Weldon Freeman (202) 690-1384
USDA Partners to Improve Water and Wastewater Infrastructure for More than 442,000 Rural Americans Across 42 States
FORT WORTH, Texas, Sept. 17, 2018 – Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett today announced that USDA is investing $392 million (PDF, 238 KB) to help rebuild and improve rural water and wastewater infrastructure in 42 states.
“Put simply, modern and reliable water infrastructure is foundational to quality of life and economic development,” Hazlett said. “USDA’s partnerships with rural communities underscore Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s commitment to rural people and the places they call home.”
USDA is supporting investments in 120 infrastructure projects through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. It can be used to finance drinking water, stormwater drainage and waste disposal systems for rural communities with 10,000 or fewer residents. In many cases, states, other federal partners and nonprofits are working with USDA to also provide funding for these projects.
Hazlett announced the awards here today during the Water Pro Conference hosted by the National Rural Water Association. Below are some examples of the types of investments USDA is making to improve infrastructure in rural communities:
USDA is making investments in rural communities in: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansans, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming.
In FY 2018, Congress provided a historic level of funding for water and wastewater infrastructure. The 2018 Omnibus spending bill includes $5.2 billion for USDA loans and grants, up from $1.8 billion in FY 2017. The bill also directs Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to make investments in rural communities with the greatest infrastructure needs.
Eligible rural communities and water districts can apply online for funding to maintain, modernize or build water and wastewater systems. They can visit the interactive RD Apply tool, or they can apply through one of USDA Rural Development’s state or field offices.
In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force.
To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB).
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community services such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
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USDA Provides Additional Food Options to SNAP Participants Impacted by Hurricane Florence
SNAP participants may use benefits to purchase hot and prepared foods and receive additional time to report food losses
WASHINGTON, September 17, 2018 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture yesterday approved a waiver that will allow participants in the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in North Carolina to buy hot foods with their benefits through October 31, 2018.
USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue emphasized the importance of the waiver, noting that many North Carolina residents evacuated to shelters cannot store food and are lacking access to cooking facilities as a result. “As the state of North Carolina works to recover from this storm, USDA stands ready to provide common-sense flexibilities to help them meet the needs of their citizens,” Perdue said.
Under normal circumstances, Perdue explained, hot foods and foods ready for immediate consumption cannot be purchased using SNAP benefits. Hot foods include items sold at authorized SNAP retailers that are hot at the point of sale. The waiver addresses the inability of those SNAP participants affected by the disaster to prepare food at home. SNAP authorized retailers may need 24-36 hours to be ready to accept SNAP benefits for hot foods due to programming changes that may be required at their stores.
“Our Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) employees work with state and local officials to identify the needs of people impacted by a natural disaster,” Perdue said. “Allowing the purchase of hot foods with SNAP is one of many programs for storm victims that were triggered after President Trump declared a disaster for North Carolina.”
USDA also approved a waiver on September 16 to allow extended time for SNAP participants to submit claims for food lost in the disaster. Affected households in North Carolina now have until October 15 to report food losses and request replacement benefits so they can purchase food to make up for what was lost in the storm.
FNS is ready to consider additional waivers and other actions that may be needed to help program participants who have lost food due to the disaster and to simplify the application process for affected households, upon request from the state.
For more information on FNS assistance during times of disaster, visit www.fns.usda.gov/disaster. North Carolina residents may also call 211 for information about hurricane relief and assistance resources.
USDA's Food and Nutrition Service aims to increase food security and reduce hunger by providing children and low-income people the nutrition they need in a way that supports American agriculture and inspires public confidence. In addition to administering the federal nutrition assistance programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the agency also co-develops the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which provide science-based nutrition recommendations and serve as the cornerstone of federal nutrition policy. For more information, visit www.fns.usda.gov.
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Fatherson
Releases New Album
Sum Of All Your Parts
Available for Purchase Here
Streaming via Spotify & Apple Music
Previously Featured on Billboard, Clash Magazine,
Alternative Press, PopMatters, and more
"The Landscape" Currently Featured on
Spotify's New Music Friday Playlist
"...they're following in the footsteps of other Scottish rock crossovers
with heavy sounds but inviting hooks-aided by singer Ross Leighton's ability
to soar over a busy chorus." - WIRED
Scotland - Rock band Fatherson have released their brand new album, Sum Of All Your Parts. Fatherson's third full-length album, Sum Of All Your Parts has recently been featured on Billboard, Alternative Press, PopMatters, as well as Spotify's New Music Friday playlist, and more. Fans can stream the album in full on Spotify and Apple Music,
or purchase it online at ffm.to/sumofallyourparts.
On the new album, the band shares: "We're really excited to finally have 'Sum of All Your Parts' out there in the world! With the help of producer Claudius Mittendorfer, we feel we've created our most exciting and honest album yet. The vast majority of every recording on this album was the three of us together in our room, trying our best - and we hope everyone who follows our band love it as much as we do."
Fatherson have traditionally been a word of mouth band. Attend any of their shows and you will find a room echo with lyrics being sung back en masse by adoring fans. The devotion of their fans saw the last album jump straight in at No. 2 in the Scottish album charts as well as performing strongly in the U.K. Other highlights include packing a 12,000 person tent at T in the Park and playing with Kings of Leon in Vienna.
The band have established themselves as a potent live force, having sold out Glasgow's Barrowlands as well as London's Scala on their previous run of dates. Together with blistering shows and a rabid fanbase Fatherson operate in a distinctly Scottish plane of sentimentally - it is no coincidence they have previously toured with the likes of Frightened Rabbit, Biffy Clyro and Idlewild.
The band recently announced their new album Sum Of All Your Parts with the release of "Making Waves" - a song indicative of what to expect from the next FathersonLP. According to Ross Leighton (guitar/vocals), the song "defined how the album would sound" as well as being a "heart on your sleeve slacker tune with a tonne of groove." The single does mark a change of direction for the band - the rousing and anthemic choruses remain but there is a newfound edge best summed up in the stunning video for "Making Waves."
Marc Strain (bass) goes further when contemplating the shift in band's sound: "As a band we're always going to have "rocky" songs but Rock music can be very formulaic and boring. We didn't want this record to just be a carbon copy of Open Book or I Am An Island. Making Waves was the song that made us rethink our process and start to get really excited about this new album."
Fatherson have traditionally been a word of mouth band. Attend any of their shows and you will find a room echo with lyrics being sung back en masse by adoring fans. The devotion of their fans saw the last album jump straight in at No.2 in the Scottish album charts as well as performing strongly in the U.K. Other highlights include packing a 12,000 person tent at T in the Park and playing with Kings of Leon in Vienna.
Fatherson is Ross Leighton (guitar/vocals), Marc Strain (Bass), and Greg Walkinshaw (drums). The band released their new album Sum Of All Your Parts on September 14th.
For Additional Info:
Website: www.fathersonband.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/fathersonband
Twitter: www.twitter.com/fathersonband
Instagram: www.instagram.com/fatherson
Sum Of All Your Parts Tracklisting:
1. The Rain
2. Making Waves
3. Gratitude
4. Nothing To No One
5. Oh Yes
6. The Landscape
7. Ghost
8. Reflection
9. Charm School
10. Building A Wall
