During the 2017 National Regional Transportation Conference, Cindy Edwards provided an update from the Economic Development Administration's Denver Regional Office on the agency's activities related to infrastructure and transportation.

1. US Department of Commerce
Economic Development Administration
National Transportation Conference
Denver
June 28 – 30, 2017
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

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INNOVATION. REGIONAL COLLABORATION. JOB CREATION.
US Department of Commerce
Seattle
Denver
Austin
Chicago
Atlanta
Philadelphia

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DISCUSSION ITEMS
1. Programs
2. Agency Updates
3. Investment Examples
US Department of Commerce

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INNOVATION. REGIONAL COLLABORATION. JOB CREATION.
US Department of Commerce
EDA Investment Programs
University Centers
Public Works
Planning
Local Technical Assistance
Research & National Technical Assistance
Economic Adjustment
Trade Adjustment
Assistance for Firms
PROGRAMS

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Public Works
• Helps communities revitalize, expand and upgrade their physical
infrastructure to promote job creation and private investment
• Traditional public infrastructure, fiber optic and telecommunications,
multi-tenant manufacturing facilities, industrial parks, business
incubators, skill-training facilities
• Typical investment: $200K - $1.25M Average $1.4 M
• FY2017 appropriation $100 M
Economic Adjustment
• Assistance to regions experiencing adverse economic changes that
occur suddenly or over time
• Most flexible program: economic studies, planning or strategy grants,
implementation/construction grants, revolving loan funds
• Typical investment: $100K - $1.25M Average $820K
• FY2017 appropriation $35M
Special Appropriations – Disaster, Coal-impacted communities
EDA Investment Programs

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Planning Program
Partnership Planning
• Annual planning grants to EDDs and tribal entities
Short Term Planning
• Assistance for developing and maintaining CEDS
• Short term planning activities
• Range from $40K - $200K
• Appropriation: Approximately $30M
Local Technical Assistance
Local TA
• Feasibility Studies, preliminary to implementation funding
University Center Program
• Builds on resources located within colleges and universities to
support economic development strategies in regions
• Range $40K - $200K
• Appropriation: Approximately $10 M
EDA Investment Programs

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Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS)
• Supports capacity building activities including Proof of Concept Centers
and Commercialization Centers, as well as scaling of existing programs
• Authorized by America COMPETES Reauthorization Act
• EDA distress criteria does not apply
• 2017 - $17 Million
• i6 Challenge (Proof-of-concept and commercialization
programs work with innovations, ideas, intellectual property,
and research to provide documented evidence that a product
or service can be successful ($14M – max = $500K
• Seed Fund Support ($4M – max $300K)
General Elements of these Grants
 National Competitions
 Evaluated by EDA Headquarters
 Reflect the Most Current Priorities of EDA
 Multi-agency focus
 Focus on Capacity Building Short-Term and Job Creation Long-Term
Regional Innovation Strategies

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EDA Programs:
• integrated, flexible, and balanced portfolio
• tailored to community needs
• focused on long-term, sustainable solutions
• focused on leveraging limited resources
• part of a region’s comprehensive plan for job creation and
economic prosperity
INNOVATION. REGIONAL COLLABORATION. JOB CREATION.

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Economic Development Integration
 Designated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
 Serve as the federal government’s lead integrator for economic
development.
- long-standing relationships with state and regional stake-
holders through its EDDs
- successful management of cross-agency place based
initiatives
 Program to develop resources to facilitate interagency
collaboration and resource integration
 Networking
 Knowledge Transfer
 Streamlined Requirements
 Program Alignment
AGENCY UPDATES
Contact: edi@eda.gov

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Assistance to Coal Communities
NOFA - effective June 19, 2017
• Updates previous Public Works/EAA FFO
• Assistance to Coal Communities (ACC)
• Designates $30M to support communities or
regions impacted by changes in the coal
economy
• Eligibility – employment loss from
 Coal fired plants
 Coal mines
 Supply chain industries
• Must meet distress criteria for EAA
AGENCY UPDATES

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FEMA - National Disaster Recovery Framework
 EDA is lead agency for the (ERSF) Economic
Recovery Support Function
 Denver Regional Office -
 Missouri flooding – ERSF activated July 2017
 Wyoming - 2015
 Colorado - 2013
AGENCY UPDATES

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Investment
Examples
INNOVATION. REGIONAL COLLABORATION. JOB CREATION.

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Due to its low elevation, Dubuque Street has a history of flooding. In 1993, floodwaters
inundated Dubuque Street for 54 days. Flooding covered the street again for a month in
2008; that year, Park Road Bridge was also over-topped and closed. Again, in the summers
of both 2013 and 2014, Dubuque Street closed due to historic river levels for about three
weeks. Locally heavy rains often flood and close northbound lanes of Dubuque Street.​
Dubuque Street serves as Iowa
City’s main entrance and key
gateway into the community
for residents and visitors. It
parallels the Iowa River, and
carries more than 25,000
vehicles a day between
Interstate 80, the downtown
business district and the
University of Iowa campus.
Iowa City, IA - Dubuque Street

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Iowa City, IA - Dubuque Street
EDA provided a $3M Economic
Adjustment Assistance award to the City
of Iowa to complete the Engineering
and Environmental Assessment. EDA is
not participating in the construction.
The reconstruction project raises
Dubuque Street by 10 feet, or 1
foot above the 100-year flood
level, while also replacing and
elevating the Park Road Bridge to 1
foot above the 200-year flood
level.
Construction is underway and is
expected to take 2.5 construction
seasons with completion
scheduled for August, 2018.
The construction cost is
approximately $40 million.
Investment Example

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Perryville MO – Industrial Park By-pass
EDA is partnered with MODOT, City of
Perryville and Perry County to construct a
2 mile by-pass road on land adjoining the
City’s industrial park. The road will
increase industrial park access and will
reroute commercial traffic to reduce
congestion at intersections.
Two major employers will have increased
access to the industrial park, allowing for
expansion of their operations, along with
opportunities for new development on
adjacent undeveloped parcels.Total project cost - $4.6M
EDA (Public Works) - $1.52M
Project includes design, construction,
ROW acquisition
Investment Example

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• Bi-State Economic Development Freight Study examines all modes of freight
movement in an eight county region. The analysis and recommendations as a
result of the study are critical to future economic success.
• Collaborative effort between ECIA, the Blackhawk Hills Regional Council, Iowa
Department of Transportation, Illinois Departments of Transportation, the
Dubuque Area Transportation Study (DMATS) and the Region 8 Regional
Planning Affiliation (RPA).
• EDA provided a $76,294 Local Technical Assistance grant to the East Central
Intergovernmental Association (ECIA) to serve as lead coordinating partner.
• EDA funded approximately 33% of the regional coordination effort, with local
cash and in-kind match provided by 10 regional partners.
Investment Example
ECIA Bi-state Economic Development Freight Study

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U.S. Economic Development Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
www.eda.gov
US Department of Commerce
INNOVATION. REGIONAL COLLABORATION. JOB CREATION.