A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Beshear on 2021: Great year for development, with more to come; ‘let’s get Brent Spence Bridge built’


By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today

It was an outstanding year for economic development in Kentucky and Gov. Andy Beshear says he’s optimistic that the momentum will carry over into 2022.

“By the end of the year, we will break every economic development record in the books,” he told Kentucky Today in an end-of-the-year interview. “From total investments, where we may even reach $11 billion-plus, something we’ve never even come close to before, and total number of jobs. We will be close to or at the second-highest average wage ever.”

Beshear at the Ford announcement (file photo)

The largest single announcement came on Sept. 28, when several hundred people gathered on the grounds of the state Capitol to hear the formal announcement that Ford Motor Company and SK Innovation will build two plants to manufacture electric vehicle batteries at Glendale in Hardin County, just off Interstate 65 – a $5.8 billion investment that will create 5,000 full-time jobs when they open, in 2025 and 2026.

A second automaker also made a big investment in Kentucky recently. Toyota announced last month that it plans to invest another $461 million to expand and upgrade their facility in Georgetown, where 9,000 are employed.

Beshear said he’s not yet closing the books on new economic development projects this year. “I do think we are going to have a good month, in terms of additional announcements.  I believe that is coming as early as Thursday.”

When asked what can be done to improve economic development even more in 2022, Beshear responded, “You don’t sit on your laurels, you keep pushing. We have at least a half dozen or more $2 billion-plus projects that we’re still trying to land.”

Another help for economic development will be funding from the infrastructure bill approved by Congress for roads and bridges, according to the governor, including a parallel I-71/-75 bridge across the Ohio River, between Covington and Cincinnati.

“Let’s get the Brent Spence Bridge built, so we can continue to be a leader in logistics, continue to talk about how we can reach, I think, the largest percentage of the country’s population in a one-day drive than any other state,” he said.

Beshear says he will invite President Joe Biden to Kentucky to see the progress being made.

“I think we have a number of reasons that President Biden should come down: from the Brent Spence Bridge, which I’d love to see him stand in front of and say he’s going to help us build it. We’re certainly going to be applying for those funds and we think it’s going to happen. We’d love for him to see what’s going on in electric batteries, in agriculture technology, and the recycled paper mill in Henderson, which will be the cleanest, greenest one on the planet.”

He added that he wants us to be at the top of everyone’s list in the post-COVID economy.

“We are the talk of every boardroom across America. Every country not only knows where we are but what we can do. We have a lot of other states that are pretty jealous.”


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