More Than 100 Organizations, Local Governments Urge Congress to Protect Coal Communities in Budget Process
More than 100 organizations, local governments, community development entities, and labor unions today sent a letter to Congress in support of funding for critical federal agencies and programs that have been most active in targeting assistance to communities and workers adapting to shifts in energy generation.
The letter calls on Congress to reject the Trump administration’s FY18 Budget Blueprint, which leaves coal communities and workers behind by eliminating funding for agencies—including the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), the Economic Development Administration (EDA) at the Department of Commerce, and a range of other federal programs—designed to provide help to struggling communities.
Coal communities and workers have powered American homes and businesses for more than a century, and they deserve our support as America’s energy landscape changes. Congress should fully fund the agencies and programs responsible for assisting coal communities in diversifying and growing their local economies and providing new opportunities for their workers. We urge Congress to support them.