Lummi business park receives state funds, potential for solar manufacturing

The Washington State Department of Commerce gave a $416,000 grant for a Lummi business park that could potentially be used for solar manufacturing.

The grant will pay for Lummi Indian Business Council to oversee environmental and transportation studies as well as geotechnical analysis for the business park, according to a January 9 department of commerce press release. The site seems as though it could be used for several industries including solar manufacturing, the release read.

“This new funding will bring our 118-acre industrial site project closer to its realized potential,” said Sean Lawrence, director of the Office of Economic Policy at Lummi Nation. “With this support, we will continue our goal of generating family-wage jobs and bringing new, often innovative industries to the area that align well with our values and enhance growth within our region.”

The grant is part of $2.5 million the department of commerce awarded six projects across Washington state, each receiving $416,000. The depart’s goal is to expand the state’s project-ready industrial sites and encourage private investment. The grants support the Building Economic Strength Through Manufacturing Act, which the Washington state legislature passed in 2021 with the goal to add 300,000 manufacturing jobs in the next decade.