Providing stackable solar installation tax credits for businesses and individuals, and – for the first time – tax-exempt entities like schools and non-profits, IRA could help retool rural economies previously dependent on coal.
Read more from the Benton Institute on the ongoing work focused on how communities can reach their broadband goals—and how philanthropy can help.
Lessons learned from the sixth annual Indigenous Connectivity Summit, where Indigenous community members and digital advocates came together in person for the first time since 2019 to work to advance fast, affordable and sustainable internet for Indigenous communities.
A plan for Western countries to help fund South Africa's transition from coal was difficult to reach, but parties announced an agreement this month. It could be a model for other countries.
The Department of the Interior announced that the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) is making $122.5 million in fiscal year 2022 funding for Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) grants available to eligible states and Tribes.
The effort to help displaced coal workers had a rocky start, but there is better coordination across the state and a few grant awards are initiating programs to get the ball rolling.
New projects in Appalachia show how the region can seize on a growing wave of climate infrastructure investment to build a workforce that is diverse, well-paid, and protected by strong labor standards.
“Rural communities are the backbone of our nation, but for too long they’ve been left behind and they have been underrecognized,” Landrieu said. “We all know how essential the internet is in order to access lifesaving telemedicine, to tap into economic opportunity, to connect with loved ones, to work on precision agriculture and so much more. That’s just beyond unacceptable that that’s not available to rural America.”
Staff at Arizona’s utility regulator say customers shouldn’t be charged more to fund a $144 million just transition package for the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe and other coal communities.
Our reflections on the 2022 National Convening and how we plan to help coal communities seize this historic moment.
The Just Transition Fund, the only national philanthropic initiative focused solely on coal community economic transition, is launching its new Federal Access Center, a one-stop resource hub that will build on JTF’s track record of helping coal communities secure public funding for local economic solutions.
The Appalachian Regional Commission is granting $47 million to 52 projects aimed at economic diversification in communities affected by job losses in the coal industry.
