10.23.14

Hoeven Announces More Than $7 Million in USDA Grants and Loans to Improve Rural Water Systems

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded funding to improve rural water systems and upgrade water infrastructure in rural North Dakota through its Water and Environmental Program.

“These funded projects will not only help ensure that rural residents and businesses have access to clean water, but will also create jobs and help communities retain and attract new businesses and families,” Hoeven said. “Up-to-date, healthy and safe water systems are essential for a state like North Dakota to keep up with both a growing economy and a growing population.”

The three North Dakota cities and one tribe received a total of $3.5 million in loans and $3.6 million in grants for water system improvements. The city of Finley received a $594,000 loan and a $461,000 grant; Linton received a $140,000 loan and a $113,000 grant; New England received a $2.7 million loan and a $2. 2 million grant; and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe received a $770,750 grant.

As a member of the Appropriations and Agriculture Committees and the conference committee that crafted the final version of the 2014 farm bill, Hoeven worked to reauthorize water and infrastructure programs to help rural communities ensure safe and reliable water systems. The senator pushed through the Appropriations Committee for funding the USDA’s Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program in the 2014 budget, which includes the Water and Environmental Program.