INDUSTRY INSIDER
Coal Power plant at dusk. photo: By leungchopan
Interagency Working Group: “Major Announcement” Would Be Made Soon The
public should be prepared to hear about a "major an-
nouncement" from one of President Joe Biden's Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization, according to the executive director.
O
ne of the 11 member agencies of the IWG, according to Brian Anderson, who is also the director of the (NETL) National Energy Technology Laboratory, is anticipated to unveil a new program soon. "I can't tell which agency is up next until we make it public," he said, "but we're working on a huge announcement from
one of the other agencies about how they'll be investing in coal, energy, and power plant areas across the country." On Jan. 27, the IWG was established by Executive Order 14008, Section 218 to ensure that the transition to a clean-energy economy creates good-paying union jobs, stimulates economic revitalization, mitigates environmental degradation,
38 | SKILLINGS MINING REVIEW November 2021
and revamps energy workers in coal, oil, and gas communities across the country. "This isn't the time for half-measures. We must take risks. So, to be clear, this includes assisting towns around coal, oil, gas, and power plants in revitalizing their economy. When Biden announced the order, he said, "We have to start by creating new, good-paying jobs, capping abandoned wells, reclaiming mines, and transforming old brownfield sites into new hubs of economic growth." "We'll work with mayors, governors, tribal
