U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross has announced that the department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is investing $48 million in the state of Texas to help it prepare for natural disasters and promote business growth. The city of West Orange, Texas, applied to the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) for this grant after Hurricane Harvey.
“In 2018, EDA made $587 million in Congressional supplemental appropriations available to eligible grantees in communities impacted by natural disasters in 2017,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Dr. John Fleming.
This new wastewater treatment plant will support new and existing industrial customers in the area and offer long-term stability in the face of disasters, according to the Orange Leader. The city will receive $5 million to support this effort. The grant, to be located in a Tax Cuts and Jobs Act designated Opportunity Zone, will be matched with $1.25 million in local funds and is expected to help create 520 jobs in the area.
“The Trump Administration’s goal is to create American jobs and to keep U.S. business communities competitive and thriving,” said Ross in a press release. “These preparedness efforts will support uninterrupted, stable, and growing business efforts in the state of Texas and bring development to underserved Opportunity Zones throughout Texas.”
After Hurricane Harvey, the state received reports of 179 spills of sewage, according to Houston Chronicle. Nearly 31.6 million gal of raw sewage spilled across southeast Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, pouring into neighboring communities and waterways, as several wastewater treatment plants were hit by high winds and flooding.
“These funds will allow Orange County manufacturers to utilize the improved utilities and encourage further economic development, growth, and resiliency throughout the community,” said Rep. Brian Babin in the press release. “I know that EDA funding for the city of West Orange project will help to provide critical infrastructure and incentivize new residential and commercial growth in the area.”
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