OREANDA-NEWS. The White House made available \$35.5mn in grants yesterday for communities and workers facing economic distress from declines in the coal and power industries.

The federal funds come from multiple agencies. The US Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration is setting aside \$20mn, along with \$12.5mn from the Department of Commerce, \$2.5mn from the Small Business Administration and \$500,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission, an agency supporting economic development across 13 states in the Appalachian region.

"Recent changes in the energy economy have had a profound impact on Appalachian families and communities that have been sustained by the coal industry for generations," US secretary of labor Thomas E. Perez said during a summit in Pikeville, Kentucky, on regional strategies for growth and development.

The funding will go toward grants to develop and implement local and regional job-training programs. The agencies released details on three grant applications, which are due on 10 July.

The grants are part of President Barack Obama's Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER+) initiative, an inter-agency effort to assist communities and workers suffering economically from declines in the coal and power industries.

Competing fuel resources such as natural gas and renewables are challenging regions that rely on the coal industry for jobs and revenue.

Private and public institutions, non-profits, states and local governments, Native American tribal governments and other applicants are eligible. Applicants must document that they face economic distress, which is defined as having an average unemployment rate at least one percentage point higher than the national average; having 80pc lower per capita income than the national average; or fitting the Commerce Department Economic Development Administration's definition of "special need."