Appalachian Voices celebrates House passage of Water and Economic Development package; Urges Senate passage

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 10, 2024

CONTACT
Molly Moore, Appalachian Voices, (828) 278-4076 , molly@appvoices.org 

Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024, which invests in the nation’s water infrastructure, including flood control and ecosystem restoration. This year, the legislation also includes reauthorization of and significant updates to the Economic Development Administration. The legislation includes many measures that support Appalachian and coal communities. S. 4367 has broad bipartisan support, passing the House on a 399 -18 vote, and now moves to the Senate for approval.

The final bill agreed to by committee leadership Chairmen Thomas Carper, D-Del., and Sam Graves, R-Mo., and Ranking Members Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Rick Larsen, D-Wash.:

• Updates EDA guidance to support coal communities with technical assistance programs and authorizes $75 million per year in dedicated economic development funding for coal communities.
• Establishes a new grant program to support renewable energy development on former industrial sites known as brownfields, and authorizes $5 million per year for the program.
• Establishes a new Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the EDA to support locally-driven long-term economic recovery after major disasters.
• Allows EDA funds to be used for local government capacity for project development, including staffing for applying for public, private and philanthropic economic development grants, preparing economic recovery plans in response to disasters, and other economic “predevelopment” activities. 
• Establishes a new $50 million financial assistance program for treating water pollution from coal mines in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The reauthorization of the EDA is especially important as President-Elect Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency takes aim at funding for programs and agencies that Congress has failed to reauthorize.

“We are grateful to Chairmen Carper and Graves and Ranking Members Capito and Larsen for the bipartisan effort to reauthorize the Economic Development Administration and address coal impacts in the Water Resources Development Act,” said Chelsea Barnes, Director of Government Affairs and Strategy at Appalachian Voices. “This legislation allows the EDA to focus on coal communities, invests in renewable energy development on brownfields, cleans up acid mine drainage in Appalachia, and gives small communities across Appalachia the needed capacity to participate in grant programs and recover from devastating disasters like Hurricane Helene. This bill is a win for Appalachian coal communities.” 

“We urge Congress to pass the Water Resources Development Act as a promise to Appalachian communities that the federal government is invested in our success,” said Kevin Zedack, Government Affairs Specialist at Appalachian Voices. “The resource extraction economy has left our Appalachian communities scarred and looking for new economic opportunities. This reauthorization will give businesses and governments the certainty needed to make life-changing investments in the region.”