Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $1 Million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance to Aid Reopening of Tourism Economy in Utah

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) in Salt Lake City, Utah, to support Utah’s Safe To Stay Open campaign in response to the economic impacts caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The EDA grant, to be matched with $250,000 in local funds, is expected to create 256 jobs.

“President Trump is working diligently every day to support our nation’s economy following the impacts of COVID-19 through the CARES Act,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “This investment will provide Utah with resources to rebound and recover from the coronavirus pandemic and, in turn, create a stronger and more resilient state economy for the future.”

“This investment comes at a crucial time to help Utah and our nation’s economy come roaring back and provide hard-working Americans with new opportunities,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “EDA is pleased to invest this CARES Act funding to make resources available to Utah, including five national parks and seven national monuments, to support business training, recovery planning, and a comprehensive marketing campaign to foster recovery and resiliency of Utah’s tourism industry.”

This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by Utah’s seven active Economic Development Districts: Bear River Association of Governments (AOG), Five County AOG, Mountainland AOG, Six County AOG, Southeastern Utah AOG, Uintah Basin AOG, and Wasatch Front AOG. EDA funds these AOGs 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.

The CARES Act, signed into law by President Donald J. Trump, provides EDA with $1.5 billion for economic development assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance, which is being administered under the authority of the bureau’s flexible Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) (PDF) program, provides a wide-range of financial assistance to eligible communities and regions as they respond to and recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. For complete information, please visit our recently updated EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance page.

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.