Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $328,972 to Create Economic Resiliency Plan to Reduce Flooding Impact in Richland County, Wisconsin

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $328,972 grant to the county of Richland, Wisconsin, and the Southwestern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, Platteville, Wisconsin, to develop an economic resiliency plan that will diversify economic opportunities and reduce future flood impacts on Richland County’s economic base. The EDA grant will be matched with $82,243 in local funds.

“The Trump Administration is committed to supporting locally-driven strategies designed to protect and grow businesses in disaster-impacted communities,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “This EDA project will create the Richland County Disaster Recovery and Economic Resiliency Strategy to further advance resiliency and sustained regional economic development.”

“I want to thank the Trump Administration for its continued attentiveness to southwestern Wisconsin’s needs,” said Senator Ron Johnson. “These grants will help southwestern Wisconsin be more prepared to deal with flooding and its economic impacts.”

Flooding in Richland County every year from 2016 to 2018 has resulted in substantial damage and cost local governments more than $1 million. In addition to an economic and disaster resiliency strategy, this EDA investment will support the development of a workforce attraction and retention study, target market business analysis, and mitigation strategies for the Pine River.

This project is funded by the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 (Pub. L. 116-20) (PDF), which provided EDA with $600 million in additional Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) Program (PDF) Program funds for disaster relief and recovery for areas affected by Hurricanes Florence, Michael, and Lane, Typhoons Yutu and Mangkhut, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, and other major natural disasters occurring in calendar year 2018, and tornadoes and floods occurring in calendar year 2019, under the Robert T. Stafford Act. Please visit EDA’s Disaster Supplemental webpage for more information.

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.