WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) today announced that the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has approved two grants to support infrastructure improvements in Tippah and Yalobusha counties.

ARC has approved a $150,000 grant to support a $624,500 industrial wastewater improvement project for the city of Ripley.  The ARC funding will be combined with $150,000 in state funding and $324,500 in local resources to carry out the upgrades. 

Another $29,000 grant has been approved to support an industrial natural gas pipeline extension project that will be primarily supported with $600,000 in state Community Development Block Grant funds and $10,000 in in-kind local contribution. 

“These investments by the Appalachian Regional Commission are geared toward supporting local efforts to retain and expand their job base.  I appreciate the Commission’s attention to these projects,” Cochran said.

“The Appalachian Regional Commission plays an essential role in assisting Mississippi with local infrastructure improvements,” said Wicker. “This funding will help Tippah and Yalobusha counties grow its manufacturing base.”

The Ripley project involves expanding the capacity of its industrial wastewater system to support greater manufacturing growth.  The existing system is overstressed during heavy rainfall, which negatively affects a manufacturing facility located on city property.  The city of Ripley plans to construct a 750,000-gallon equalization basin and a 144,000-gallon per day waste pumping station to alleviate the problems.  ARC indicates that its contribution will help create 10 manufacturing-related jobs and spur $5.0 million in leveraged private investment.

The $689,000 natural gas pipeline extension in Yalobusha County involves the installation of 540 linear feet of new gas piping with associated gas meters, valves and other connections.  This undertaking has been proposed to support the expansion plans of a food manufacturing industry in Yalobusha County.  The overall project, according to ARC, is intended to help retain 275 existing jobs, create an additional 35 positions and contribute $9.0 million in leveraged private investment.

Created by Congress in 1965, ARC is a regional economic development agency incorporating 13 Appalachian states.  It works with federal, state and local entities to promote job creation, community development, infrastructure improvements and other projects to improve the quality of life in Appalachia.

Cochran serves on the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee that in July approved $76 million for ARC in FY2011, the same funding level as FY2010.

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