Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jim Tressel, and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik announced that more than $6 million in federal funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is heading to five distinct projects. Designed to tackle coal-related job losses, the new investments target workforce resilience, career-readiness pipelines, and vital infrastructure upgrades across the state’s Appalachian counties.
Confronting Decades of Industrial Shift in Appalachian Ohio
Generations of dedicated residents throughout Appalachia have fueled Ohio and the entire country, establishing resilient towns anchored by sectors vital to our expansion. Governor DeWine emphasized the state’s responsibility to ensure they are investing in those same communities and the people who call them home.
The capital injection comes directly from the federal Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative. This federal program specifically targets communities impacted by the downturn of the coal industry, funding localized solutions that can spark sustainable, long-term economic diversification.
Forging Stronger Pipelines From Classroom to Career
According to Lt. Governor Tressel, economic vitality begins with equipping residents with actionable, modern skills. The awarded projects focus heavily on forging robust student-to-career pipelines and delivering advanced training programs designed to increase workforce resiliency.
In tandem with workforce training, a portion of the $6 million will fund infrastructure improvements to allow for the expansion of local industry. These physical improvements are meant to clear the path for local industries to expand their footprints, hire more regional talent, and successfully compete on a global scale.
Coordinating Across State and Federal Agencies
Securing these federal dollars required close coordination across multiple levels of government. Assisting local development districts within Ohio’s Appalachian territory, the Governor’s Office of Appalachia—functioning as a unit of the Ohio Department of Development—helped surface eligible project ideas and guided them through the federal application procedure.
Director Mihalik pointed to local collaboration as the engine behind Ohio’s economic gains over the past eight years. By bringing together municipal leaders, educators, local employers, and workforce development partners, the POWER Initiative aligns everyone behind unified, locally driven projects that create opportunity, strengthen our workforce, and position Appalachian Ohio for long-term success.
Expanding a Historic National Investment Wave
On the national scale, ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin noted that this latest announcement is the ARC’s largest POWER investment since the initiative was launched in 2015. To date, the program has projects impacting 365 counties across Appalachia.
As these five new Ohio projects break ground, they carry the weight of a historic industrial transition. They offer a tangible roadmap for how legacy communities can pivot toward advanced training and new industrial sectors.
