NETL Director Brian Anderson, Ph.D., met recently with Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Federal Co-Chair Tim Thomas in Morgantown, West Virginia, to discuss how the two organizations can collaborate on opportunities that bolster economic and workforce development in the Appalachian region.

The leaders and staff representing NETL and ARC discussed ways both organizations can work together to support development activities in the Appalachian region. Key discussions focused on the transformative research NETL conducts on energy and advanced manufacturing and programs that support future innovation and entrepreneurship based on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). 

During the visit, Thomas and his staff toured NETL’s Morgantown site and visited with scientists to discuss energy research underway including key activities involving advanced modeling and computing.

The meeting was organized by NETL’s Strategic Partnerships group and its Regional Workforce Initiative (RWFI). The mission of NETL’s RWFI is to create a platform for regional stakeholders to engage the Laboratory and other federal agencies in collaborative economic and workforce development efforts that involve NETL technology research, development, commercialization and deployment.

About ARC: Established by an act of Congress in 1965, ARC is composed of the governors of the 13 Appalachian states and a federal co-chair, who is appointed by the president. As a federal-state partnership it works as a regional economic development and granting agency to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in 420 counties across 13 Appalachian states. The Commission’s strategic plan identifies five investment goals intended to create:

• Economic opportunity
• A ready workforce
• Critical infrastructure
• Effective ways to leverage natural and cultural assets
• Leadership and community capacity

In partnership with the states and 73 local development districts, ARC supported 591 projects in Appalachia totaling $152.3 million in fiscal year 2017. These investments have been matched by more than $206.1 million and will attract an additional $735.3 million in leveraged private investments in Appalachia. They will also create or retain more than 21,300 jobs, train and educate more than 29,000 students and workers, and benefit the more than 25 million residents in Appalachia’s 420 counties.

About NETL: NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory that produces technological solutions for America’s energy challenges. From developing creative innovations and efficient energy systems that make coal more competitive, to advancing technologies that enhance oil and natural gas extraction and transmission processes, NETL research is providing breakthroughs and discoveries that support home-grown energy initiatives, stimulate a growing economy, and improve the health, safety, and security of all Americans. Highly skilled men and women at three NETL research sites – Albany, Oregon; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – conduct a broad range of research activities that support DOE’s mission to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States.