Interagency Working Group executive director to close out West Virginia Manufacturers Association conference

Anderson is expected to speak about the Working Group’s mission, what it means for the region’s drive to maximize the benefits of downstream natural gas development and the region’s energy future.

The IWG was established by Executive Order 14008, Section 218, on Jan. 27 to ensure that the shift to a clean-energy economy creates good-paying union jobs, spurs economic revitalization, remediates environmental degradation and supports energy workers in coal, oil and gas and power plant communities across the country.

Anderson, who began his career at West Virginia University in 2006 as an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, said he has been a longtime proponent of finding ways for the residents of energy communities to add value to their region’s natural resources.

“When you add value to those resources, you in fact add wealth to the communities,” he said. “So that is kind of core to my economic development mantra that I’ve lived by for years.”

As the Biden administration looks for ways to achieve its ambitious policy goals to address climate change and reduce the nation’s carbon emissions, it must also take steps to take care of impacted workers and communities, Anderson said.

“Right now, when we’re looking at the goals of the administration — of decarbonizing the electricity fleet by net zero by 2035 and getting 50% decarbonized by 2030 and decarbonizing the U.S. economy by 2050 — those are very large shifts in the way that we produce and use energy,” he said.

“So if we create economic dislocation like that ... then what we need to do is ensure that the traditional energy communities — like coal, power plants and other fossil energy communities — have the resources at their disposal to navigate that transition in a way that we can create family-sustaining careers.”

The IWG recently issued an initial report of findings and suggestions to catalyze economic development in traditional energy communities, which included plans for $109.5 million in funding for projects directly supporting job creation.

The $109.5 million also includes $75 million in funding opportunity to engineer carbon-capture projects and $19.5 million in funding awards for critical mineral extraction from coal and associated waste streams, according to information from the DOE.

The report identified nearly $38 billion in existing federal funding that could be accessed by energy communities for infrastructure, environmental remediation, union job creation, and community revitalization efforts.

The funding includes the over $260 million in existing resources already mobilized by the Department of the Interior to support abandoned mine land reclamation, predominantly in Appalachia.

Next on the IWG’s agenda is holding a series of town hall meetings throughout the 25 “priority geographies” hard-hit by declines in coal production and consumption identified in its initial report, Anderson said.

“A one-size-fits-all model will not work and so it is an extremely high priority of mine and the entire Interagency working group to learn as much as we can about the real situation on the ground, the resources that are at the communities disposal and the efforts that have already been undertaken,” he said. “Then identifying some pathways for us to be able to amplify it across the Interagency Working Group.”

Areas in West Virginia identified by the initial report include the “Southern West Virginia non-metropolitan area,” the Wheeling area, the “Northern West Virginia non-metropolitan area,” Beckley and Charleston, which includes more than 40 of the state’s 55 counties.

These meetings will lead to partnerships with local stakeholders like regional planning groups and economic development administrations, Anderson said.

Other speakers for Tuesday’s conference include Jim Wood of the West Virginia University Energy Institute, Craig Cookson of the American Chemistry Council and Grey Hoyer of Diversified Energy.

Rebecca McPhail, president of the WV Manufacturers Association, said the industry group’s annual event was forced to go virtual last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While we enjoyed the challenge of presenting last year’s content virtually, the WVMA and its members are excited to bring everyone together in a safe way for more great energy and manufacturing conversation and content,” she said. “Looking to industry and policy leaders the MMDC offers updates on key issues, insight on roadblocks to development, and the outlook for key industries.”

The 10th annual Marcellus & Manufacturing Development Conference is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Morgantown Marriott at Waterfront Place.