Commerce Invests $2.5M to Make Critical Roadway Infrastructure Improvements Needed to Protect Businesses From Flooding in Stillwater County, Montana

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration issued the following news release on Sept. 22:

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $2.5 million grant to the County of Stillwater, Montana, to make critical roadway infrastructure improvements needed to keep commerce flowing and support future business growth in the wake of flooding that impacted the county in 2019. The EDA grant, to be matched with $624,326 in local investment, is expected to create 200 jobs and spur $250 million in private investment.

"The Trump Administration is committed to helping disaster-impacted American communities obtain the modern infrastructure they need to build resilience against natural disasters," said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. "This EDA investment will assist Stillwater in improving flood-damaged, primary access roads that serve major area employers and their more than 1,400 employees."

"The Economic Development Administration is pleased to support Stillwater County's strategy to ensure continued operation of critical businesses, including major mining and energy operations, in the event of future high-water events," said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. "Access to Montana's outdoor recreation is also dependent upon these roads and the improvements will make certain that the tourism sector will continue to thrive."

"Infrastructure projects are vital to Montana's rural communities, and this grant to Stillwater County will immediately put shovels to dirt and create good paying jobs for Montanans," said Governor Steve Bullock. "Over the long-term, this project will support the county in its efforts to recover from flooding impacts and promote and sustain strong economic growth in the community."

"In rural Montana, our roads and highways are critical links between communities that help frontier economies thrive," said Senator Jon Tester. "This investment will put gas back in the tank for folks in Stillwater County, helping producers and businesses get their products to market, and ensuring families can travel safely around south-central Montana."

"This is great news for the folks in Stillwater County who saw devastating flooding back in 2019 that caused major damage to roadways," said Senator Steve Daines. "I'm glad to see that this EDA grant, along with local funding, will invest in roadways, support future business growth, and provide an estimated 200 jobs to the community."

"Last year, catastrophic flooding caused emergency conditions throughout Stillwater County, closing heavily traveled roads and disrupting the community," said Congressman Greg Gianforte. "Today's announcement from the Trump administration will improve the infrastructure in Stillwater County - rebuilding those roads, creating good-paying Montana jobs, and supporting local businesses."

Roadways to be addressed include West Rosebud Road and Fiddler Creek Road.

This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Beartooth Resource Conservation and Development District, which EDA funds 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 by the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 (Pub. L. 116-20) (https://www.congress.gov/116/plaws/publ20/PLAW-116publ20.pdf), which provided EDA with $600 million in additional Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) Program (https://www.eda.gov/pdf/about/Economic-Adjustment-Assistance-Program-1-Pager.pdf) Program funds for disaster relief and recovery for areas affected by Hurricanes Florence, Michael, and Lane, Typhoons Yutu and Mangkhut, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, and other major natural disasters occurring in calendar year 2018, and tornadoes and floods occurring in calendar year 2019, under the Robert T. Stafford Act. Please visit EDA's Disaster Supplemental webpage for more information.