President’s Budget Proposal Includes Boons for Appalachia

By Brian Sewell

Central Appalachian communities weathering coal’s long decline would see a boost in funding under the White House budget released in February.

The Obama administration’s 2016 budget calls for an additional $200 million per year over the next five years to restore dangerous, unreclaimed mines, mostly in the Appalachian region.

The budget proposal also includes $20 million to provide employment services and job training specifically to help laid-off coal miners and power plant employees transition to jobs in other fields. The Appalachian Regional Commission would see its $70 million budget grow by roughly one-third, with $25 million in new funding directed to communities “most impacted by coal economic transition” to support a range of economic development initiatives.

The president’s proposed budget may never become law, but legislators are likely to debate the measures as Congress crafts its own budget proposals.

After 20 years, Letcher County prison proposal is still alive, though obstacles remain

A $605 million proposal for a federal prison on a former strip mine site in Letcher County, Kentucky, championed by U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, refuses to die, despite local opposition, a lack of support from the executive branch and numerous other obstacles.

Hurricane Helene devastated parts of Erwin, Tennessee. Photo by Abby Hassler

The Washout and Rebuild

For nearly two years, residents of Unicoi County, Tennessee, have had to make do without a hospital after Hurricane Helene destroyed the rural hospital. Ballad Health, which owns the hospital, broke ground on a new location — in another floodplain — in August 2026.