Park Service.

mburke@detroitnews.com