Larimer among counties to receive coal-transition grants

DENVER — Colorado’s Office of Just Transition, operated by the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment and the Office of Economic Development & International Trade, will offer grant funding to support communities where coal-fired power plants are being phased out.

Larimer County, along with Delta, El Paso, Gunnison and La Plata counties, will split $471,423, according to the OJT. Other regions of the state that are more economically dependent on power plants will receive millions of dollars through the transition program.

“Colorado is leading the nation when it comes to showing a commitment to the communities that will be most adversely impacted by this transition,” CDLE executive director Joe Barela said in a prepared statement. “Colorado’s Office of Just Transition is the first of its kind dedicated to addressing this challenge, and these grants will help those communities that are most heavily impacted as they move away from coal dependence.”

Grants from OJT’s newly formed coal-transition program “are intended to help affected communities expand workforce and economic development efforts that help local businesses start or expand, attract new businesses to the area, and/or incentivize private investment,” the office said. 

Source: BizWest