The extra credit will likely cover projects in places like coal-heavy Appalachia decimated by mine and plant closures.
"Communities like coal communities have the knowledge, infrastructure, resources and know-how to play a leading role in the move to a clean energy economy," U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said.
The Treasury Department is slated to release a searchable
mapping tool that helps identify areas that may be eligible for
the energy community bonus based on the fresh guidance. The
bipartisan infrastructure bill and IRA tend to favor red states,
including those that have been heavy coal producers.
The Department of Energy is also announcing that it is
making $16 million available through the IRA to the University
of North Dakota and West Virginia University to complete design
studies on refineries that will extract and separate rare earth
elements and other critical minerals from coal ash, acid mine
drainage, and other mine waste. Those minerals are crucial to
producing clean energy technologies like batteries and solar
panels.
(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw and Valerie Volcovici
Editing by Marguerita Choy)
