Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $1.8 Million to Support Strategic Transportation Planning Efforts in Paradise, California

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.8 million grant to the town of Paradise, California, to support the development of a transportation master plan to guide the recovery and redevelopment of the town’s transportation infrastructure.

“The Trump Administration is committed to assisting communities impacted by natural disasters advance their locally-developed strategies to build back stronger,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “This investment will provide the resources Paradise needs to rebuild from the 2018 Camp Fire and create a stronger and more resilient economy for the future.”

“The Camp Fire devastated the transportation infrastructure of Paradise,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “This investment will allow Paradise to address transportation rebuilding needs and identify economic development priorities to advance their recovery from the Camp Fire and lay the groundwork for long-term economic vitality.”

“This grant to rebuild the Town of Paradise’s transportation infrastructure following the 2018 Camp Fire will inevitably improve their local economy and quality of life in the long-term,” said Congressman Doug LaMalfa (CA-01). “Thank you to the Trump Administration for strongly supporting Paradise as we move closer to full recovery each day.”

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.