COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 10, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development in Ohio, together with the Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Coal and Power Plant Communities, hosted a day-long event September 30, at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio, to provide economic and community development assistance to Appalachian Ohio communities impacted by coal and power plant shutdowns.
The workshop featured a series of panels where representatives from local, state and federal agencies discussed ways to increase opportunities for public and private investment for communities across the region looking to transition their economies.
“Sometimes people just don’t know what resources are available and how to access them,” said Jonathan McCracken, State Director for USDA Rural Development in Ohio and event co-host. “This day-long workshop is designed to look at areas of Appalachian Ohio where there is a need and provide ways to address them.”
Organizations represented included the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC); the Governor’s Office of Appalachia; the National Telecommunications and Information Administration; JobsOhio; USDA Rural Development; Coalfield Development; the Ohio Valley Regional Development Council; OSU Extension; and the United Steelworkers.
“I think the value was the chance to talk with some folks that many of us had not seen before, so when you get a group like this together there’s an obvious networking benefit,” said Chris Shaffer, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy at Shawnee State University. “What’s great about USDA is that it is able to attract people to come to an event like this where the message was focused on practical solutions.”
Representatives helped attendees focus on setting conditions in communities that can attract and grow business, and they discussed myriad funding opportunities, capacity building, workforce development, and where to go for information.
“Communities need to be prepared to do the work that sets conditions for development to come in,” said McCracken. “Doing the groundwork so that communities are ready when the opportunities come – we have the resources, it is just a matter of putting them to work.”
Central to the discussion was the importance of collaboration and having a plan. Developing a roadmap to success – knowing where to go and what the needs are - is the first step. Also, communities should focus on improving areas of weakness while building on established strengths.
“We’ve talked a lot about these things for decades, but now there is money behind it, and we have the tools, so now is the time to take advantage of it,” said McCracken. “Different communities have different needs, and we are here to help make connections across the ‘federal family.’”
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USDA Rural Development has five offices in Ohio – Columbus, Findlay, Hillsboro, Marietta, and Massillon. To learn more about investment resources for rural areas in Ohio, call (614) 255-2400 or visit our website at https://www.rd.usda.gov/oh.
Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) are part of the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization (Energy Communities IWG) and were established to create a nationwide network of assistance that is focused and sustainable in a community or region. Assistance is driven by locally identified needs and supported with federal, state, local, and outside expert resources. To learn more about RRTs visit our website at https://energycommunities.gov/technical-assistance/rapid-response-teams/.
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