Contact: Janiene Bohannon
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 28, 2021—President Biden’s FY 2022 Budget Proposal, released today, requests $235 million for the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), and the American Jobs Plan includes an additional $1 billion for ARC’s Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) initiative, a competitive grant program to help coal-impacted communities. The funds for POWER would be spread over five years and would significantly scale up the impact of the initiative in communities hurt by job losses in the coal industry.
“The President’s budget demonstrates his steadfast commitment to the work already underway to transform Appalachia’s economic future through ARC’s programs,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle C. Manchin. “Moreover, the proposed funding for POWER will allow ARC to more adequately meet the overwhelming needs of communities impacted by job losses resulting from the decline in the coal industry. These ARC grants will be instrumental to the long-term diversification and economic growth in Appalachia.”
The annual discretionary appropriation of $235 million includes $118 million for ARC’s base program; $72 million for POWER; $32 million to bolster activities in Appalachia’s distressed communities through work in broadband, infrastructure, and workforce development; and $13 million for ARC’s Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) initiative, which supports workforce reentry for those suffering from substance use disorders.
The proposed budget will serve as the basis for congressional discussion of funding for individual agencies, with the final decision on agency funding levels to be made by Congress as part of the regular appropriations process later this year. ARC’s FY 2022 Performance Budget Justification is available here and at www.arc.gov/budget.
About POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization)
POWER (arc.gov/power) is a congressionally funded initiative that targets federal resources to help communities and regions that have been affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supply chain industries due to the changing economics of America’s energy production. ARC has invested over $238 million in 293 projects touching 353 counties across Appalachia since 2015. ARC is working with Chamberlin/Dunn LLC, a third-party research firm, to monitor, analyze, and evaluate these investments.
About INSPIRE (INvestments Supporting Partnerships In Recovery Ecosystems)
INSPIRE (arc.gov/sud) addresses the substance use disorder crisis by creating or expanding a recovery ecosystem that will lead to workforce entry or re-entry. Successful projects will support the post-treatment to employment continuum, which could include investments in healthcare networks that support substance abuse recovery professionals, recovery-focused job training programs, as well as initiatives designed to coordinate, or link, recovery services and traini
About the Appalachian Regional Commission
The Appalachian Regional Commission (www.arc.gov) 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.