Energy Communities IWG Announces West Virginia Rapid Response Team

Beckley, WV. (October 29, 2024)—Today, the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization (Energy Communities IWG) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development formally announced the launch of a West Virginia Rapid Response Team (RRT). The announcement was made at the Federal Community Development Funding and Grant Writing Training in Beckley, West Virginia, hosted by the WV Community Development Hub and USDA Rural Development’s Rural Partners Network (RPN).

The West Virginia RRT will work to strengthen networks of assistance to catalyze projects that help energy communities across the state grow, diversify and transform their economies for long-term success. “As a long-time West Virginian and grandson of a West Virginia coal miner, this announcement is personal. I’ve seen the ways this great state has changed over the years and am thrilled to be part of the solution to ensure West Virginia’s energy communities are well supported for growth, revitalization and resilience,” said Energy Communities IWG Executive Director Brian Anderson. “This Rapid Response Team will open the door to increased opportunities for economic and workforce development through community-led projects. The Energy Communities IWG looks forward to working with USDA and all of our federal, state and local partners to coordinate critical federal and state resources in the state’s energy communities.”

The Energy Communities IWG has identified five priority energy communities throughout West Virginia that span 41 of the state’s 55 counties. Since 2021, West Virginia has received more than $1.2 billion in federal funding and more than $11.6 billion in private sector investments.

“In coordination with the USDA Rural Development, the Rapid Response Team will bring together agencies from across the federal government for a true whole-of-government approach to advancing economic development in the communities that have been at the center of the nation’s energy production for decades,” said Ryan Thorn, State Director for West Virginia at USDA Rural Development. “The communities and workers in West Virginia are highly motivated and skilled and this Rapid Response Team will help communities address their most pressing challenges so the people who live and work here can stay and thrive for generations to come.”

The Energy Communities IWG has maintained a strong presence in the state since its establishment, hosting four community listening sessions and actively participating in events organized by partners such as the National Association of Counties’ (NACO) Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities initiative and USDA Rural Development’s RPN. The WV RRT launch follows the July 2024 announcement of the Energy Communities AmeriCorps VISTA project, an innovative public-private partnership that will engage full-time AmeriCorps VISTA members in energy communities, including seven in West Virginia. Sponsored by Conservation Legacy, the Energy Community AmeriCorps VISTA members will work in partnership with the West Virginia RRT to strengthen regional efforts to advance locally designed economic development, workforce readiness, and environmental remediation.

Led by USDA Rural Development, the West Virginia RRT joins six others in the Four Corners region, the Illinois Coal Basin, Eastern Kentucky, Appalachian Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wyoming. The RRT effort is part of the Energy Communities IWG’s core goal of creating a national network of assistance for energy communities that is community-driven, in partnership with federal, state, tribal, local and nongovernmental organizations. The RRT’s aim to address each region’s unique set of challenges, including workforce training, economic diversification, reinvesting in legacy energy facilities, broadband access, infrastructure improvements and more. This interagency approach provides an opportunity for federal agencies to maximize their investment in community outreach and economic diversification. The RRT will host listening sessions across state in the coming months.

As part of today’s event, Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin announced to support 12 projects that strengthen workforce and educational opportunities, infrastructure, capacity building, and entrepreneurship across the region. These projects are funded through the Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE), which drives large-scale, regional transformation through multistate collaboration. With support from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, ARC has now invested $121.8 million in 46 ARISE projects to support the development of new economic opportunities across all 13 Appalachian states.

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The Energy Communities IWG is pursuing a whole-of-government approach to create good-paying union jobs; spur economic revitalization; remediate environmental degradation; and support energy workers in coal, oil and gas, and power plant communities across the country. For more information, visit energycommunities.gov.

The Appalachian Regional Commission is an economic development entity of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 423 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation. Learn more at arc.gov.

Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/wv.