By Mike Tony, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Three months after a federal work group identified Southern West Virginia as the area of the country most in need of focused U.S. investment because of its high dependence on coal and coal power-plant jobs, Washington has announced a $300 million investment in coal communities nationwide.
The U.S. Economic Development Administration has allocated $300 million of its $3 billion appropriation under the COVID-19 relief package that President Joe Biden signed into law in March to support coal communities.
The $300 million investment announced Thursday includes $100 million made available through a program that invites regional coalitions to apply for funding for projects that are part of a cohesive regional development strategy. That program is the Build Back Better Regional Challenge, which is designed to grow regional industry clusters.
Entities apply for those funds only as part of a regional coalition.
The suggested application submission date is March 15, 2022, but applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Individuals and for-profit entities are not eligible…
