U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $2 Million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance to Support Business Expansion and Growth Efforts in Dahlonega, Georgia

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $2 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to Lumpkin County Water & Sewerage Authority, Dahlonega, Georgia, to support business expansion and growth efforts, bolstering the region’s ability to withstand future economic disruptions. This EDA grant, to be matched with $500,000 in local investment, is expected to create nearly 150 jobs and generate $72 million in private investment.

“President Biden is committed to unleashing the full power of the federal government to ensure our nation not only recovers from this pandemic but builds back stronger,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This EDA investment in the Lumpkin County Water & Sewerage Authority will promote job growth and private industry investment, increasing the resiliency of the regional economy.”

“The Economic Development Administration plays an important role in supporting community-led economic development strategies designed to boost coronavirus recovery and response efforts,” said Dennis Alvord, Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “This EDA investment will support water and sewerage improvements that will serve a new medical center and attract new businesses to Lumpkin County.”

This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission. EDA funds the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission 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.

This project is funded under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (Public Law 116-136 PDF), which provided EDA with $1.5 billion for economic assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. 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.

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.