ARC announced 40 Fellows who will be participating in the inaugural class of the Appalachian Leadership Institute. The class draws on each one of Appalachia’s 13 states, and includes public policy, community development, education, investment, and other professionals who live and/or work in the Region.

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved FY 2020 Energy & Water Development Appropriations, which includes $175 million for ARC. The full Senate is expected to take up the bill later this month.

ARC’s Substance Abuse Advisory Council (SAAC) presented a final Report of Recommendations outlining proposed steps for supporting a robust recovery ecosystem in Appalachia, including developing community playbooks, model workforce training programs, employer toolkits, and community navigation programs.

ARC has released a new synopsis report of the Recovery-to-Work listening sessions hosted by the Commission in six states (AL, KY, NC, OH, VA, WV) from December 2018-April 2019. The report summarizes the outcome of those community-based discussions and identifies five common themes that ARC should consider when addressing the…

On June 19, the U.S. House of Representative passed the FY 2020 Energy & Water Development Appropriations Act, which includes $170 million for ARC.

The House Appropriations Committee approved FY 2020 Energy & Water Development Appropriations, which includes $170 million for ARC (the highest non-highway funding in ARC's history). The House is expected to consider the full Appropriations bill in June. Senate action is pending.

ARC announced the formation of the Substance Abuse Advisory Council (SAAC), a 24-member volunteer advisory group of leaders from law enforcement, recovery services, health, economic development, private industry, education, state government and other sectors. The SAAC will develop recommendations for ARC to consider as part of a strategic plan to…

The final reports in the Creating a Culture of Health in Appalachia research initiative are a set of three issue briefs created to help inform community efforts related to the specific, prevalent Appalachian health issues of obesity, opioid misuse, and smoking. This brief summarizes relevant health statistics, offers key strategies…

On April 8, 2019, ARC began accepting applications for the inaugural class of the Appalachian Leadership Institute a new leadership and economic development training opportunity for community leaders who currently live and/or work in Appalachia. The Appalachian Leadership Institute is an extensive nine-month program focusing on skill-building, seminars, best practice…

On April 3, 2019, ARC announced announced $3.3 million to continue supporting economic diversification in the Region’s coal-impacted communities through the POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative. These investments focus on strengthening responses to the substance abuse crisis Kentucky and Ohio, and building a sustainable local…

In February 2019, ARC released a state-by-state overview of the Commission’s fiscal year 2018 economic development investments in the Appalachian Region. The overview includes 13 state investment fact sheets, as well as a companion fact sheet outlining ARC’s regional investments during the fiscal year.

On February 21, 2019, ARC announced announced $22.8 million to expand and diversify the economy in Appalachia’s coal-impacted communities through the POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative. These 33 awards are projected to create or retain nearly 1,000 jobs, benefit over 3,300 students and workers, and…

Strengthening Economic Resilience in Appalachia, identifies factors common across communities experiencing persistent economic growth in the aftermath of the 2008 Recession and other economic disruptions. The research includes a statistical analysis of key factors common to economic resilience, as well as a guidebook featuring ten communities that have rebounded after…

Chosen by his fellow Appalachian governors to serve as the Commission's 2019 states' co-chair, Cooper will work directly with the ARC federal co-chair in this leadership role to continue the agency's commitment to economic growth in the 13-state Appalachian Region.

ARC will host 150 students from 15 Appalachian based colleges and universities at the 18th annual Appalachian Teaching Project Conference in Washington, D.C. Supported by ARC and organized by the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services at East Tennessee State University (ETSU), ATP is an applied-research training program for college…