U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $3 Million for Water Infrastructure Improvements to Support Business Development in Greene County, Indiana

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced the Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $3 million grant to Greene County, Indiana, for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements to support business development in a region impacted by changes in the coal economy.

This grant will expand capacity at the WestGate@Crane Technology Park to support business development in the semiconductor and microelectronics manufacturing sectors. This EDA investment will be matched with $3 million in local funds and is expected to create 688 jobs and generate $460 million in private investment, according to grantee estimates.

"The Biden-Harris Administration's Investing in America Agenda provides communities, including those impacted by changes in the coal economy, with the resources they need to diversify and grow their local economies," said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo."This EDA investment in rural Southern Indiana will catalyze a defense supply chain cluster, including the manufacturing of semiconductors, that will ensure U.S. global competitiveness and national security."

"The U.S. Economic Development Administration is proud to partner with local communities as they pursue place-based economic development strategies," said Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Cristina Killingsworth. "This project in Southern Indiana will enable the region to seize an opportunity to be major defense supplier hub while also creating good-paying jobs and building long-term economic resiliency as the region grapples with changes in the coal economy."

This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Southern Indiana Development Commission (SIDC). EDA funds (SIDC) 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 the Assistance to Coal Communities (ACC) initiative, through which EDA awards funds on a competitive basis to assist communities severely impacted by the declining use of coal. ACC projects support economic diversification, job creation, capital investment, workforce development, and re-employment opportunities.