Press Releases

Contact: John Atwood, 202-482-4085
Friday, April 27, 2012

U.S. Commerce Department Investment Supports Six-County Montana Region Rebound from 2011 Floods

WASHINGTON - Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Matt Erskine today announced a $280,000 U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant to the Snowy Mountain Development Corporation of Lewiston, Mont., to hire two disaster recovery coordinators that will help local government officials and business leaders coordinate and facilitate long-term economic recovery efforts in a six-county, flood-impacted region of Montana.

"This EDA investment in Montana is an example of the Obama Administration's commitment to helping rebuild rural areas impacted by natural disasters," Erskine said. "This grant enables the Snowy Mountain Development Corporation to hire disaster recovery coordinators that will develop a recovery strategy that incorporates a comprehensive assessment of the disaster and its impacts to the regional economy."

The EDA investment will serve the six-county Snowy Mountain region, including Judith Basin, Fergus, Petroleum, Musselshell, Golden Valley, and Wheatland counties. The area received a Presidential Disaster Declaration from President Obama in June 2011. On March 29, 2012, EDA announced $200 million in funding to help communities that received a major disaster designation in fiscal year 2011 with long-term economic recovery and infrastructure support.

The Department of Commerce is the coordinating agency under the National Disaster Recovery Framework for Economic Recovery Support Function. The National Disaster Recovery Framework provides guidance that enables effective federal recovery support to disaster-impacted states and other jurisdictions, and focuses on how best to restore, redevelop and revitalize the health, social, economic, natural, and environmental fabric of the region.

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 makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.