Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $4.3 Million in American Rescue Plan Funds to Support Business and Job Growth in Tazewell, Virginia

Award is Part of the Department of Commerce’s $300 million Coal Communities Commitment

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $4.3 million grant to the Tazewell County Virginia Board of Supervisors, Tazewell, Virginia, for construction of a new water line and sewage lift station needed to support economic development in a region impacted by the declining use of coal. This grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan and EDA’s $300 million Coal Communities Commitment.

This grant will provide the water and sewer infrastructure capacity needed to service a new manufacturing facility, creating jobs in the coal-impacted region. This EDA grant will be matched with $1.1 million in local funds and is expected to create 218 jobs and generate $228 million in private investment, according to grantee estimates.

“The Biden Administration is committed to ensuring that our communities are provided with the resources they need to diversify and grow their economies,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This EDA investment will provide the water and sewer capacity necessary for a new manufacturing facility to create jobs and build economic resiliency in the region.”

“The Economic Development Administration is dedicated to working with communities to support their locally-driven strategies to recover and rebuild from the pandemic,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “This EDA investment will support new water and sewer infrastructure to service the local manufacturing industry, making the economy more resilient and better equipped to overcome future economic disruptions.”

"This grant will have a positive impact on the Tazewell community,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “Investing in new and needed infrastructure projects will continue Virginia’s economic growth into the future and bring more opportunities to localities such as Tazewell.”

“I am glad to see these funds, awarded through the American Rescue Plan’s Coal Communities Commitment, go towards helping expand career and industry opportunities in the area,” said Senator Mark Warner. “This grant to support new water and sewage infrastructure in Tazewell will help diversify the local economy and create jobs as we continue to recover from the COVID pandemic.”

“The allocation of federal funding to construct a new water line and lift station in Tazewell is another example of how the American Rescue Plan continues to deliver for Virginians,” said Senator Tim Kaine. “I’m excited to see how this investment will improve water quality for local residents, create jobs, and boost economic growth in the region.”

“Reliable water and sewer infrastructure are vital to a community’s economic development potential and quality of life,” said Congressman H. Morgan Griffith (VA-09). “This $4.3 million award by the EDA to Tazewell County is a welcome investment in our region to support manufacturing jobs and growth.”

This project is funded under EDA’s American Rescue Plan Economic Adjustment Assistance program, which makes $500 million in Economic Adjustment Assistance grants available to American communities. The Economic Adjustment Assistance program is EDA’s most flexible program, and grants made under this program will help hundreds of communities across the nation plan, build, innovate, and put people back to work through construction or non-construction projects designed to meet local needs. Effective May 26, 2022, EDA has officially closed all of its American Rescue Plan programs for applications. The $3 billion program funding will be awarded on a rolling basis through September 30, 2022.

EDA’s Coal Communities Commitment allocates $300 million of EDA’s $3 billion American Rescue Plan appropriation to support coal communities as they recover from the pandemic and to help them create new jobs and opportunities, including through the creation or expansion of a new industry sector. Specifically, EDA has dedicated $100 million of its Build Back Better Regional Challenge funds and $200 million of its Economic Adjustment Assistance funds to directly support coal communities.

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 invests in communities and supports regional collaboration in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.