The Freight Railroad Preservation Program provides grants to communities to purchase abandoned rail lines in the effort to continue freight rail service, preserve the opportunity for future rail service, and to rehabilitate facilities, such as tracks and bridges, on publicly-owned rail lines. The program is designed to help communities that have shortages of primary care providers and have difficulty recruiting providers to their area. The program is designed to help communities that have shortages of primary care physicians, and have had difficulty recruiting these physicians to their area. Loans obtained through SIB funding can be used in conjunction with other programs. It is a mechanism for financing local economic development project in underdeveloped and blighted areas.
Taxes generated by the increased property values pay for land acquisition or needed public works.
Communities can create community revolving loan funds from the loan repayments. The Freight Railroad Infrastructure Improvement Program awards loans to businesses or communities wishing to rehabilitate rail lines, advance economic development, connect an industry to the national railroad system, or to make improvements to enhance transportation efficiency, safety, and intermodal freight movement. The Recycling Demonstration Grant Program helps businesses and local governing units fund waste reduction, reuse, and recycling pilot projects. The Wisconsin Fund provides grants to help small commercial businesses rehabilitate or replace their privately-owned sewage systems. The hotline provides immediate access to a Directory of Available Fax Documents and more than 200 publications.