IWG Executive Director Briefs National Governors Association on Resources for Energy Community Revitalization

Yesterday, Interagency Working Group (IWG) Executive Director Brian Anderson, Ph.D., discussed federal funding available for revitalizing coal, oil and gas, and power plant communities during a National Governors Association’s virtual briefing.

Alongside the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), Anderson discussed funding opportunities, such as the EDA’s Coal Communities Commitment, meant to spur economic revitalization, create good-paying jobs, and support energy workers. Anderson also, provided details on upcoming stakeholder engagements in key energy communities across the nation.

“It was wonderful to speak with this important group of people who advise governors on energy policy and share how the IWG can support energy workers and communities in their states,” said Anderson. “States can play a big role in supporting their energy communities from convening stakeholders to providing cost share for projects.”

The Coal Communities Commitment is the largest funding effort for coal communities in the history of the EDA, representing 10 % of the EDA’s broader announcement of $3 billion available from the American Rescue Plan to invest in American communities and help different economies recover and improve their resiliency.

Established by an Executive Order in President Biden’s first week in office, the 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 as the U.S. prepares to undergo a historic energy evolution to a carbon emission-free electricity sector by 2035 and economy-wide net-zero emissions by 2050.