West Virignia- West Virginia and other Appalachian states counting on federal investment in clean energy are seeing funds vaporize, leaving communities uncertain about jobs, reduced emissions and their economic future.
A new report from ReImagine Appalachia outlined specific projects across the state hanging in limbo, including a $129 million grant from the Department of Energy to build utility-scale solar farms on two former surface mine sites in Nicholas county.
Rike Rothenstein, senior research associate for the group, said the frozen funding has huge effects on the region.
“Those solar farms would produce 250 megawatts of electric power,” Rothenstein pointed out. “That’s enough to service around 39,000 homes.”
The report analyzed quarterly data from 2018 through 2025, tracking both federal and private investments in clean energy manufacturing and retail purchases of greenhouse gas-reducing technologies. The findings showed nearly 70% of projected clean energy jobs in Appalachian states are now at risk.
The West Virginia Solar for All program – a Biden-era initiative backed by a $106 million federal grant for low-income households – was slated to begin in 2026 but the Trump administration halted the program.
Rothenstein argued solar businesses, jobs and construction are unlikely to materialize without reliable federal funding.
“There will be, unfortunately, more projects that are canceled that will not get started,” Rothenstein projected.
A workforce program run by Coalfield Development to train and employ around 400 people in the clean energy industry through partnerships with local community colleges has also been canceled due to funding uncertainty.
