UPDATES
Elkins, West Virginia Gets $1.7 Million Internet Boost
Elkins, West Virginia, a coal town of just over 7,000 people, will receive $1.7 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding from the Economic Development Administration (EDA). The funds will come from the Economic Adjustment Assistance program, EDA's most flexible program, which is supporting a wide variety of initiatives across the country. In Elkins, ...
Austin, Minnesota to Receive $2.2 Million in American Rescue Plan Funds
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) has announced $2.2 million in funding to go to Austin, Minnesota, a transitioning coal community, from the the American Rescue Plan (ARP). The funds will upgrade infrastructure in the Creekside Business Park and develop a 57-acre parcel to bring new business and job opportunities to the region. The investment ...
Federal Investments to Support 25 More Rural Communities
In 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Recreation Economy for Rural Communities (RERC) program will send grants to 25 new rural communities, following the 10 rural communities supported in 2019. The program helps communities identify strategies to grow their outdoor recreation economy and revitalize their Main Streets and thereby conserve forests and other natural ...
Duffield Virginia to Receive $6.4 Million ARPA Investment
With a population under 100 people, Duffield, Virginia is in for a big investment from the Economic Develoment Administration (EDA) - $6.4 million are being awarded through the Coal Communities Commitment from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The coal town is near Natural Tunnel State Park and along the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail. ...
$280 Million of ARPA Funding to address Arkansas Water Needs
The Arkansas Legislative Council approved $280 million for water projects across the state at the recommendation of a working group within the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) Steering Committee. Of these ARPA funds, $10 million are designated for areas in Eastern Arkansas to transition from groundwater to surface water and for preservation of the Sparta ...
IIJA Funding Awarded to Arizona to Address PFAS in Drinking Water
Arizona has secured $13.5 million from the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act (IIJA) to address the problem of "forever chemicals," or Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Arizona drinking water. The problem of PFAS have already caused dire problems in the desert state, such as a Tuscon water treatment plant which was shut down ...
IIJA Boosts Colorado Water Infrastructure
Colorado Democrats celebrated a recent announcement that $121 million to go toward Colorado water line repairs. The funding, in addition to supporting access to clean drinking water across the state, will It will be used to prevent flooding, collect and treat wastewater and safeguard vital waterways. The funds will be awarded through the Drinking ...
American Rescue Plan Helps Springfield, Missouri Transition Away from Coal
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced last month a $1.5 million award in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to increase cargo capacity to help the community transition away from coal toward a manufacturing and logistics hub. The award is part of a $300 million Coal Communities Commitment. The funds will go toward street ...
REPORT: Field Lessons – Innovations in Participatory Power Building
A new report is available today from RuralOrganizing.org Education Fund reporting on the lessons learned and substantial opportunities for engaging rural residents in defining community needs for elected officials through an innovative use of a "drop-off/pick-up" surveying methodology which has been demonstrated to yield greater participation and reduce nonresponse bias. The report draws ...
Southeast Ohio Leaning into Big Federal Wins
Rural Action CEO Debbie Phillips and Athens, Ohio Mayor Steve Patterson shared how recent federal action, like the American Rescue Plan (ARP), the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Chips + Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act are game-changers for his rural small town. Speaking at the White House's Communities in Action: Building ...
Ironton, Ohio Receives $2 Million in ARPA Funds for Infrastructure
Under the Coal Communities Commitment, the Economic Development Administration (EDA) is leveraging American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars to diversify the economy of Ironton, Ohio, population 10, 749. The funds, announced in August, will go toward roadway and water infrastructure upgrades intended to attract new businesses, and reliable water service is one primary goal. ...
Rural Jobs Lag Nation as Congress Debates Funding Amount for Rural Economic Development
While rural communities' jobs recovery lags behind the national average, the Chips and Science Act of 2022, which passed both chambers of congress and was signed into law by President Biden in August, authorized $1 billion for the RECOMPETE pilot program to support persistently distressed communities with high rates of unemployment. RECOMPETE invests in ...
American Rescue Plan Directing Funds to “Service Deserts” for Rural Homelessness
In a first-of-its-kind funding opportunity, The Biden-Harris administration has made $54.5 million in funding available specifically to address homelessness in rural communities in May of this year; rural Continua of Care have until October 20th to apply. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) found in a 2021 report that for the first ...
Wayne County, Michigan Receives ARPA Boost to Small Businesses and Economic Diversity
The Downriver Community Conference in Southgate, Michigan (population 29,000) was awarded $1.6 million from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) through the Coal Communities Commitment. The award will support the Conference in overseeing " a community-inclusive strategic planning process to redevelop two coal plant sites and establish a new small business technical assistance program to ...
Climate Tradeoffs in the Inflation Reduction Act
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed in August and making historic investments in climate and other rural priorities, came with tradeoffs; among the most visible are those faced by Tribal Nations. Tribal Nations were awarded $720 million in direct allocations from the bill for climate resilience and energy funding, and Tribal leaders acknowledge the ...
Local community groups in central and southeastern Ohio spoke to 1,100 residents about issues facing their households. Here’s what they said.
Politicians need to localize their legislative platforms and focus on decreasing daily expenses and improving quality of life to engage residents living in rural communities like ours. That’s the preliminary finding from our four-month Participatory Civic Research project in high-need, low-engagement neighborhoods in rural Ohio. The Local Progress Report surveys, which collected responses from ...
USDA’s ReConnect Rural Broadband Program Round 4 Funding Opens Today
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s Rural Development division opened applications for their most recent round of funding in the ReConnect program, a critical vehicle for expanding broadband internet into rural communities. Funding from the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act, passed in the fall of 2021, has provided critical boosts of funding to this ...
USDA Announces Members of the Equity Commission’s Rural Development Subcommittee
In February of this year, the USDA established an Equity Commission to "address longstanding inequities in agriculture" and "confront the hard reality of past discrimination and its lingering harm." Last week, the Rural Development subcommittee and its 12 members were announced. While much of the USDA Equity Commission's work is focused on issues for ...
$121 Million in USDA Funding for Rural Climate Change Infrastructure
Last week US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Dr. Jewel Bronaugh announced the department is investing $121 million in infrastructure to combat climate change, this coming on the heals of the $40 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for climate-smart agriculture. “Rural America is on the front lines of climate change," Bronaugh ...
Farm Bill Stakes Beginning to be Placed after Inflation Reduction Act Passed
After the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was passed and signed into law earlier this month, progressive groups are beginning to name their priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill. While Farm Action published their Farm Bill Policy Handbook as early as May of this year, others like Minnesota's Land Stewardship Project have waited until now ...