Advancing Economic Diversification in America’s Energy Communities: Energy Communities IWG Progress Report
Home » Advancing Economic Diversification in America’s Energy Communities: Energy Communities IWG Progress Report
This new comprehensive report details the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization’s (Energy Communities IWG) ongoing efforts to address the unique stakeholder challenges and interagency initiatives to drive economic investment, build community capacity, and further decrease barriers impacting energy communities and workers.
Key Takeaways:
- Through a whole-of-government approach, more than $54 billion in federal investments is being awarded to support energy communities.
- Since 2021, these federal investments have catalyzed approximately $315 billion in private sector investments in energy communities across the country.
- Targeted engagement will continue in the 25 priority energy communities to grow local capacity and support the implementation of community-driven projects.
- The Energy Communities IWG launched seven Rapid Response Teams in priority areas, with two more planned in the next one to two years.
- Ongoing engagement with more than 13,000 energy community stakeholders has revealed the most common challenges among distressed energy communities are:
- Proactive Engagement
- Lack of capacity
- Worker support
- Loss of tax base
- Lack of infrastructure