This EDA investment supports the southwestern wisconsin regional planning commission and the village of cassville with creating a recovery and resiliency planning effort to respond to two coal-fired…

This $320,000 Economic Adjustment Assistance project grant from the Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration will support the Southwest Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and Village of Cassville, Wisconsin in developing a recovery and resiliency planning effort. The plan will evaluate the county's assets, build consensus on its desired future following the closure of two coal-fired power plants and additional layoffs from COVID-19 impacts, and generate a roadmap to diversify the local economy and expand prosperity. Once complete, the project will allow Cassville to study attracting new residents and businesses while helping the region create and retain jobs through economic diversification, as the decline of the coal industry has adversely impacted the local area. The EDA's Economic Adjustment Assistance program aims to support regions facing adverse economic changes through technical and planning assistance.

This EDA investment supports the southwestern wisconsin regional planning commission and the village of cassville with creating a recovery and resiliency planning effort to respond to two coal-fired power plant closures in grant county, wisconsin. In addition, the impacts of the covid-19 pandemic led to more layoffs and closures and this project will help the region chart a new course to economic recovery and resilience. The plan will evaluate the county's assets, deliver broad consensus on the county's desired future, respond to economic challenges created by the covid-19 pandemic, and generate a roadmap for expanding economic prosperity throughout the region. Once completed, the project will allow the village to study how to attract new residents and businesses, help the region diversify its local economy, create and save jobs, and advance economic resiliency to an area that has been impacted by the decline in the coal industry.