Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.5 million grant to the city of Springfield, Missouri, for transportation infrastructure improvements to support supply chain resiliency in a region impacted by the declining use of coal. This grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan and EDA’s $300 million Coal Communities Commitment.
This grant will support street widening and other infrastructure improvements on Le Compte Road and Division Street in Springfield, increasing inbound and outbound cargo capacity at the Springfield Underground warehousing and logistics hub. The EDA investment will be matched with $1.6 million in local funds and is expected to create 94 jobs and generate $28 million in private investment, according to grantee estimates.
“The Biden Administration is committed to using every tool in our toolbox to alleviate supply chain bottlenecks,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This EDA investment will deliver the infrastructure needed to enhance the movement of goods through an important logistics node.”
“The Economic Development Administration is dedicated to working with communities to support their locally-driven strategies to recover and rebuild from the pandemic,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “This EDA investment will support critical improvements to local transportation infrastructure, making the economy more resilient and better equipped to overcome future economic disruptions.”
This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments (SMCOG). EDA funds SMCOG 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 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. 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.
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.
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