Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $3.4 Million in American Rescue Plan Funds to Support Business Development and Job Growth in Campbell County, Wyoming

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 $3.4 million in American Rescue Plan grants to support Wyoming communities economically impacted by the declining use of coal and the coronavirus pandemic. These grants are funded by EDA’s $300 million Coal Communities Commitment.

• Campbell County will receive a $2.8 million grant for infrastructure improvements at the Pronghorn Industrial Park to support business growth and job creation. This EDA investment will be matched by $593,423 in local funds and is expected to create and retain 90 jobs and generate $25 million in private investment, according to grantee estimates.
• Gillette College Foundation, Gillette, will receive a $579,840 grant to establish an Office of Transformation and develop a diversification plan and implementation strategy for the regional economy. This EDA investment will be matched with $144,960 in local funds.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to providing communities with the support needed to grow and expand their regional economies,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “These EDA investments will support Wyoming coal communities as they develop new industries and business opportunities to grow the regional economy.”

“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. “These projects will lay the foundation to create jobs and build a stronger, more diverse regional economy.”

These projects are 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.

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. 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.

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.