Community advocates herald Sen. Manchin’s coal-site reclamation bills

CONTACT: Cat McCue, Sr. Communications Strategist, 434-293-6373, cat@appvoices.org With coal communities more in need of support and investment than ever before, today Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) unveiled two bills along with Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Mark Warner (D-VA) that would spur immediate job creation and help ensure coal…

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New Virginia law sets up stakeholder process to diversify coal region’s economy

CONTACT: Chelsea Barnes, Legislative Director, chelsea@appvoices.org, 614-205-6424 Governor Northam has signed into law a bill, passed by the General Assembly during the 2021 session, that ends decades-old tax credits for the coal industry and establishes a stakeholder process to inform economic development and transition in Southwest Virginia. The governor signed the bill on Thursday. Ending…

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Major grant awarded for Appalachian Voices’ jobs, economic project in Southwest Virginia

The GO Virginia State Board has approved a Per Capita application for the Appalachian Voices “Energy Storage and Electrification Manufacturing Jobs” project. Approved at $486,366, the project will create jobs in GO Virginia Region One in the energy storage and electrification manufacturing field while attracting investments and expanding the local tax base. CONTACT: Kalen Hunter,…

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Bills to ensure coal communities are part of America’s economic recovery introduced in Congress

CONTACT: Thom Kay, Legislative Director, thom.kay@appvoices.org, 864-580-1843 Cat McCue, Communications Strategist, cat@appvoices.org, 434-293-6373 Read our March 5 blog for more background. Washington, DC — As coal-impacted communities grapple with economic decline and public health risks made significantly worse by the Covid-19 crisis, Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) and Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) introduced two bills in…

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Va. coalfield groups one step closer to state grant for innovative battery and electric manufacturing proposal

An innovative economic development proposal heads to the GO Virginia State Board for final approval at its March meeting after the Region One Council approved the proposal last week. The implementation grant proposal focuses on creating jobs and attracting investments in the battery and electrification manufacturing sectors in Southwest Virginia. CONTACT: Adam Wells, Appalachian Voices:…

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A way forward for Appalachia

Our legislative director outlines a list of action items for the Biden administration — suspending utility shutoffs during the pandemic, strengthening oversight of the fossil fuel industry, and moving swiftly to support just economic transition in coal-impacted communities.

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