WASHINGTON, D.C., February 27, 2018—Today, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) released a state-by-state overview of the Commission’s fiscal year (FY) 2017 economic development investments in the Appalachian Region. The overview includes 13 state fact sheets summarizing ARC’s direct investments in each of the Appalachian states, as well as the matching funds attracted and leveraged private investment dollars generated by these investments. The fact sheets also offer estimates of the number of jobs expected to be created or retained and the numbers of students and/or workers expected to be trained as a result of the investments. Additionally, the sheets detail the percentage of ARC’s investments distributed to counties and areas considered economically distressed, and offer examples of ARC “investments in action” in each state.
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A companion fact sheet outlines ARC’s regional investments during FY 2017. The Commission invested in 591 projects totaling $152.3 million across the Region, attracting more than $206.1 million in matching funds and leveraging an additional $735.3 million in leveraged private investment. These investments will also create or retain an estimated 21,300 jobs, and train and educate more than 29,000 students and workers. ARC investments are made in partnership with the governors of each of the Region’s 13 states and in accordance with the investment goals outlined in The Appalachian Regional Commission’s Five-Year Strategic Plan for Capitalizing on Appalachia’s Opportunities, 2016–2020.
“The Appalachian Regional Commission is a true federal-state partnership. With the support of each of our governors and our state partners, we are helping the Region move closer to reaching socioeconomic parity with the rest of the nation,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Earl F. Gohl. “Each dollar we put in the Region comes back in spades in terms of jobs created, workers trained, and investments leveraged.”
The investment overview complements ARC’s FY 2017 Performance and Accountability Report, a review of the Commission’s regional investments and activities submitted to the Office of Management and Budget. The overview was previewed at ARC’s February 25 Governors Quorum Meeting, held in conjunction with the 2018 National Governors Association Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C. Per ARC statute, the ARC federal co-chair and a quorum of governors representing the Appalachian states are required to meet annually to review the Commission’s operations and activities.
ARC is currently operating with FY 2018 funding provided through a continuing resolution set to expire March 23. The resolution continues the Commission’s funding at its FY 2017 annual level of $152 million, minus a small across-the-board reduction. President Trump’s proposed budget for FY 2019 requests $152 million for ARC.
About the Appalachian Regional Commission
The Appalachian Regional Commission is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the Region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.