Thursday, May 1, 2025
On April 9, 2025 ReImagine Appalachia and the Keystone Research Center released a new study “If You Fund It, They Will Come,” examining public and private investment numbers for the Ohio River Valley Region of Appalachia, and revealing how wide-reaching the impact of those investments is. Co-author Diana Polson dove into the data showing that federal investments from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in particular had a massive impact on the region while co-author Rike Rothenstein presented case studies highlighting new and upgraded manufacturing sites in West Virginia and Ohio. Here is a summary of their report giving you its key findings:
Executive Summary
Federal investments through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) have triggered a clean energy surge across Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia—generating over $23 billion in actual investments (including both public and private investments) between 2022 and 2024, with even more—$23.7 billion—in the pipeline to be spent. These dollars are building battery factories, transforming steelmaking, and laying the groundwork for a new clean energy economy in historically hard-hit Appalachian communities.
Key Takeaways:
- Federal clean energy investment in the region increased 17-fold in just two years, from $422 million in 2022 to nearly $7.4 billion in 2024.
- This public funding unlocked $40+ billion in total investment, with private capital outpacing federal dollars by 3 to 4 times.
- Both Republican and Democratic districts benefited from regional clean energy investments, showing the broad impact of these federal policies.
Clean Energy Projects Are Revitalizing Appalachia
Federal policy is driving private investment into places once devastated by job losses in coal and manufacturing. Here are some key examples from our four-state region:
- Cleveland-Cliffs (Middletown, OH): A $500 million IRA-backed project will replace a blast furnace with emissions cutting technology, securing 2,500 jobs and adding 170 manufacturing jobs as well as 1,200 union construction jobs.
- Form Energy (Weirton, WV): Building iron-air batteries with the support of up to $150 million in IIJA grant funding creating 750 manufacturing jobs on a former steel mill site.
- Eos Energy (Turtle Creek, PA): Expanding zinc-bromine battery production with the help of a $303.5 million DOE loan, creating up to 1,000 jobs.
- Hydropower (Eastern KY): Four small hydroelectric plants along the Kentucky River are being built with the support of $72 million in IRA funding, providing local clean energy and local jobs in rural counties.
Every District Has Benefitted from Increased Investment
Most congressional districts in the region saw between $1 million and $5.7 billion in clean energy investments. While Republican districts received a slightly greater share, every district benefits from job creation, tax revenue, and local economic ripple effects.
In addition, the Rhodium/MIT Clean Investment Monitor, which was the basis for the analysis, does not capture substantial federal funds from the IIJA, IRA, and CHIPS+ that benefit our communities because these funds fall outside these researchers’ definition of clean energy investments. For example, federal funds that support workforce development and some economic development programs are not part of the dataset analyzed in this report.
Tentative Gains Are Under Threat
The Rhodium/MIT Clean Investment Monitor shows a steep upward trend in public-private clean energy investments. But that progress hinges on continued federal support.
- President Trump has pledged to repeal the IRA and cut clean energy funding.
- Yet many lawmakers from both parties are defending the economic benefits these policies have brought to their districts.
- Rolling back these investments could stall a once-in-a-generation economic transformation already underway in Appalachia.
Conclusion: A Bipartisan Opportunity for a Clean Energy Future
The IRA and IIJA are not just climate policies—they’re economic recovery policies for coal country. From steel towns to rural counties, clean energy investments are creating jobs, reviving manufacturing, and charting a more hopeful path forward.
To sustain and grow this progress, Congress must maintain federal support for clean energy manufacturing and deployment. Appalachia can lead again—this time in the clean economy of the future.
If you want to read the full report, please check here.
To watch the full recording of the release webinar, please check here.