Founded in 2020, Reimagine Appalachia (RA) is a coalition of over 200 organizations, elected officials, and faith leaders, born of a broad recognition that the economy has not been working for most people and places in the Ohio River Valley. For more than two centuries, corporations have extracted enormous wealth from the Valley while leaving its residents with high rates of poverty and low wages. Meanwhile, those same corporations scarred the land with abandoned mines and poisoned rivers. Fortunately, recent federal economic stimulus and national climate change legislation present opportunities to bring much-needed resources into the region. RA’s coalition is seizing this generational opportunity to help people of the region build a 21st-century Appalachia that’s good for workers, communities, and the environment. This is a vision where everyone has a good-paying job with good benefits, and responsible employers help protect the environment and the health of the people who live in it.
ReImagine Appalachia is run by 8 independent contractors and 10-12 volunteers, supporting the 200 members of its coalition. Collectively, the coalition serves the Ohio River Valley’s 25 million residents, comprising large portions of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, and all of West Virginia. RA works to build equitable, thriving communities, and to preserve and revitalize the environment. Recent initiatives include a labor team working with DOI and DOL to provide guidance on work related to abandoned mine land reclamation, a “Grant of the Month” series highlighting federal funding, and several working groups. Some of the working groups include a clean and efficient manufacturing team, community benefit agreements team, redeveloping shuttered coal plants, and more. Additionally, RA has developed resources and toolkits to help local communities gain access to federal climate funds while maintaining control over their use through community Benefit Agreements.
For more information:
ReImagine Appalachia plans co-ops to kick-start new energy economy – Public News Service, March 2022
Contact
Natalia Rudiak, Director of Special Projects
Website
Social Media
Climate Impacts
Water Contamination
Strategies
Community Organizing and Education, Green Infrastructure, Nature-Based Solutions, Policy Reform, Political activism, including protests, petitions, and lobbying, Renewable Energy
501c3 Tax Deductible
Yes
Accepting Donations
Yes