By Josh Weinhold, Truth Staff
jweinhold@etruth.com
WASHINGTON -- More than 16,000 new jobs could be headed northern Indiana's way as part of an economic stimulus bill, according to a White House report released Tuesday.
About 7,900 jobs will be created in Indiana's Second Congressional District, which includes Elkhart and South Bend. Another 8,300 will come to the Third Congressional District, which covers Goshen and Fort Wayne.
All told, Indiana could see 75,000 new jobs from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a $787 billion bill signed by President Barack Obama on Tuesday.
The job estimates came from analysis of the bill's economic impact by Christina Romer and Jared Bernstein, two of the president's top economic advisers.
The estimates were based, the White House said, on each district's working age population, employment and industrial composition.
Despite the White House's estimates, the jobs the bill ultimately creates may be determined by individual states. Significant amounts of funding, especially for infrastructure and transportation projects, will be funneled to communities through state governments.
State officials expect Indiana to receive about $4 billion for such projects.
Local leaders have assembled project wish lists to submit to the Indiana Department of Transportation and other state bureaus. Elkhart Mayor Dick Moore is pushing for funding for 18 city infrastructure projects, which he estimates would cost $92.4 million and create 2,300 jobs locally.