U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $3 Million in American Rescue Plan Funds to Support Manufacturing Expansion in Orange County, Indiana

Local Sources- Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $3 million grant to the Patoka Lake Regional Water and Sewer District, Dubois, Indiana, for construction of a one-million-gallon elevated water tank to support business growth. This grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan and EDA’s $300 million Coal Communities Commitment.

This grant will provide the water infrastructure necessary for local business to expand while attracting new employers to a region that has been impacted by the declining use of coal. The EDA investment will be matched with $1 million in local funds and is expected to create 240 jobs, retain 200 jobs and generate $20 million in private investment, according to grantee estimates.

“President Biden’s American Rescue Plan offers direct relief to American communities as they work to build a better America for the future,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo. “This EDA investment will help Orange County build a stronger, more robust regional economy and boost U.S. competitiveness on the global stage.”

“The Economic Development Administration is pleased to support locally-driven strategies to support business recovery efforts in Indiana,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “This EDA investment will replace aging water infrastructure in Orange County to give the region a competitive advantage in attracting new manufacturing businesses and jobs, making the local economy more resilient and equipped to overcome future economic disruptions.”

This project is funded under EDA’s American Rescue Plan Economic Adjustment Assistance program, which makes $500 million in Economic Adjustment Assistance grants available to American communities. The Economic Adjustment Assistance program is EDA’s most flexible program, and grants made under this program will help hundreds of communities across the nation plan, build, innovate, and put people back to work through construction or non-construction projects designed to meet local needs.

EDA’s Coal Communities Commitment allocates $300 million of EDA’s $3 billion American Rescue Plan appropriation to support coal communities as they recover from the pandemic and to help them create new jobs and opportunities, including through the creation or expansion of a new industry sector. Specifically, EDA has dedicated $100 million of its Build Back Better Regional Challenge funds and $200 million of its Economic Adjustment Assistance funds to directly support coal communities. Effective May 26, 2022, EDA has officially closed all of its American Rescue Plan programs for applications. The $3 billion program funding will be awarded on a rolling basis through September 30, 2022.