The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced USD425m in additional funding for the Advanced Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program to help former coal communities adapt to the clean energy transition, as reported by ESG Today on March 8. Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the program is designed to support current and former coal communities in producing and recycling clean energy products and in decarbonizing their facilities. Building upon the first round of investments of USD275m in 2023, the new funding round will prioritize two investment themes. The first kind, already funded by the first round, includes projects that establish, re-equip, or expand existing manufacturing or recycling facilities to boost advanced energy. The second is the building or upgrading of manufacturing facilities that drasticallyreduce carbon emissions or create low-carbon materials.

The DOE aims to ensure communities that have experienced the shutdown of coal mines or coal-fired power plants take full advantage of the clean energy transition by expanding economic opportunities for them. The move also aligns with the Biden administration’s broader Justice40 Initiative aimed at fair climate transition. Introduced in 2021, the initiative directs federal agencies to deliver 40% of the overall benefits from certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that have been historically marginalized and overburdened by pollution and underinvestment.

Sources:

https://www.esgtoday.com/biden-administration-invests-425-million-in-clean-energy-and-decarbonization-projects-in-former-coal-communities/

https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-announces-425-million-decarbonize-and-manufacture-clean-energy

https://www.energy.gov/mesc/advanced-energy-manufacturing-and-recycling-grants

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