U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $2.4 Million in American Rescue Plan Funds to Support Agricultural Workforce Training and Entrepreneurship in Central Utah

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $2.4 million grant to Snow College, Ephraim, Utah, to help diversify the regional economy by building the Innovative Agricultural Center. This grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan and EDA’s $300 million Coal Communities Commitment.

This grant will provide training and upskilling opportunities in agriculture and entrepreneurship to promote economic diversification in a region that has been impacted by the declining use of coal. This EDA grant will be matched with $600,000 in local funds and is expected to create 157 jobs, retain 168 jobs and generate $60 million in private investment, according to grantee estimates.

“President Biden’s American Rescue Plan offers direct relief to American communities as they work to build a better America for the future,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This EDA investment will spur economic diversification, build a more robust regional economy and boost U.S. competitiveness on the global stage.”

“The Economic Development Administration is pleased to support locally-driven strategies to boost economic recovery efforts,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “EDA is proud to support this effort to provide new workforce training opportunities in a state impacted by the declining use of coal that will build regional resiliency and ensure economic prosperity.”

This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Six County Economic Development District (SCEDD). EDA funds SCEDD 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 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.