6 days Ago
Micron is planning to build a large semiconductor plant on this site on Route 31 in Clay. (Rick Moriarty | [email protected]) Rick Moriarty | rmoriarty@syracuse.
com Advance Media NY Editorial Board In another key milestone, the Biden administration and Micron Technology last week came to terms on $6.1 billion in federal grants to begin construction of two semiconductor plants in Onondaga County and one in Boise, Idaho. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, says the deal “locks in the federal investment Micron needs for shovels to be able to hit the ground and create thousands of good-paying jobs here in Upstate New York.
” Now that the ink is dry and it appears President-elect Donald Trump can’t delay or cancel it, let’s get to work. There’s so much to do in 2025. Micron intends to break ground on a green field at Route 31 and Caughdenoy Road, in the town of Clay, by late next year.
Before that can happen, it needs to complete a huge environmental study and get it approved by state and federal officials. They will get a first look at the draft report soon, kicking off a review process and eventually a public comment period. Federal, state and local officials should complete their reviews with all deliberate speed.
Infrastructure around the site will need to be beefed up to handle construction materials, equipment and workers, plus the people who already live nearby. What’s the plan for that? Workforce development and training efforts need to ramp up to provide construction workers and trades people to build the most complicated factories on Earth. As staff writer Glenn Coin reported in October, “each fab is 180 feet high, sprawls across 28 acres of land, and contains hundreds of miles of pipes that convey toxic chemicals used in the chipmaking process.
Thick floors dampen vibration for the hundreds of highly calibrated machines that imprint minuscule patterns on the 12-inch discs of silicon. Those discs are eventually diced into chips, each no bigger across than a pinkie fingernail and as thick as a human hair.” Housing remains another huge challenge.
Central New York already has a shortage of quality, affordable housing. We need a lot more to shelter people already year plus to accommodate the growth Micron will bring. Onondaga County has made some moves to incentivize construction, but even that is not enough.
The high cost of borrowing, labor and building materials are significant challenges, and not just here. Communities need more housing investment from the federal government, which is at odds with Trump’s intention to shrink it. We’re going to need some bold ideas at the state and local level to get more units built.
The punch list is long, Central New York. Let’s get after it. About Syracuse.
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Members of the editorial board are Tim Kennedy, Trish LaMonte and Marie Morelli. To respond to this editorial: Submit a letter or commentary to [email protected] .
Read our submission guidelines. If you have questions about the Opinions & Editorials section, contact Marie Morelli, editorial/opinion lead, at [email protected] Read more about Micron Technology in Clay JMA Wireless wins $44 million CHIPS Act grant for Syracuse expansion, Schumer says Now that Micron has nailed down billions in federal money, what’s next for Clay project? Micron signs historic deal with feds for $6.
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