The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities will receive a $2 million grant for construction of a new electrical distribution feeder in support of a new business under development, according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced recently that the department’s Economic Development Administration is investing to construct infrastructure needed to support new business development in Kansas. The grants are funded by the American Rescue Plan.
The EDA grant will be matched by $746,411 in local funds and is expected to create 936 jobs and generate $216 million in private investments, according to estimates.
“The Economic Development Administration is dedicated to working with communities to support their locally-driven strategies to recover and rebuild from the pandemic,” Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo said.
“These investments will create hundreds of jobs, grow our economy, and give Kansas businesses more of the tools they need to grow and succeed,” Gov. Laura Kelly said.
“One of my top priorities over the past two years has been to make sure Kansans have the resources needed to get back to work, support their families, and contribute to our ever-growing local economy,” U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-3rd Dist., said. “This EDA funding I helped bring to our state through the American Rescue Plan will do just that, while also supporting our water and electrical infrastructure. I will keep working to lower costs and ensure a thriving economy in the Kansas City area and across the entire state.”
The BPU investment was made possible by the regional planning efforts of the Mid-America Regional Council. EDA funds these organizations 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, a spokesman stated.
This project is funded under EDA’s American Rescue Plan Economic Adjustment Assistance program, which makes $500 million in Economic Adjustment Assistance grants available to American communities. The Economic Adjustment Assistance program is EDA’s most flexible program, and grants made under this program will help hundreds of communities across the nation plan, build, innovate, and put people back to work through construction or non-construction projects designed to meet local needs. Effective May 26, 2022, EDA has officially closed all of its American Rescue Plan programs for applications. The $3 billion program funding will be awarded on a rolling basis through Sept. 30, 2022.
Politicians spending our money and pretending theyre doing us a favor.