Utah project a finalist in Build Back Better Regional Challenge
(The Center Square) – A project developed by the Utah Office of Energy Development is a finalist in the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Build Back Better Regional Challenge, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The Utah Energy Diversification and Innovation (UEDI) Coalition Cluster project would “diversify Utah’s rural South, Southeast, East and Central regional economy away from deep dependency on coal mining and coal-powered energy to an interstate regional producer of diverse, reliable, low-carbon power and energy technologies,” according to information from the Commerce Department.
The Utah project is one of 12 located in a coal community. The EDA is allocating $100 million as part of its Coal Communities Commitment. A total of $3 billion is in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to support the coal industry as it recovers from the pandemic, according to the news release.
“We are thrilled to be a finalist in the U.S. EDA’s $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge,” officials with the Utah Office of Energy Development said in a Twitter post. “Our coalition is working to supercharge the economy and bring new jobs to rural Utah.”
The department received $500,000. That money could be used to continue the development of the project as it competes in Phase 2 of the challenge. An additional $100 million will be awarded to 20 to 30 regional coalitions, according to the news release.
The Commerce Department named 60 projects as finalists out of 529 applicants, according to the news release. Funding for the $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge comes from ARPA. The goal of the challenge is to “assist communities nationwide in their efforts to build back better by accelerating economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and building local economies that will be resilient to future economic shocks,” according to the challenge’s fact sheet.
“We are thrilled to help communities work together in coalitions of government, nonprofits, academia, the private sector, and others to craft ambitious and regionally unique plans to rebuild their communities,” said Alejandra Castillo, assistant secretary of commerce for economic development. “These projects will help revitalize local economies and tackle our biggest challenges related to climate change, manufacturing, supply chains and more.”
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