BURNETT UNVEILS “INNOVATION CORRIDOR” PLAN: A No-New-Taxes Vision to Make Western Maryland the Innovation Capital of the Eastern Seaboard

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                             December 15, 2025

Contact: Joshua Knaak

(585) 435-0477 / knaakjoshua60@gmail.com

GAITHERSBURG, MD: Today, Congressional candidate Chris Burnett unveiled the Western Maryland Innovation Corridor, a comprehensive, public-private partnership plan to finally fix the American Legion Bridge, widen I-270, and expand I-70 and I-68, transforming Western Maryland into America’s next great hub for artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, semiconductor manufacturing facilities, and advanced energy production.

“Congestion is crushing Maryland families and holding back our economy,” Burnett said. “The Western Maryland Innovation Corridor will end the gridlock, create tens of thousands of high-paying jobs, tackle skyrocketing energy costs, and place Western Maryland at the forefront of American innovation, all without raising a single tax.”

Key Provisions of the Burnett Innovation Corridor:

• Rebuild, re-create, and strengthen the American Legion Bridge, I-270, I-70/I-68, with minimal tolls (HOV-3+ always free)

• Require new data centers and energy-intensive companies to co-locate clean Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), producing surplus zero-carbon power that will lower residential electric bills across the region by 10–15%

• Deliver 15,000 immediate construction jobs and 25,000+ permanent high-wage

  positions in AI, quantum computing, chip manufacturing, and biotech, average

  salary exceeding $120,000 jobs

• Cut daily commute times by up to 30 minutes, reduce crashes by 20%, and improve air quality through smoother traffic flow and zero-emission nuclear power

• Fund the $8.2 billion project through grants, public-private partnerships, private

  energy investments, and CHIPS Act incentives, and new bold federal legislation

• Ensure no new taxes

• Create innovation districts connecting Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Western

  Maryland through five key Maryland counties

The plan has already earned early support from business, labor, and technology leaders who see the Corridor as the fastest and most responsible way to make Maryland the undisputed innovation capital of the Eastern Seaboard.

"We can forge our own Innovation Corridor right here in Western Maryland. We have the land, the people, and the work ethic. This corridor will create new jobs while bringing better roads and reliable, affordable energy. Instead of watching our jobs disappear to Virginia or seeing high-paying opportunities go to California or overseas, Western Maryland communities can play a bigger role in the AI and quantum revolution happening in Northern Virginia and D.C., bringing those opportunities home. Furthermore, addressing the affordability crisis isn’t about government handouts, but about creating opportunity. The Western Maryland Innovation Corridor delivers both. Our goal is to connect Western Maryland beginning in 2026 and for decades to come, much like the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal did in the 1850s.”

To learn more, contact the Burnett for Congress campaign.

Chris Burnett is a retired Marine Corps officer and national security lawyer running for

Congress in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District.