Grant

October 24 - 28, 2016

$2.040 million in Public Works funds to the City of Bluefield, West Virginia, to support development of an industrial incubator to serve start-up businesses in southern West Virginia and portions of Virginia that have been negatively impacted by the downturn in the coal industry. The new incubator facility will provide space and services to entrepreneurs for retooling existing businesses, fostering new businesses, and providing employment opportunities to workers displaced by the closure of coal-dependent businesses. This investment is part of a $2.55 million project that the grantee estimates will create 36 jobs, save 36 jobs, and leverage $510,000 in private investment.
$1,558,850 in Economic Adjustment assistance to the City of Belpre, Ohio, to fund extension of sewer services along Ohio State Route 7. The project will provide services to larger employers and businesses located in the non-municipal area between Belpre and Marietta, Ohio. In addition to mitigating environmental impacts, these improvements are needed to support the creation of jobs and leverage private investment related to the regions industrial corridor. This investment is part of a $3,117,700 project.
$960,000 in Economic Adjustment assistance to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Economic and Community Development, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to support development of a strategic initiative to identify and assess issues that limit the usefulness of coal-fired power plant sites statewide that have closed, or are closing, as a result of industrial, environmental, economic, and regulatory changes in the coal industry. Best practices for reducing impediments to the marketability and reuse of this infrastructure will be addressed and implemented. This investment is part of a $1.56 million project.
$790,118 in Economic Adjustment assistance to the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, to support development of a study to identify best practices for implementing a process for the re-use and conversion of coal and coal products to aid coal-impacted communities and businesses in adapting to changes in the coal industry. The University, in collaboration with its partners, will examine and assess the feasibility and marketability of converting coal pitch to carbon fiber through a series of activities, which, if successful, can then be incorporated into Utah’s carbon composites manufacturing cluster and have an economic impact that will sustain coal communities as well as growing the region’s advanced composites industry. This investment is part of a $1,583,569 project.
$764,900 in Economic Adjustment assistance to the City of Paris, Arkansas, to fund the development of a technical career center for Logan, Southern Franklin, and Northwestern Johnson County area high schools and businesses in Western Arkansas. The center will provide trade and technical training to local residents to support workforce development which is needed in the region due to the downturn of the coal industry. This investment is part of a $1,330,500 project.
$649,958 in Economic Adjustment assistance to the Western State College University, Gunnison, Colorado, to support supports development of the ICEhouse, a collaborative center and lab focused on innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship. The ICEhouse will provide space for community and campus entrepreneurs to work together to capitalize on economic development opportunities that will help retool and diversity the economy and create new, high-wage job opportunities to replace jobs lost due to the downturn in the coal industry. This investment is part of a $1,146,602 project.
$400,000 in Economic Adjustment assistance to the National Association of Development Organizations Research Foundation, Washington, DC, to support the efforts of the NADO Research Foundation, in collaboration with the National Association of Counties Research Foundation, in the continued implementation of the Innovation Challenge for Coal-Reliant Communities, a program to assist communities that have been severely impacted by the decline in the coal and power industries. The program will provide training and technical assistance to communities in Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming to help them mitigate, re-tool, and diversity the economy and create new, high-wage job opportunities to replace jobs lost due to the downturn in the coal industry. This investment is part of a $500,000 project.
$375,000 in Economic Adjustment assistance to the Citizens Energy Group, Indianapolis, Indiana, to fund a reuse facility strategy to conduct a site assessment, reuse and implementation strategy for a former coal manufacturing facility in Indianapolis, IN area. This investment will support multiple economic and workforce development opportunities and revitalization of the impacted area where the former plant was located. This investment is part of a $750,000 project.
$301,916 in Economic Adjustment assistance to Centralia College, Centralia, Washington, to fund the acquisition of robotic equipment, instructional supplies and other materials for use in a workforce training program at the College. The new equipment will allow the College to train the region’s workforce using the most current technology. This project addresses the region’s demand for more high-skilled workers and employment opportunities in businesses not dependent upon coal resources. This investment is part of a $454,072 project.
$300,000 in Economic Adjustment assistance to Coconino County, Flagstaff, Arizona, to support the development and implementation of a resiliency plan for Flagstaff, Arizona. The project will focus on workforce development, creating jobs, and strengthening the local economy to reduce dependence on the coal industry. This investment is part of a $375,000 project.
$80,142 in Economic Adjustment assistance to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to fund development of a strategic plan to support the goals of the Pennsylvania State Small Business Development Centers, and its network, to aid coal-impacted communities and businesses in adapting to changes in the coal industry. This investment is part of a $100,178 project.
$69,831 in Economic Adjustment assistance to Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, to support development of a three-part skillshed analysis of workforce in the 32-county Appalachian region of Ohio that were displaced by coal and power plant closures. The study seeks to identify the current skills possessed by the workforce and determine best practices for mitigating current and future loss of jobs and restoring, diversifying, and boosting the region’s economy. This investment is part of a $139,698 project.
$50,000 in Economic Adjustment assistance to the County of Huron Economic Development Corporation, Bad Axe, Michigan, to fund a makerspace study to create a community space focused on a shared use facility. In addition to assisting a coal impacted community, the project will provide a framework that allows for the creation of a locally adaptive business program, support small business development, job and economic growth. This investment is part of a $100,000 project.