Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests to Support Tribal Disaster Recovery Efforts in Wisconsin

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $709,222 grant to the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Odanah, Wisconsin, to hire an Economic Recovery Coordinator to advance disaster recovery efforts in the region. The project is located near a Tax Cuts and Jobs Act designated Opportunity Zone.

“The Trump Administration is committed to helping tribal communities advance disaster recovery and resiliency plans designed to diversify and grow their economies,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Dr. John Fleming. “The coordinator position will oversee the Tribe's economic diversification strategy plan and lead a feasibility study for an entrepreneurship center that can catalyze new businesses. The project’s location near an Opportunity Zone will also provide additional tax incentives for economic development in the region.”

This project is funded by the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 (Pub. L. 116-20) (PDF), which provided EDA with $600 million in additional Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) Program funds for disaster relief and recovery for areas affected by Hurricanes Florence, Michael, and Lane, Typhoons Yutu and Mangkhut, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, and other major natural disasters occurring in calendar year 2018, and tornadoes and floods occurring in calendar year 2019, under the Robert T. Stafford Act. Please visit EDA’s Disaster Supplemental webpage.

The funding announced today will help catalyze private investment near an Opportunity Zone. Created by President Donald J. Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Opportunity Zones are spurring economic development in economically-distressed communities nationwide. In June 2019, EDA added Opportunity Zones as an Investment Priority, which increases the number of catalytic Opportunity Zone-related projects that EDA can fund to fuel greater public investment in these areas. To learn more about the Commerce Department’s work in Opportunity Zones, please visit EDA’s Opportunity Zones webpage. To learn more about the Opportunity Zone program, see the Treasury Department resources page here.

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.