spacetoday.net: Report, legislation seek to support commercial space, other businesses

Posted: Thu, Aug 19, 2010, 8:06 AM ET (1206 GMT)
A report by an interagency task force this week proposes to provide grants to Florida businesses and create a commercial spaceflight center there, while legislation introduced this week would offer tax incentives to commercial space businesses. The report, prepared by a group led by NASA administrator Charles Bolden and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, examined how to best use $40 million offered by President Obama to Florida's Space Coast region to help offset job losses caused by the retirement of the shuttle program. The study proposes to use $35 million in grants to businesses in several categories, with $5 million going to a new FAA commercial spaceflight center there. Separately, Florida Sen. Bill Nelson announced this week he was introducing legislation that would create up to five enterprise zones around the country where tax credits and related incentives would be available to commercial space companies.