WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) – a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee – announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded $450,000 to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners to help build a new wastewater collection system for the Village of Phillipsburg. The project, funded through the Rural Development Grant program, will serve 268 users who currently utilize failing wastewater collection systems. The new collection system will transport wastewater from the Village to Dayton for treatment.

“Ohio’s rural communities and small towns face a heavy burden when financing infrastructure projects,” Brown said. “This federal investment will lead to more reliable service for residents and cleaner waterways for Phillipsburg. Projects like this help boost the economy and make the region more competitive.”

Brown is working to help communities around Ohio struggling to afford costly but necessary renovations to sewer systems. Last week, he introduced the Clean Water Compliance and Affordability Act to help communities make renovations to outdated sewer systems, while improving water quality and keeping rates affordable for residents and small business.

Brown is the first Ohioan to serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee in more than 40 years. In 2014, he was part of the Senate Farm Bill Conference Committee that successfully negotiated a five-year farm bill that had been stalled for more than three years. Brown supported a strong Rural Development title in the 2014 Farm Bill to encourage economic development and increased infrastructure investment in rural communities. During Senate consideration of the farm bill, Brown sponsored an amendment to support rural development, which cleared the Senate with bipartisan support by a vote of 55-44. Brown’s amendment would fund critical U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development programs that help Ohio communities update wastewater and sewer infrastructure systems, provide access to capital for Ohio agricultural producers and small businesses, and provide technical assistance to beginning farmers and ranchers.

 

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