Coal-Impacted Montana Communities Receive Over $1.1 Million in Grant Funding

Miles City Montana HELENA, Mont. – The Montana Department of Commerce announced today that over $1.1 million in grant funding has been awarded to five Montana communities to support vital public safety and development projects in coal-impacted areas. The funding was allocated to these communities by the Montana Coal Board.

The grant awards will help Miles City’s law enforcement, improve public safety and keep the roads repaired in Musselshell County, support road improvements in Rosebud and Treasure counties, and will add improvements to Colstrip’s city hall. “In the last five years, more than $16 million of Coal Board grant funding has been awarded to eight counties, six school districts, six cities or towns, two hospitals and one tribe. The Coal Board has certainly done a lot of good for the people who live in Montana’s coal-impacted areas,” said Scott Osterman, Director of the Montana Department of Commerce.

The Montana Coal Board met in Billings recently to review project applications submitted by several Montana communities requesting financial support for each of the applications submitted. Board members selected the following communities and projects for funding:
Earlier this year, Musselshell County received $97,600 of Montana Coal Board grant funding to purchase two belly dump trailers to help the county improve maintenance of over 675 miles of gravel roads. The funding enabled the County to begin improving its gravel hauling capabilities and upgrading rural roads for agriculture, oil and gas exploration, coal mining and recreationists.

“Musselshell County is very grateful for Coal Board grant funding, and highly supports this funding source for other affected counties as well,” said Michael Turley, Chairman of the Musselshell County Commissioners.

The Montana Coal Board awards Coal Board Impact Grants to counties, communities, school districts, tribal governments or other governmental units to assist them in adequately providing services or facilities that are needed as a direct consequence of an increase or decrease in coal development, or in the consumption of coal by a coal-using energy complex.

The Board was created by the Legislature in 1975 and is administratively attached to the Montana Department of Commerce. For more information, visit comdev.mt.gov.

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