U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Missouri State Director Kyle Wilkens announced that USDA is investing $288,302,000 to build and improve critical rural infrastructure in Missouri.
“Infrastructure is more than just laying pipes in the ground and wires on poles,” said Wilkens. “By investing in modern infrastructure, Rural Development is investing in the lives of rural Missourians. This infrastructure helps ensure our small towns have the best access possible to clean drinking water, good-paying jobs, and high-speed internet, which all help to boost rural economies and build back a better America.”
This announcement follows the recent passage of President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and reflects the many ways USDA Rural Development’s programs are helping people, businesses, and communities address critical infrastructure needs to help rural America build back better.
USDA is making the awards under the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program, which provides financing for drinking water, stormwater drainage, and waste disposal systems in rural communities, and the Electric Loan Program, which provides funding to construct, improve, and expand electric distribution, transmission, and generation.
Water and Waste Disposal investments in Missouri include:
- The city of Matthews will use a $1,220,000 loan and $600,000 grant to make improvements to the city’s water production and distribution system. Planned improvements include a new well and well controls, water plant building interior and exterior rehabilitation, emergency interconnect with Sikeston, and the installation of radio read water meters with computer software.
- Public Water Supply District No. 1 of Laclede County, Missouri will use a $300,000 loan to make improvements to the district’s water storage and distribution system. Planned improvements include interior and exterior rehabilitation of one of the district’s elevated water storage tanks, electronic mapping of the entire water distribution system, and the installation of some radio read water meters.
Electric investments in Missouri include:
- Associated Electric Coop, headquartered in Springfield, will use a $78 million loan to finance generation system improvements. It provides wholesale power to six generation and transmission members, which in turn provides wholesale power to 51 distribution member cooperatives. These 51 distribution members serve 910,000 customers in Missouri, southeast Iowa, and northeast Oklahoma.
- Ozark Border Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Poplar Bluff, will use a $53,087,000 loan to connect 2,160 consumers and build and improve 403 miles of line. This loan includes $825,200 in smart grid technologies. The cooperative serves 40,041 consumers over 6,000 miles of energized line in parts of eleven counties in Missouri.
- Sac-Osage Electric Cooperative, headquartered in El Dorado Springs, will use a $50,050,000 loan to finance the installation of 2,302 miles of a fiber network. The cooperative serves 11,273 customers over 2,427 miles of line in all or portions of nine counties in northeast Missouri.
- Crawford Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Bourbon, will use a $30,045,000 loan to connect 1,392 consumers and build and improve 124 miles of line. The cooperative serves approximately 20,000 consumers over 2,962 miles of line throughout six counties in central Missouri.
- Three Rivers Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Linn, will use $25 million loans to connect 2,000 consumers and build and improve 151 miles of line. The loan includes $2,678,000 in smart grid technologies. The cooperative serves more than 23,000 members over nearly 4,097 miles of line in Osage, Gasconade, Cole, Maries, Miller, Franklin, and Moniteau counties in central Missouri.
- Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative, headquartered in West Plains, will use $50 million loan to connect 1,551 consumers, and build and improve 90 miles of line. This loan includes $1,004,071 in smart grid technologies. The cooperative serves more than 24,000 members through 4,892 miles of energized line in Douglas, Ozark, Texas, Shannon, Howell, and Oregon counties in the southern part of Missouri.
Today’s announcement comes as part of a larger, nationwide announcement from USDA Secretary for Rural Development Tom Vilsack where he announced that USDA is investing $5.2 billion to build and improve critical rural infrastructure in 46 states and Puerto Rico.
