U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $5.3 Million in American Rescue Plan Funds for Wastewater Infrastructure to Support New Business Growth in Point Pleasant, West Virginia

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $5.3 million grant to the Mason County Public Service District, Point Pleasant, West Virginia, for a new wastewater treatment plant to support business development and job growth. This grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan and EDA’s $300 million Coal Communities Commitment.

This grant will provide added sewer system capacity to support a new steel manufacturing facility in a region impacted by the declining use of coal. The EDA investment will be matched with $1.4 million in state funds and is expected to create 800 jobs and generate $2.7 billion in private investment, according to grantee estimates.

“President Biden is committed to ensuring that our coal communities are provided with the resources they need to diversify and grow their economies,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This EDA investment will provide critical infrastructure to support manufacturing business growth leading to a diverse, robust 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. “This project announced today will provide critical infrastructure upgrades that are needed to support the region’s manufacturing industry and spur private investment in West Virginia.”

“West Virginia continues to see the benefits of critical American Rescue Plan investments that spur economic development and create good-paying, long-term jobs. I’m pleased the EDA is supporting upgrades to wastewater infrastructure in Mason County to strengthen the local economy and attract new business opportunities to the region. I look forward to seeing the positive impacts of this funding for years to come, and I will continue working with the EDA to boost economic growth across the Mountain State,” said Senator Joe Manchin.

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.

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.