The Big Picture- Eastern Plains RC&D Area, Inc.-Proposal to create a designation area for 6 Southeast Montana Counties

In Montana, there are six counties that are not part of an Economic Development Administration (EDA) designation area of the Department of Commerce. They are all in the southeast corner of Montana. The Eastern Plains Resource Conservation and Development Area, Inc. is working on a proposal to create a designation area for these counties.

EDA programs are, for the most part, only available in their designated areas. EDA encourages only those investment proposals that will significantly benefit areas experiencing or threatened with substantial economic distress. These include but are not limited to: High levels of unemployment, low income levels, large concentrations of low-income families, significant declines in per capita income, substantial loss of population because of the lack of employment opportunities, large numbers (or high rates) of business failures, sudden major layoffs or plant closures, military base closures, natural or other major disasters, depletion of natural resources, and/or reduced tax bases. These situations are pertinent to eastern Montana and this region.

EDA wants to implement a regional strategy that involves all stakeholders and encourages a formal organizational structure and process for working on economic issues and maintaining consensus. EDA will invest in applicants who are entrepreneurial in spirit and in action. Examples of the types of EDA funded proposals include:

* Upgrade core business infrastructure

* Transportation infrastructure

* Communications infrastructure

* Specialized training program infrastructure

* Encourage cluster development

* Establishment of research and industrial parks that encourage innovation-based development

* Implementation of cluster-focused and innovation-focused business development efforts.

* Proposals to help communities plan and implement economic adjustment strategies in response to sudden and severe economic dislocations (e.g., major lay-offs and/or plant closures, trade impacts, defense restructuring, or disasters).

* Proposals that support technology led economic development

If you are interested in this process, call Mike Carlson at 406-433-5024, e-mail [email protected], or check with one of our council members. To find out who represents your community on our council, check our website at http://www.eprcd.org.

Thank you,

Ray Trumpower, Chair