Ed Rendell maintains the new state budget contains sufficient funding in four "core" economic development programs needed for him to facilitate bigger business deals: n Infrastructure improvement grants increased from $27 million to $28 million, used for water and sewer at business parks. n Infrastructure development grants, meanwhile, dropped from $22 million to $15 million. n Opportunity grants dropped from $28 million to $9.7 million. n World Trade Pa. went from $14 million to $6.5 million. "We will be able to make competitive offers to companies like Harley-Davidson that we are recruiting to come to Pennsylvania or remain here" Mr. Rendell said. But as Mr. Burke pointed out, cuts elsewhere in the state budget will have potentially unforeseen impacts on business development - reductions at the Department of Environmental Protection, for example. Full Article at Scranton Times-Tribune