Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.3 million grant to the city of Wartburg, Tennessee, to install a new wastewater collection system to provide service for the Brushy Mountain Development. The EDA grant, to be matched with $317,858 in local funds, is expected to help create and retain 90 jobs and generate $4 million in private investment.
“The Trump Administration is fulfilling the President’s promise to America’s coal communities,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “The Brushy Mountain Development in Morgan County will provide an opportunity to create jobs and diversify the local economy by supporting the growth of the region’s tourism sector.”
“This EDA project supports the redevelopment of the former Brushy Mountain Penitentiary site,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “The investment will fund the replacement of an old, decommissioned wastewater treatment facility, and address recovery and resiliency by developing a sustainable wastewater infrastructure system, all of which will spur local economic growth.”
“I applaud President Donald Trump’s continued commitment to our Tennessee communities,” Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03). “This grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce will be huge for The Brushy Mountain Development, creating more jobs and growing the region’s economy.”
This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the East Tennessee Development District, which EDA funds to bring together the public and private sectors to create an economic development roadmap to strengthen the regional economy, support private capital investment and create jobs.
This project is funded under the Assistance to Coal Communities (ACC) program, through which EDA awards funds on a competitive basis to assist communities severely impacted by the declining use of coal through activities and programs that support economic diversification, job creation, capital investment, workforce development, and re-employment opportunities.
About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation’s regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.