Release No. 0421.09
Contact:
USDA Office of Communications (202)720-4623
AGRICULTURE SECRETARY VILSACK HIGHLIGHTS RECOVERY ACT PROGRESS AFTER FIRST 200 DAYS; ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL $172 MILLION FOR RURAL WATER PROJECTS
USDA Meets President Obama's Directive to Expedite Recovery Act Projects and Invest in Rural America; More than $27 billion in USDA Projects Announced in First 200 Days
LOUISA, Va., Sept., 3, 2009 - On the 200th day since President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today highlighted the important investments being made in communities throughout the country and announced an additional $172.5 million in funding for water and environmental projects in 24 states. Vilsack also announced that USDA has met the President's directive and has funded more than 200 water and environmental projects since the 100th day of the Recovery Act. To date, USDA has announced $1.64 billion for loans and grants for similar projects. Altogether, the Department has announced $27.8 billion of the $28.0 billion in Recovery Act projects, benefiting people throughout the country. To see additional information about USDA's progress within the Recovery Act's first 200 days, visit http://www.usda.gov/2009/09/0418.xml.
"Recovery Act is putting people to work right now while making our communities safer and improving the quality of life for many years to come," Vilsack said. "This wastewater treatment project in Louisa County is an excellent example of how the Recovery Act is not only creating jobs, but is also protecting the environment and providing much-needed infrastructure improvements for rural residents."
Vilsack today met with local officials and community residents in Louisa, Va., and highlighted a Recovery Act project that was announced on 100th day of the Recovery Act. As a result of a $3.3 loan through USDA Rural Development, the community will expand the current wastewater treatment plant's processing capabilities and improve local water quality. The project is located in the Central Piedmont region of rural Virginia. When completed, the new wastewater treatment system will benefit 585 residential users and 161 businesses, while also complying with new environmental requirements.
Vilsack also highlighted communities benefiting from the additional $172.5 million in Recovery Act funding announced today. The City of Emmonak, Alaska, for example, will receive a $3.2 million loan and a $1.4 million grant to protect the community's ground water by constructing a new Class III landfill facility. The existing landfill is an undeveloped, unpermitted open dump that exists on a Yukon River floodplain. Because the access is unrestricted, children often play among the trash and animals feed on it, creating a potential health hazard. Trash regularly falls into the Yukon River, and when the area floods, concentrated waste can leach into the ground. With the loan and grant money, the City will ensure the safety of its residents and the surrounding ecosystem. The City of Emmonak is located in the Wade-Hampton Census area, which is considered poverty-stricken.
Meanwhile, the City of Shelton, Wash., will receive a $20.3 million loan and an $8.4 million grant to upgrade two major sewer facilities and meet Washington State Department of Ecology sanitary standards. The current equipment is very old and fails often. The equipment upgrades will improve the efficiency of the City's sewer systems and also lead to a more consistent nitrogen discharge that will benefit the shellfish population and revitalize the local shellfish aquaculture industry.
The AARA funding announced today is being administered by USDA Rural Development's Water program. USDA Rural Development's Water and Environmental Program provides loans and grants to ensure that the necessary investments are made in water and wastewater infrastructure to deliver safe drinking water and protect the environment in rural areas. More information about USDA Rural Development can be found at www.rurdev.usda.gov . Funding of individual recipients is contingent upon their meeting the terms of the loan or grant agreement.
Below is a complete list of award recipients announced by Vilsack today:
Alaska:
City of Emmonak - $3,273,500 grant
Arizona:
City of Somerton - $2,147,000 loan and $2,596,063 grant
Delaware:
Sussex County Council - $90,000 loan and $566,000 grant
Georgia:
City of Port Wentworth - $7,592,300 loan
Indiana:
Town of Macy - $514,000 loan and $1,539,700 grant
Town of Nashville - $2,545,000 loan and $752,700 grant
Patoka Lake Regional Water & Sewer District - $8,207,000 loan
Kansas:
City of Lakin - $3,129,000 loan and $1,248,000 grant
City of Fall River - $268,000 loan and $205,000 grant
City of Oswego - $2,487,000 loan and $2,475,000 grant
City of St. George - $1,350,000 loan and $200,000 grant
Kentucky:
City of Danville - $600,000 loan and $474,000 grant
Edmonson County Water District - $700,000 loan and $295,000 grant
Louisiana:
Hagewood Water System, Inc. - $900,000 loan and $1,280,500 grant
Maine:
Livermore Falls Water District - $888,000 loan and $712,000 grant
Maryland:
Mayor and Council of Berlin - $5,988,000 loan and $5,828,217 grant
Town of Lonaconing - $683,000 loan and $666,480 grant
Worchester County Commissioners: Mystic Harbor - $5,062,000 loan and $3,738,000 grant
Minnesota:
City of Iron Junction - $281,000 loan and $410,000 grant
Missouri:
Randolph County PWSD #1 - $1,084,000 loan and $670,000 grant
New York:
Village of Delhi - $3,169,000 loan and $1,000,000 grant
Town of Sullivan - $100,000 loan and $6,093,000 grant
North Dakota:
City of Mayville - $934,000 loan and $1,936,860 grant
Ohio:
Richmond Dale Sewer District - $637,000 loan and $556,000 grant
Oklahoma:
McCurtain County RWD #6 - $3,046,000 loan and $9,337,650 grant
South Carolina:
Alligator Rural Water and Sewer Co., Inc. - $4,551,000 loan and $4,830,000 grant
City of Lake City - $4,161,300 loan
South Dakota:
City of Estelline - $352,000 loan and $305,000 grant
City of Webster - $2,156,000 loan and $1,496,000 grant
Clark Rural Water System - $4,958,000 loan and $2,862,000 grant
Town of Canova - $38,000 loan and $62,000 grant
Whitewood - $295,000 loan
Texas:
City of Winters - $1,495,000 loan and $1,300,800 grant
Virginia:
Grayson County - $290,000 loan and $767,000 grant
Washington County Service Authority - $10,000,000 loan
Washington:
City of Shelton - $20,379,000 loan and $8,478,000 grant
West Virginia:
Crum Public Service District - $1,865,000 loan and $2,746,000 grant
Town of Junior - $220,000 and $540,000 grant
President Obama signed The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 into law on Feb. 17, 2009. It is designed to jumpstart the nation's economy, create or save millions of jobs and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century. The Act includes measures to modernize our nation's infrastructure, enhance energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need.
More information about USDA's Recovery Act efforts is available at www.usda.gov/recovery . More information about the Federal government's efforts on the Recovery Act is available at www.recovery.gov .
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