Welcome to The Mountain Ascent! With this monthly newsletter, Appalachian Voices’ New Economy program hopes to shine a light on the Southwest Virginia communities working to face the challenges of today and build a viable economy for their future. We hope these stories inspire you with the results that can be achieved through community action.

Help us spread the good news from Southwest Virginia by sharing The Mountain Ascent with your friends and family inside and outside of the region and encourage them to sign up!

The RECLAIM Act has passed the House!

The RECLAIM Act — a bill that would channel $1 billion into revitalizing coal communities — has passed the U.S. House, along with AML Reauthorization. Now, it is up to the Senate to take up these important bills and help ensure that decades-old abandoned mine lands are finally reclaimed.

Northam recommends $4.2M in funding for SWVA projects

Gov. Ralph Norham recommended more than $4.2 million in Appalachian Regional Commission grants this July. These funds would be distributed among 17 individual Southwest Virginia projects for economic development in the region.

Project will support Pound arts, tourism

With partial funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Town of Pound will soon see the positive effects of a new “creative placemaking” project. Marley Green of Appalshop said it has been awarded the grant as part of NEA’s “Our Town” program.

Southern Gap Amphitheater passed initial fundraising

Earlier this year, Sunset Holler, Inc., announced the completion of the Southern Gap Amphitheater Project’s initial fundraising phase in Buchanan County. The mountaintop venue will offer panoramic views of the surrounding landscape and be available for concerts, film screenings, weddings and more.

Events

Job Opportunities

 8/12  Webinar: DMME Utility Scale Solar, Onshore Wind

 8/19  Webinar: Accessing the Land: Wise County & Norton Community Forum

 9/02  Webinar: Accessing the Land: Dickenson County Community Forum

 9/03  Webinar: Fifth Annual SWVA Economic Forum

Spearhead Trails — Nonmotorized Trail Division Manager/Engineer

AppCAA  — Two new positions: Temporary Intake Specialist, Weatherization Crew Worker

Take Action

Help support increased funding for hazardous land clean-up, job creation and economic development in the coalfields by telling your senators to support the RECLAIM Act and AML Reauthorization now! Both of these important provisions were included in the Moving Forward Act, a broad bill to rebuild America’s infrastructure.

If you want to see the benefits of RECLAIM and the AML cleanup fund in coal-impacted communities across the U.S., take action now! Tell your Senators that you want them to fight for community and economic development in impacted communities.

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