10.05.16

Hoeven Announces More than $1.7 Million in USDA Funds for Rural Economic Development in North Dakota

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Appropriations and Agriculture Committees, today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a loan of $1,000,000 to build medical facilities in Hazen and grants totaling $718,117 to support economic growth in rural North Dakota communities. The funds are awarded as follows:

Rural Economic Development Loan (REDL)

The Rural Economic Development Loan program funds rural projects through local utility organizations.

• West River Telecommunications Cooperative – $1,000,000 – The loan will be used to construct of a hospital and clinic facility at the Sakakawea Medical Center in Hazen.

Rural Business Development Grants

Rural Business Development Grants provide assistance and training to develop or expand rural businesses with fewer than 50 employees and less than $1 million in gross revenues.

• City of Anamoose – $218,462
• Dakota College at Bottineau – $130,282
• Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians – $103,994
• REAP Investment Fund, Inc. – $86,764
• Tuttle Betterment Club, Inc. – $51,990
• Bowman County Fair Association – $37,000
• Pembina County Job Development Authority – $30,000
• City of Michigan – $26,910
• Sacred Pipe Resource Center – $17,000
• City of Hettinger – $15,715

“These grants will help support business and economic growth in rural areas and meet the needs of these communities and their residents,” Hoeven said. “The USDA loan will help individuals in the Hazen area have better access to healthcare and improve their quality of life.”

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