HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Previous harsh criticisms of the Obama administration were absent in Huntington Wednesday when economic development projects across the state received approximately $10 million in federal funds through the federal POWER grant program.
Representatives of the Appalachian Regional Commission and the federal Economic Development Authority were on hand to give the money to areas that have been hit hard by coal’s decline. The POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) grants total just shy of $39 million for West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio.
West Virginia Third District Congressman Evan Jenkins chose not to criticize the Obama administration’s EPA during his remarks.
“We’re not here necessarily talking about the ‘Why are we in this situation?’ We are talking about the what–what can we do to build the future?”
The future in Appalachia can be a bright one, ARC Federal Co-Chair Earl Gohl said.
“Appalachia is the next great investment opportunity in America,” Gohl said.
Thousands of coal jobs have been lost in the three states during President Barack Obama’s two-term presidency. Many coal companies have filed for bankruptcy. Communities have felt the brunt of the fallout. The Mingo County Commission could vote as early as Thursday on additional county layoffs.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said Wednesday on MetroNews “Talkline” that while the Obama administration deserves part of the blame for its policies, it’s time to move on.
“We’ve got to think about the future. We can’t think about the past. As long as we continue to do the things we’ve always been doing we’re going to continue to get the same results,” Tomblin said.
The West Virginia portion of the grants includes $200,000 for a strategic plan for the former Hobet mountaintop removal mining site. Tomblin believes the site should be converted into a large industrial site for southern West Virginia.
“These kind of grants lets us look forward to thinking about what our future is going to be like in a different way than we have in the past rather than just status quo,” Tomblin said.
Some of the projects on the receiving end of the nearly $10 million in West Virginia include:
$200,000 for development of a strategic plan for the Hobet surface mine site in Boone and Lincoln counties.
$1,870,000 to the Coalfield Development Corporation in Wayne for the Appalachian Social Entrepreneurship Investment Strategy.
$1,250,000 to the Natural Capital Investment Fund, Inc. in Shepherdstown for the Growing Triple Bottom Line Small Businesses in Coal Impacted Communities in Central Appalachia project.
$967,500 to the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority in Beckley for the New River Gorge Region – Developing an Entrepreneurial Economy project.
$1,500,000 to the Bluewell Public Service District in Bluefield for the Mercer County Regional Airport Development and Diversification Initiative.
$1,372,275 to the Hatfield McCoy Regional Recreation Authority in Man for the Southern Coalfields Sustainable Tourism & Entrepreneurship Program.
$2,196,450 to the Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education in Charleston for the EntreEd K-14: Every Student, Every Year project.
$622,500 to the Randolph County Development Authority in Elkins for the Hardwood Cluster Manufacturing Expansion Project.
$10,000 to the EdVenture Group to provide grant-writing assistance to apply for a POWER Implementation grant to train displaced workers in computer coding and other IT skills.
Other grant information can be seen here.