On April 26, a group of 60 organizations and elected officials spanning the Appalachian region have crafted and delivered an open letter to Congress urging the support of crucial investments for flood recovery and resilience in their communities.

The letter underscores the urgent need for decisive action as the region grapples with the intensifying impacts of climate change and increasing flood events.

The letter states, in part: "Appalachian communities are home to rich assets — including our land, water, heritage, and people — and many of our organizations and local governments are working to leverage these assets as we diversify and strengthen our local economies."

It then goes on to detail the specific investments needed to help these communities cope with the realities of historic disinvestment alongside a changing energy and economic landscape.

Federal programs are vital for supporting communities through this period of economic transition.

The letter urges support for federal programs investing in flood resiliency, workforce development, and worker protections, support for working families, protections for coal communities, and economic development.

It calls on Congress to protect these investments from cuts and ensure that the agencies implementing these programs are properly funded.

Reflecting on the importance of these investments, ReImagine Appalachia, Senior Program Manager, Dana Kuhnline said, "In order for new investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other federal funding to be successful, we have to make sure that the agencies that implement them have the funding to operate. Investing in programs like cleaning up abandoned mines and scaling up renewable energy without giving the agencies the funding they need to implement them is like building a car but not putting an engine in it."

"The problems that Appalachia faces are complex and interconnected," Kuhnline continued. "We need a holistic, comprehensive approach to these issues, and that's what this letter represents."

Several of the recommended programs for funding include--

Flood Resiliency

Over the last decade, there have been nearly 20 federally declared flooding disasters across Kentucky, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Ohio. These climate disasters compound Appalachia’s existing struggles, and stymie both economic development and long-term resilience across the region.

The following priorities would bolster flood recovery and resilience programs in ways that will directly benefit Appalachian communities:

-- $60 million for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Disaster Home Repair Program, including expanded use of those funds to support private bridge repair and rebuilding.

-- $700 million for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program, and $2 billion for FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure Communities (BRIC) program. Both of these competitive grant programs provide essential support for flood recovery and resilience, including for nature-based hazard mitigation, and both are highly oversubscribed.

-- $400 million for FEMA’s Flood Hazard Mapping and Risk Analysis program. More expansive and accurate maps are needed, particularly in rural Appalachian communities, as historically mapping efforts have targeted higher population areas.

-- $50 million for the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Federal Priority Streamgages network. USGS should prioritize deploying those additional streamgages in Appalachia, given the region’s increasing risk from extreme precipitation events.

-- $100 million for USGS’s Cooperative Matching Funds Program, which helps support the

National Streamflow Network. This network is a key source for tracking and analyzing potential flood events.

-- $30 million for the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) and $60 million for Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE). Sustainable agriculture practices are one of the most cost effective ways to protect water quality.

Protections for Coal Communities

Congress must shore up key protections for coal miners and mine safety as well as ensure that communities are not left with the burden of dangerous and polluting unreclaimed coal mines.

-- $304.8 million for Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE). It is crucial that OSMRE have the operating budget to provide oversight, enforcement, and

administration. This should include funding for the OSMRE to publicly report the full scope of the “zombie” coal mine problem.

-- $5 million to the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI). This funding would allow ARRI to scale up its reforestation and revegetation program on coal mined lands, which has many community benefits, including reduced severity of flooding impacts.

-- $12.19 million for the HRSA Black Lung Clinics Program to support miners with black lung.

-- $406.5 million for the Mine Safety and Health Administration budget, including funding to support the agency’s enforcement of the silica dust rule.

-- $8 million to support the work of the Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization. This program was established in 2021 with the goal of fostering economic revitalization of these communities and coordinating the identification and delivery of federal resources to revitalize the economies of coal, oil and gas, and power plant communities.

-- $5 million for the Department of Energy Clean Energy on Mine Land Program to continue its work to advance clean energy on degraded lands initially authorized under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Click Here for a complete list of recommended program funding.

Groups and individuals joining the letter that work in Pennsylvania include--

Center for Coalfield Justice

Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund

Councilwoman Kara Scott, Bowmanstown Borough Council, Bowmanstown, PA

Councilwoman Anita Prizio, Allegheny County Council, Allegheny County, PA

Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR)

Keystone Research Center

Landforce

Mayor Lindsay Fraser, Brackenridge Borough, Allegheny County, PA

Pasa Sustainable Agriculture

PennFuture

Protect Franklin Park

Protect PT (Penn-Trafford)

Steel Valley Authority

Sustainable Pittsburgh

Three Rivers Waterkeeper

Click Here for a complete list and a copy of the letter.

Visit the ReImagine Appalachia website for more on initiatives to build a 21st Century economy that’s good for workers, communities and the environment.

[Posted: April 26, 2024]

4/29/2024