On Aug. 29, 2023, the Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded a multi-million-dollar grant to North Baldwin Utilities in Bay Minette, Alabama.
"The Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda is jumpstarting our middle class by building out critical infrastructure and supporting manufacturing here at home, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs across Alabama and the entire country," Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said. "This EDA investment in North Baldwin Utilities will help expand the region’s manufacturing sector to create new economic opportunity and jobs for local citizens."
According to a press release issued on Aug. 29, 2023, Raimondo announced a $2.5 million EDA grant to North Baldwin Utilities in Bay Minette, Alabama. The ultimate goal of the grant is to support and bolster water infrastructure upgrades for a new aluminum manufacturing facility, expected to create 1,000 jobs and generate $2.4 billion in private investment.
Bay Minette is the county seat of Baldwin County in Southern Alabama. North Baldwin Utilities has been providing water services along with natural gas to the town since opening in 1945.
According to the press release, the grant will fund an elevated water tank at a local business park in the town, matched with $3.9 million in local funds. Secretary Raimondo stated it's part of the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to boosting the middle class through infrastructure projects and manufacturing support, benefiting Alabama's, and in turn America's, economy.
“The Economic Development Administration works hand-in-hand with local communities to support their bottom-up, middle-out economic development strategies," Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo said. "This strategic, place-based project in Alabama will provide critical infrastructure needed to accommodate a major manufacturing facility, creating a stronger, more diverse regional economy for the future.”
The project was made possible thanks to the planning done by the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission, an organization funded by the EDA.
