RICHMOND, Va. — Five proposed projects in former Southwest Virginia coal mining spots are being vetted to receive federal funding.
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement selected the areas that would transform the community with funding from the federal Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization Program, or AMLER. The funds are available for economically-distressed counties in Appalachian coal fields, places where there was coal mining before 1977.
The proposed projects range from a 1,200-acre resort in Tazewell County to a 4,200-square-foot veterinarian clinic in Wise County. Once these projects are completed, they will create jobs, attract visitors and build infrastructure to ensure the state’s economic growth, Gov. Glenn Youngkin stated in a press release.
Each applicant goes through a vetting process, according to Tim Ferguson, AMLER senior project specialist with the Virginia Department of Energy. An advisory committee determines what projects make sense for the budget and intent of the program.
One goal is to help add population to the areas, according to Ferguson. Southwest Virginia is expected to lose 30% of its population by 2050, according to Cardinal News.
Buchanan County, with 19,056 residents, is forecast to lose almost half of its population.
There is not a timeline for vetting proposed projects, according to Virginia Department of Energy spokesperson Richard Borean. The department cannot speculate on a timeline because each project is different, he said.
Each project must demonstrate its investment commitment to the region, according to Borean. Where economic opportunity arrives, people will follow, he said.
“A major part of why people move to a new area is economic opportunity,” Borean said. “In order for that to happen, you have to have infrastructure, you have to have site development, you have to have you know the sorts of things that drive economic opportunity and growth in that area.”
The projects will be vetted, then if approved will enter into a project agreement and receive funding for project development costs such as engineering.
Next are any needed consultations with applicable environmental agencies, and necessary clearances need to be obtained. The Virginia Department of Energy will enter a contract one once all needed documentation is approved.
At that point, construction, implementation, contracts and advertisement can move forward.
Most projects that get to the vetting process are approved, according to Borean.
The AMLER recommended projects are listed below from highest to lowest in terms of funding request.
Wise County
The request is for approximately $1.9 million to construct a 4,200-square-foot veterinary clinic. The Health Wagon clinic will provide spay and neuter procedures, vaccinations, dental, urgent surgeries and diagnostics for low-income families.
Health Wagon will partner with Virginia Tech’s Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and other universities.
It is possible the reason Wise County wants to add a new veterinary clinic is because of the nationwide veterinarian shortage, according to Beverly Grigsby, chief animal control warden.
At least 500 counties in 46 states reported a significant shortage of large animal veterinarians as of 2023, according to a Virginia Senate resolution.
Residents in the area also struggle financially, according to Grigsby.
“All of our surrounding counties are struggling, just the same as us, with so many people surrendering their animals due to they can’t fix them, they can’t bed them, they can’t afford to feed them,” Grigsby said.
The project could be completed in six to 12 months, according to The Health Wagon.
AMLER also selected a project that needs $950,000 in funding to connect the Powell River Trail to the Big Stone Gap Greenbelt Trail across Highway 23.
Tazewell County
The Wolf Creek Resort and Lodge acquired 1,200 acres of land in the Burkes Garden region to develop the resort and housing community. The project will be completed in three phases over five to seven years. AMLER is reviewing $2 million in funding requests.
The resort will offer direct access to the Jefferson National Forest and the Appalachian Trail, according to Cardinal News.
Buchanan County
AMLER would fund nearly $1.15 million to rehabilitate the existing gravity sewer system in Slate Creek and Levisa Fork River if the project is approved. The proposed project involves repairing and upgrading damaged sewer infrastructure. Buchanan County has dealt with three major floods in the last four years.
If the project gets approved, construction will start in January 2026 and end in February 2027, according to provided documents.
Scott County
The roof of the Pioneer Center in Duffield would receive $140,00 if the project is approved. The Pioneer Center was completed in the 1980s and has had one repair.
Coal once fueled the growth of towns in Southwest Virginia, but it also left behind land without a clear future, stated Sen. Travis Hackworth in a press release.
“AMLER is changing that story,” Hackworth stated. “By turning those sites into new destinations for recreation, business, and housing, we’re proving that stewardship of the land can also drive prosperity.”
Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Communication. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.
