This past week grant funding from the federal and state government was announced that should be very important in helping Southwest Virginia’s economy. We will be receiving $8.4 million in Appalachian Regional Commission Grants, with three of these grants in our immediate area. One million dollars has been allocated to move forward with the Amtrak passenger rail station in Cambria (Christiansburg). Radford was awarded slightly more than $250,000 to help local businesses and to develop its New River waterfront. Lastly, the New River Valley Regional Commission was granted $100,000 to explore local housing inventory and affordability.
Another $7.3 million will be going to Southwest Virginia coal-impacted communities from the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization Program (AMLER). None of this funding is going directly to our immediate area, but it’s still great to hear that our neighbors are getting help. Very locally we are ineligible as we do not have any historical coal mining communities. The goal of these grants is to support business, help develop a workforce not dependent on coal mining, and invest in things such as healthcare, emergency services, transportation infrastructure and job creation.
Living in this region, we all may want to celebrate these grants. But before we do, perhaps it is important to remember that the grant funding comes from our tax dollars. Many voters in our region support lowering (or even eliminating) taxes – so if successful there would not be money available for these types of grants. Would it be better to lower taxes and not have funds awarded to help communities needing support?
Particularly in the case of areas where coal mining used to support the local economy, people have been suffering. Clearly, coal is disappearing as a practical source of energy. Its use is rapidly declining around the world as well as in the United States. Some coal will continue to be used for a while as utilities try to get full value from their expensive existing power plants. Still, it is only a matter of time before the last remaining coal-fired power plants are closed. Coal is too expensive to mine, transport and burn — other energy sources are cheaper. Communities that have depended on jobs related to coal need to change their economic base. That’s very difficult to do. Without local jobs, young people often move away. Long-term residents have been finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. Changing to new industry requires investment, which is the intent of the AMLER.
This column ends with a question – is it worth it to pay taxes that support these grants? Should we instead always look to minimize taxes, knowing that we will not have any ability to help communities needing support as times change? Or to get any help if needed for ourselves? Should we even refuse these current grants – which would be consistent with a view that taxes should be minimized? Or are we okay with some taxes going to help communities transition to better lives? That question is something particularly important to think about during an election season, and as we celebrate our new tax supported grants helping us locally.
