Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $600,000 to Help Northeast Ohio Region Respond to the Closure of the General Motors Lordstown Plant and the Loss of Coal Jobs

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $600,000 grant to the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments of Youngstown, Ohio, to contract a recovery coordination team following the recent non-allocation of the General Motors Lordstown facility and the historic downturn of the coal economy. The team will work with local stakeholders to develop and implement a strategy to help the region respond to the upcoming challenges.. The EDA grant will be matched with $150,000 in local investment.

“Supporting locally-devised strategies to boost economic opportunity is a major focus of the Trump Administration,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Dr. John Fleming. “This EDA investment and local matching funds will help Eastgate contract a dedicated recovery coordinator, and a supporting team of individuals, who will help the region chart a course to renewed economic dynamism.”

This investment funds the Eastgate Economic and Resiliency Project, which includes a dedicated recovery coordinator and supporting team to develop a strategy to guide the region’s economic development efforts. The team will work in concert with experts at Cleveland State University’s Center for Economic Development, an EDA University Center, to determine where the region should focus its economic resiliency efforts today and in the future.

This project is funded under the Assistance to Coal Communities (ACC) program, through which EDA will award funds on a competitive basis to assist communities severely impacted by the declining use of coal through activities and programs that support economic diversification, job creation, capital investment, workforce development, and re-employment opportunities.

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.