The Washington government released a $28 million in federal grants to 13 coal producing states to to help them cope with the decline of the coal industry.
With the announcement of the Obama administration, there is more than $66 million has been awarded this year to 71 projects that aim to avoid worker to displace from coal company bankruptcies.
Competitive grants are part of President Barrack Obama's Power Initiative that provides federal resources to fund locally created initiatives that help communities affected by coal. An example of which is the University of Utah which will be receiving $790,000 to test whether technology to convert coal into carbon fiber materials can be used in different industries.
Another example is the Friends of South Virginia which is a non-profit group. They will be receiving $3 million to boost the burgeoning tourism industry in the once prolific coal region. Wise County, VA will also get a $2.2 million to train workers for jobs in the emerging drone industry.
Democratic and Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton also made a proposal of $30 billion plan to support the economic transition of the coal dependent region which will build Obama's Power Initiative. Trevor Houser-Clinton's energy adviser-said at a policy debate with Congressman Kevin Cramer-Donald Trump's Energy adviser-that it is market dynamics and not regulations that we have led a coal's decline.
Trevor Houser also said "We owe it to coal communities to have an honest conversation about what's happening in the market and not offer false promises to them to recreate a coal economy that we left decades ago."
Cramer also said that programs like Power and Clinton's transitional proposal are the type of management that liberals like to utilize instead of relaxing rules to let coal complete with energy sources.
Still the future of the Power program is uncertain and will still depends on who will win the presidential election on November 8.
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