Appalachian Voices celebrates Congress passing year-end victories for Appalachian communities 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 21, 2024

CONTACT
Dan Radmacher, Appalachian Voices, (540) 798-6683, dan@appvoices.org 

Washington, D.C. — Early this morning, Congress passed a stopgap funding measure that includes $100 billion in disaster relief and will keep the federal government open through March 2025. President Joe Biden will sign the funding package into law, along with the bipartisan Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 passed by Congress this week, which invests in the nation’s water infrastructure, including flood control and ecosystem restoration.

Critically needed disaster recovery funding passes Congress 

“We are elated to see Congress pass a stopgap funding bill that will keep the federal government operating and provide $100 billion in disaster aid for communities across the country, especially our Appalachian communities devastated by Hurricane Helene this September,” said Kevin Zedack, Government Affairs Specialist. “The sprint to finish Congress’ business at the end of the session has brought many benefits to our region, and the voices of Appalachian advocates in Congress were essential to accomplishing these wins.  We are thankful for the leadership shown by Sens. Thom Tillis, Ted Budd, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, and Rep. Chuck Edwards to get disaster relief for our communities.”

Specific provision in the disaster relief bill include:

• Replenishing the Small Business Administration’s recovery loan program which helps small business owners make repairs and bridge revenue shortfalls and supports home repairs for individuals. This fund has been entirely empty since mid-October and is a major lifeline for businesses and individuals.
• Strengthening FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund with $29 billion, short of the Biden administration’s $40 billion request.
• Funding the necessary programs that will support Appalachian communities throughout the lengthy recovery process, including the Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery that rebuilds housing and the Economic Development Administration that supports long-term economic planning and recovery in areas impacted by disasters.
• Directing funding to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service to support farmers and rural communities, repair national forests and restore critical local habitats that are ecologically important to the region and major pillars of our economy.

How the water and economic package will affect Appalachia

S. 4367, the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024, includes the reauthorization of the Economic Development Administration for the first time in 20 years. 

“The Economic Development Administration is a committed partner for economic development across Appalachia, providing federal resources for locally driven projects,” said Zedack. 

S. 4367 includes new policies and programs at EDA, including:

• Updating EDA guidance to support coal communities with technical assistance programs and authorizing $75 million per year in dedicated economic development funding for coal communities.
• Establishing a new grant program to support renewable energy development on former industrial sites known as brownfields, and authorizing $5 million per year for the program.
• Establishing the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the EDA to support locally driven long-term economic recovery after major disasters.
• Allowing 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.

The reauthorization legislation also annually increases authorized funding for EDA’s four flagship programs: grants for public works and economic development, grants for planning and administrative expenses, grants for training, research, and technical assistance, and grants for economic adjustment. 

“West Virginia and the rest of Appalachia have benefited directly from EDA programs over the years, and we are thrilled to see increased support for them,” said Charleston, W.Va.-based Government Affairs Specialist Quenton King. “We’d like to thank Sen. Shelley Moore Capito for helping to lead this bipartisan effort that invests in Central Appalachia and rural communities across the country.”

In addition to the EDA reauthorization in S. 4367, the bill also established a new $50 million financial assistance program for treating water pollution from abandoned coal mines in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Abandoned coal mine drainage wreaks havoc on local waterways that people rely on for fishing, swimming, boating and drinking water.

Recent EDA projects in Appalachia

• Sept. 2024: $3.4 million in economic adjustment assistance for coal communities funding to the McDowell County Public Service District in West Virginia to install new water lines and all associated work in the Baker Ridge, Panther Creek Road, Rock Ridge, Lex areas.  McDowell County has a long history of water issues caused by the coal industry, and this funding will make significant progress in improving local water quality.
• Feb. 2024: $70,000 in partnership planning funding to both the Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission and Lenowisco Planning District Commission in Southwestern Virginia. This funding supports the convening of public and private sectors around the creation of economic development plans covering the counties of Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell, Tazewell, Lee, Scott and Wise, and the city of Norton.
• April 2023: $1.9 million in public works funding for Carollton, Kentucky, to expand the existing regional wastewater treatment plant to support a steel tube manufacturing facility, a local power plant, and other local business needs.
• April 2023: $317,240 in economic adjustment assistance for coal communities funding to Appalachian Voices to support the establishment of a training program to facilitate the development of an energy storage and electrification manufacturing sector in coal-impacted Southwest Virginia (Russell County).