On May 28, the Obama Administration named 12 regions of the country that will receive special attention under a new federal program.

 This program is designed to make the regions chosen more attractive to manufacturing companies looking for a place to set up operations, which is said to boost the economy by creating more U.S. manufacturing jobs.

Last September, The Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership encouraged communities to design long-term plans in order to compete for induction into the federal program that will bring jobs and boost the economy in the areas chosen.

Via the partnership, 11 federal departments and agencies will provide $1.3 billion in economic development funds from the departments of Commerce, Labor, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Small Business Administration.

The program is yet another attempt by the Obama administration to give a lift to the U.S. manufacturing industry, which has suffered greatly due to the U.S. economy’s shift from manufacturing jobs to outsourcing work for cheaper labor costs.

According to the White House, nearly 650,000 such jobs have been created in the past five years.

Below is a list of the regions chosen by the administration.  Out of 70 that applied, 58 were denied.

— Southwest Alabama, led by the University of South Alabama.

— Southern California, led by the University of Southern California Center for Economic Development.

— Northwest Georgia, led by the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission.

— The Chicago metro region, led by the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development.

— South Kansas, led by Wichita State University.

— Greater Portland region in Maine, led by the Greater Portland Council of Governments.

— Southeastern Michigan, led by the Wayne County Economic Development Growth Engine.

— The New York Finger Lakes region, led by the City of Rochester.

— Southwestern Ohio Aerospace Region, led by the City of Cincinnati.

— The Tennessee Valley, led by the University of Tennessee.

— The Washington Puget Sound region, led by the Puget Sound Regional Council.

— The Milwaukee 7 Region, led by the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee.

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