WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 27, 2015) – In Lexington, Kentucky today, the Obama administration announced details of the POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative that allocates a range of federal resources and programs to coal communities and workers impacted by America’s energy transition, particularly in Appalachia. The initiative is part of the larger POWER+ Plan and would provide grants to impacted communities to help plan for economic development opportunities and implement workforce development strategies—make investments in workers and technologies to help as America continues its energy transition.

BlueGreen Alliance’s Executive Director, Kim Glas recognized the administration’s leadership on these issues in the following statement:

“The POWER+ Plan takes steps to invest in affected workers and communities, mitigate these impacts and connect workers with the necessary resources so they can arrive on the other side of this energy transition with new skills. We applaud the administration for this plan.

“We’re all shareholders in America’s energy future. We look forward to continuing to work with the Obama administration and Congress to handle this energy transition the right way—by protecting workers and communities and growing cleaner, more reliable energy for us all.”