PA Environment Digest Blog: Appalachian Regional Commission Selects Job Training, Revitalization Groups For Communities Impacted By Coal, Power Plant Closures; Underserved, Marginalized Communities; 5 In PA Serving Coal, Oil & Gas Counties

On August 29, the Appalachian Regional Commission announced the 30 community foundations, serving communities in 10 Appalachian states, selected to participate in READY Community Foundations.

One of four tailored tracks under ARC’s capacity-building initiative, READY Appalachia, READY Community Foundations provides no-cost training and funding access to help Appalachia’s local philanthropic organizations improve their programming, operations, fundraising and financial impact.

Across all learning tracks, special emphasis will be placed on serving Appalachia’s most underrepresented communities, including economically distressed areas, counties targeted by the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities, and marginalized populations.

The Pennsylvania foundations selected are--

-- Community Foundation for the Twin Tiers, based in Sayre, Bradford County (major conventional oil & gas, shale gas (#4 in gas production) county)

-- Community Foundation of Fayette County, based in Uniontown, Fayette County (major coal, conventional oil & gas county)

-- Community Foundation of Monroe County, based in Stroudsburg, Monroe County

-- Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains, based in Montrose, Susquehanna County (major conventional oil & gas, shale gas (#1 in gas production) county)

-- Bridge Builders Community Foundation, based in Franklin, Venango County (major conventional oil & gas county)

All of the READY Community Foundations participants serve at least one of the following:

-- Distressed areas and census tracts

-- Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities priority communities

-- Rural Partners Network Community Networks communities

-- Historically underserved and marginalized populations

Following completion of the training program, participants will be eligible to apply for up to $25,000 in funding (no match required) to implement internal capacity-building projects that will help them better serve Appalachian Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

“ARC remains committed to providing our Appalachian communities with the resources they need to build toward a prosperous future, including training to strengthen community foundation capacity,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “Through the training provided by READY Community Foundations, Appalachia’s philanthropic organizations will be better able to respond to community needs and foster economic development in the areas they serve.”

Click Here for complete announcement.

Resource NewsClips:

-- Post-Gazette: 5 PA Foundations Selected For Job Training And Funding Program In Bradford, Fayette, Monroe, Susquehanna, Venango Counties

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Rural Revitalization Commission Wants To Tackle Local Capacity Problems

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - August 24 to 30 - Water Pipeline Blowout; 9-Year-Old Hits Conventional Gas Well; 5 Abandoned Shale Gas Wells [PaEN]

-- Range Resources Shale Gas Water Pipeline Suffers Blowout In Washington County [PaEN]

-- 9-Year-Old Drives Tractor Into Conventional Well Causing Gas Leak [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - August 31 [PaEN]

-- DEP Posted 66 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In August 31 PA Bulletin [PaEN]

-- Sept. 19 Webinar: A Year Later: Have Leaders Addressed Health Concerns From Natural Gas Development Raised In University Of Pittsburgh Public Health Studies? [PaEN]

-- DEP Oil & Gas Technical Advisory Board Meets Sept. 5 On Strategies To Prevent Well Abandonments; Injection Well Primacy; Tracking Water Contamination; Other Topics [PaEN]