Grow Rural PA awarded a Department of Energy Grant for $100,000
Ridgway, PA – Grow Rural PA, an Elk County-based nonprofit, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management. The grant program, Capacity Building for Repurposing Energy Assets, is to assist communities in repurposing their energy assets, assets such as retired land mines, oil and gas facilities, and associated equipment and infrastructure. Grow Rural PA will develop a plan using retired assets to produce clean energy and raw materials, and to expand workforce opportunities for regional advanced manufacturers. Grow Rural PA is one of only eight organizations across the nation to have received a grant award under this program funding.
Grow Rural PA will use the funds to engage the technical support necessary to develop a roadmap for future energy infrastructure development on retired mines and for the production of feedstock from the reclaimed mines. Grow Rural PA will also be developing a community benefits plan to ensure that this project creates opportunities and builds prosperity for ourcommunities.
In the announcement by the DOE on January 11, Brad Crabtree, Assistant Secretary of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, said, “The local initiatives funded through this program will help drive regional economic growth and technological innovation, while capitalizing on the skillsets of the existing workforce, providing new jobs and opportunities in areas such as sustainable energy technology development and advanced manufacturing.”
“We are excited to be chosen by the DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management as a partner in this initiative,” said Deborah Pontzer, President of Grow Rural PA. “Our region is uniquely positioned to seize this opportunity. With a long legacy of coal mining and a vibrant economy powdered by carbon/graphite and powdered metal producers, these funds will provide the technical capacity needed to keep our regional economy strong and to help it grow. In addition to workforce development, Grow Rural PA will develop a plan for repurposing mined lands for clean energy infrastructure and for producing feedstock for regional carbon, graphite, and powdered metal producers.”
Grow Rural PA is an Elk County-based 501(c)(3) serving the rural communities of northcentral and northwestern Pennsylvania. It assists communities and organizations by providing technical and management assistance, building human capital capacity, and supporting infrastructure development. Grow Rural PA also works with policymakers, and state and federal agencies, on the value of investing in rural, geographically-underserved communities to improve their access to adequate and equitable resources.