Press Release
U.S. Department of Commerce Invests to Boost Coal Community in Greenup, Kentucky
Contact: EDA Public Affairs Department, (202) 482-4085
September 30, 2019
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $2 million grant to the Greenup Joint Sewer Agency of Greenup, Kentucky, to make water infrastructure improvements at the EastPark Industrial Park. This grant will be matched with $3 million in state and local funds and is expected to help create 132 jobs and generate $403 million in private investment.
“The Trump Administration is fulfilling the President’s promise to America’s coal workers and supporting manufacturing and other advanced industry jobs in Kentucky’s coal communities,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.
“The project will improve the Wurtland Wastewater Treatment Plant that serves the EastPark site,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Dr. John Fleming. “The improved industrial site will help to attract the new businesses needed to diversify, boost, and grow the local economy.”
This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the FIVCO Area Development District. EDA funds the FIVCO Area Development District 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.