COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

August 28, 2020

Mr. Charles Howard

Interim Executive Director

Appalachian Regional Commission

1666 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.

Suite 700

Washington, D.C. 20009

Dear Mr. Howard:

In accordance with Section 5 of the Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) Code, I am 

submitting to you Pennsylvania’s 2020 Strategy Statement which will remain in effect through Fiscal Year 

2021.

The Strategy Statement identifies my priorities for investing in Pennsylvania’s Appalachian 

counties, and seeks to improve the region’s economic development potential, continues to implement 

Pennsylvania’s four-year development plan, and is consistent with ARC’s Strategic Plan.

 

If you have any questions about Pennsylvania’s Strategy Statement, please contact Sheri Collins,

Pennsylvania’s ARC Alternate, or Neil Fowler, the Pennsylvania Program Manager.

Sincerely,

TOM WOLF 

Governor

cc: Sheri Collins

Neil Fowler
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Annual Strategy Statement for the 

Appalachian Regional Commission 

Fiscal Year 2020

Prepared by:

PA Department of Community and Economic Development

Center for Strategic Partnerships

Commonwealth Keystone Building

400 North St, 4th Floor

Harrisburg, PA 17120
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Table of Contents

I. Letter of Transmittal

II. Challenges and Opportunities

III. Investment Priorities

IV. Processes and Policies
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Section II: Challenges and Opportunities

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is proud of our Appalachian heritage. It is a region 

characterized by a geography rich in natural resources such as majestic mountains, breathtaking 

rivers and streams, and abundant wildlife. It is also an area of tremendous cultural and historical 

resources as well that bring a strong sense of pride to our neighborhoods and communities.

Appalachian Pennsylvania also reflects the sense of economic resiliency that is evident in our 

efforts over the past 50 years to partner with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to 

battle the impacts of poverty, unemployment and low per capita income in many of our neediest 

counties and areas.

Each of our 52 Appalachian counties possess opportunities, as well as challenges, that shape the 

culture of each community within their borders and create a sense of pride to all who call 

Appalachian Pennsylvania their home.

This Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Strategy Statement is a companion to Governor Wolf’s Appalachian 

Development Plan and outlines the Commonwealth’s investment opportunities and priorities.

Pennsylvania FY20 ARC County Designations
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Economic Challenges

Jobs and population growth - Manufacturing has long been the heart of many Appalachian 

communities in Pennsylvania, and the growth of our middle class. But Pennsylvania overall 

lags in unemployment rate and population growth, which has affected manufacturing. During 

the current period of economic expansion, Pennsylvania is lagging in economic growth rate 

compared to the national economy, primarily due to its slow population growth, which remains 

below the national average. Also, recent Census estimates show that Pennsylvania is lagging many 

other states in net migration. These two factors contribute to limiting the labor force growth rate. 

However, growing middle class jobs is key to helping our communities develop strong 

foundations to spur revitalization. 

Concurrently, finding talent is one of the themes repeated by large and small businesses across the 

region and finding solutions requires the combined efforts of employers, educators, workforce 

development providers and others.

Pennsylvania recognizes the need to invest in good paying jobs and ensure our workers have the 

skills to fill them. Governor Wolf has expanded education and job training opportunities and

successfully enacted a significant investment that further aligned Pre-K-12 programs, postsecondary programs, and job training programs. 

Education – While investments in education by Governor Wolf have begun to pay off, 

Pennsylvania schools are still recovering from previous reductions. During the period of 

underfunding, data shows that as education classroom funding fell, so did student scores in 

reading and math. With new investments, there have been positive signs of improvement, 

such as increases in the number of kindergarten seats and more students earning industry 

recognized credentials. However, there is still more work to be done. 

Across Appalachian Pennsylvania, schools must provide every child with a world-class education 

that equips them with the skills to succeed in the 21st century.

Infrastructure – Moving people, goods and information is critical in any state – particularly those 

with large rural populations. Pennsylvania has invested heavily in its intermodal infrastructure and 

offers unimpeded goods movement to any destination, whether via port-to-rail or by truck.

Pennsylvania is located at the center of the largest shale play in the U.S. and is quickly becoming 

one of the most energy-efficient production regions. The state offers a world-class integrated 

network of interstate highways, modern freight railroads and six international airports. Its three 

major ports (two in Appalachia) provide deep water inland and Great Lakes access for convenient 

international importing and exporting.

However, many Appalachian Pennsylvania communities still require assistance with basic 

infrastructure needs such as water, sewer, access roads, business incubators and parks, plus the 

telecommunications infrastructure that opens rural areas to the rest of the world.
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Coal Impacted Communities – The impacts of the downturn of Pennsylvania’s coal economy 

have been all encompassing for local economies. Extended unemployment is the most identified 

and ubiquitous impact of the coal downturn. Over the past decade, a series of events has resulted 

in reduced demand for coal, with negative impacts for coal mining companies, employees, and 

communities.

Along with other Appalachian states, Pennsylvania has experienced significant loss of coal mining 

jobs. In addition, reduction in energy generation from coal, along with associated supply chain 

impacts has left many communities across the region struggling to overcome these negative 

economic impacts.

Heroin and Opioid Crisis – The prescription opioid and heroin overdose epidemic is the worst 

public health crisis in Pennsylvania according to the PA Department of Health. It affects 

Pennsylvanians across the state, from big cities to rural communities. Overdoses, fueled by heroin 

and opioids, are the leading cause of death for Americans under 50 years old — killing more people

than guns or car accidents, and doing so at a pace faster than the H.I.V. epidemic did at its peak.

In March of 2019, Governor Wolf signed the fifth renewal of his 90-day opioid disaster 

declaration. This order is meant to bolster the states’ response and direct greater resources, 

including ARC funds, to fight drug addiction.
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Blight - Communities across the commonwealth, including Appalachia, have long struggled with 

how to combat the challenges posed by unoccupied vacant buildings and open, empty lots that 

constitute the widespread problem of blight. Blighted properties have numerous negative effects 

on the communities where they exist, including: reduced property values, deterred business and 

economic development, increased risk of crime, and an overall adverse impact on our 

neighborhoods. The Wolf Administration and General Assembly have worked closely together 

and in a bi-partisan manner to pass legislation that takes steps towards eradicating blight.

Broadband Access – In large areas across Appalachia Pennsylvania, lack of quality internet 

access means businesses are not able to market themselves and conduct business online, students

miss out on learning opportunities and healthcare facilities cannot share information with 

specialists.

Economic Opportunities

Clean Energy – Pennsylvania’s energy economy is undergoing a fundamental transformation. 

The Commonwealth has already seen the announced closure of at least 14 coal-fired power plants 

since 2010, representing a significant loss of capacity from coal-fired generation sources. 

However, with a balanced portfolio of energy resources, including natural gas and renewables, 

Pennsylvania is positioned to maximize economic opportunities.

Advanced Manufacturing - Placing a strong emphasis on advanced manufacturing makes sense 

for Pennsylvania. The manufacturing industry has long formed the foundation of Pennsylvania’s 

economy — a status maintained over the years through dynamic evolution to meet modern needs, 

and the incorporation of world-class research and development (R&D) and innovative methods. 

About half of all jobs supported by foreign-owned companies in Pennsylvania are in the 

manufacturing sector; and, manufactured goods represent much of our state’s growing exports.

Recognizing this, Governor Wolf has continued the Manufacturing PA initiative to support 

manufacturing and link job training to career pathways to ensure that training leads to careers that 

provide higher pay and opportunities for advancement.

National trends and data support Pennsylvania’s belief that advanced manufacturing is a primary 

sector on which to focus our resources, and the nexus of our manufacturing base, strong university 

research network, workforce delivery system, unique global network, and natural gas availability 

position us for strong job growth in this sector.

Tourism Promotion – In addition to the growth of nature-tourism, Pennsylvania remains wellpositioned to continue expanding innovative visitor experiences across the region. Expanded trail 

and recreational opportunities will increase domestic and international leisure travel to the 

commonwealth – leading to the creation of new businesses and jobs.

Foodways – Across Appalachia, entrepreneurs are embracing the agricultural resources of the 

region and leveraging the economic opportunities that exist within a local food and beverage 

economy. Pennsylvania is no exception as major cities like Pittsburgh, and small communities 
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such as Hustontown and its successful Tuscarora Organic Growers Cooperative are adding value 

to our food industry.

Generating Economic Opportunities for Pennsylvania’s Retired Coal Fired Power Plants -

The commonwealth will partner with ARC to support:

1. The Commonwealth’s interest in and commitment to marketing the redevelopment of 

retired coal-fired power plants; and 

2. Pennsylvania’s economic incentives for decommissioning and redevelopment of retired 

assets.

Pennsylvania’s economic success has long been based on its abundance of natural resources that 

provide it the opportunity to play a formidable role in national energy production. The 

Commonwealth has historically been a leader in coal production (4th in the nation currently), but 

in the last decade has rapidly become a leader in natural gas production largely due to prolific 

Marcellus Shale gas reserves (2nd in the world currently). As a result, Pennsylvania has become 

the country’s leading domestic net exporter of electricity, which is generated almost exclusively 

from coal and natural gas.

Pennsylvania is at a critical inflection point in its energy economy with the current coal bust/gas 

boom. Since 2000, coal has dropped from 57% of Pennsylvania’s electricity generation, to 35%, 

while natural gas has increased from 1% to 23%. The marked decline in coal-fired electric 

generation has led to retirements of plants across the commonwealth. These sites have premier 

access to rivers, roads, rail, utilities, and transmission, which demands a comprehensive statewide 

effort to market and incentivize these sites for repositioning and redevelopment. 

Combating Blight - Communities have long struggled with how to combat the challenges posed 

by the unoccupied, vacant buildings and open, empty lots that constitute the growing problem of 

blight. The commonwealth will work with ARC to encourage a targeted and specific economic 

development strategy in coordination with local governments, school districts, non-profits, land

banks and development authorities. Governor Wolf’s plan to address blight includes the following 

objectives:

• Improve, maintain and manage vacant land;

• Support community planning and capacity building;

• Enhance neighborhood services;

• Make targeted residential improvements;

• Eliminate blight through the promotion of neighborhood-community-regional coordination 

efforts; and

• Promote productive reuse of blighted and vacant properties.

The PA ARC program will consider blight-related projects that demonstrate a direct connection to 

business and job creation.
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Fighting the Heroin and Opioid Crisis – In March 2019, Governor Wolf renewed a statewide 

Disaster Declaration to take additional steps to combat the heroin and opioid epidemic in 

Pennsylvania. Since taking office in 2015, Governor Wolf has made combating the heroin and 

opioid epidemic a priority. Working with key departments under his jurisdiction as well as with 

the General Assembly, he has expanded access to naloxone through a standing order and a funding 

initiative; helped increase the number of drug courts in the state, diverting individuals into 

treatment as opposed to correctional facilities; developed voluntary prescribing guidelines, signed 

legislation to limit prescribing of opioids to minors, regulate recovery homes, and require 

education in medical schools and as part of continuing education requirements for prescribers; 

expand education initiatives in our schools, and expanded access to treatment; and revamped the 

commonwealth’s prescription drug monitoring program. The Pennsylvania ARC program will 

continue to support the administration and its work with the legislature to push for measures to 

further tighten requirements for prescribing opioids and address prevention, education, and 

treatment. The PA ARC program will emphasize projects that help affected citizens remain 

employed or gain new employment as part of a broad recovery ecosystem.

Qualified Opportunity Zones - Led by the Governor’s Action Team, PA will provide support 

and resources to assist the 300 approved census tracts increase the likelihood of private-sector 

investments resulting in increased economic development and job creation in distressed 

communities.

PA will partner with ARC to encourage and support Qualified Opportunity Funds to spur 

investments in eligible properties.

Section III: Investment Priorities

Job Creation, Workforce Training, Business Growth and Attraction: The Pennsylvania ARC 

program will emphasize new investments in 21st century skills to stimulate business growth and 

attraction to create family-sustaining jobs and develop and maintain a high-quality workforce by 

training Pennsylvania workers. Job creation and retention will help ensure that businesses and 

communities provide opportunities for the entire Appalachia region, improve the local tax base, 

and achieve prosperity and a higher quality of life for families and communities. Workforce 

training helps to bridge the current skills gap, maintain a sustainable competitive economic 

environment, and support critical current and future needs of individuals, local governments, 

businesses, and industries. The commonwealth, with ARC’s help, can help set the table for 

robust private sector growth to create and retain good jobs while strengthening the middle 

class, and provide employment opportunities to those in need.

Schools That Teach – The Pennsylvania ARC program will support initiatives to eliminate the 

disconnect between our education systems and the state’s economy by supporting projects 

that provide Pennsylvania citizens with the technical training necessary to succeed in the 21st 

century. Pennsylvania cannot get ahead if our schools fall behind. Fair and increased education 

funding for all Pennsylvania schools continues to be a top priority to ensure students are college 

and career ready. 
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The PA ARC program will consider projects that compliment Governor Wolf’s PAsmart initiative, 

a first-of-its-kind workforce development initiative that invests in computer science and STEM 

education programs for students and expands apprenticeship efforts and industry partnerships.

Government That Works – The Pennsylvania ARC program will help local governments 

incorporate some of the same initiatives that are making state government more efficient and less 

wasteful. This includes an expanded focus on ensuring all levels of government are transparent 

and fully accountable. This collaboration, combined with other resources, technical assistance,

and impactful investments will enhance the performance and quality of Pennsylvania’s local 

governments and communities. 

Developing a robust entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem in Appalachia - The 

Pennsylvania ARC program will coordinate with all partners across the region to help provide 

technical support and access to capital to Pennsylvania’s business and entrepreneurial community 

through its strategic networks while leveraging other sources of capital, including private and state 

funds, to support special initiatives, and to increase the number of successful entrepreneurs and 

innovative companies in Pennsylvania.

Expanding the Region’s export potential - The Pennsylvania ARC program will coordinate with 

all partners across the region to help increase export sales and foreign direct investments while 

leveraging the state’s overseas network and seeking to open new markets for Pennsylvania 

companies to take advantage of global opportunities. The program will also highlight opportunities 

for international investors to invest and expand within the commonwealth. Increased export sales 

by Pennsylvania companies and increased investment in Pennsylvania by foreign companies help 

to create and retain jobs in the commonwealth.

PA Broadband Initiative – In 2018 Governor Wolf launched his Broadband Initiative, a 

dedicated effort to provide high-speed internet access to every household and business in 

Pennsylvania. The PA ARC program will support broadband technical assistance, analysis and 

deployment via both its area development program and the ARC POWER initiative which now 

has specific resources allocated for this critical infrastructure.

Distress Strategies - As a result of Pennsylvania’s targeted efforts over the past 50 years, we have 

a limited number of Distressed (Forest) or At-Risk (Fayette) counties. However, both counties, 

along with Elk and Washington counties, reflect a move backwards in FY20. This reflects the fact 

that Appalachian counties are extremely exposed to economic regression and are susceptible to 

sudden changes in the local economy. In addition, PA also has a significant number of citizens 

living and working in ARC-defined distressed areas. 

Pennsylvania will encourage project development or impact in counties, areas or census tracts as 

defined by ARC where distress or higher risk may be evident and proactively seek ways to further 

reduce higher levels of poverty, unemployment and per capita income.
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Section IV: Processes and Policies

Project Solicitation & Selection

All project pre-applications are initially screened to determine if they are eligible for funding 

consideration. The screening process determines consistency with the Commission’s five (5) goals 

and reviews the pre-application for completeness, accuracy and project feasibility. This process 

also evaluates whether the project is consistent with Pennsylvania’s objectives and strategies.

The Commonwealth will look favorably at projects that will:

• Encourage new business start-ups and job creation as well as those projects that will 

enhance the local community and its economic vitality. 

• Improve, on a continuing rather than a temporary basis, the opportunities for employment, 

and the average level of income or economic and social development of the area served by 

the project.

• Invest in individuals and their potential, so they can gain skills and increase the 

opportunities available to them.

• Forge new partnerships with the private sector and other public entities to enhance regional 

delivery of economic development services. Our partners in the economic development, 

education, workforce development, career and technical school, and business community 

must be the implementers of change and the leaders of initiatives.

• Be performance-based by advancing projects evaluated by defined metrics, which provide 

consistent and positive returns-on-investment.

• Foster competition by increasing the level of competition for scarce resources to ensure the 

greatest return.

General Policies

1. Each application for funding must contain detailed output and outcome measurements 

by which grant expenditures may be evaluated.

2. Applications must identify the ARC Goal(s) being met along with the corresponding 

state strategy.

3. Priority is given to those projects which demonstrate a high degree of readiness, i.e. 

other funding sources committed, firm cost figures, Basic Federal Agency 

involvement, etc.

4. Grants funded under Section 214 of the Appalachian Regional Development Act 
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(ARDA) shall include cost estimates valid not more than twelve (12) months prior to 

project application submission to ARC.

5. Deliverable impact shall be identified prior to funding additional phases of projects.

6. Pennsylvania will not establish formal dollar caps for ARC projects.

7. Grants funded under Section 214 of the ARDA that have a commitment from a 

company will be reviewed in the highest of priority when recommendations for 

funding are made. 

8. Pennsylvania will generally not fund a specific initiative for more than three years. 

However, exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis as need dictates.

9. Pennsylvania will utilize the annual priority lists submitted by the Local Development 

Districts and ranked by their Boards of Directors as a primary, but not exclusive, basis 

for project identification and selection.

10. Pennsylvania may invite the submission of back-up projects which may be selected to 

replace projects that fallout during review in situations such as ineligibility, loss of 

matching funds, etc.

11. Specific Pennsylvania ARC Guidelines will be maintained and posted on the 

Department of Community and Economic Development web site: www.dced.pa.gov.

Application Deadlines

Applicants invited to submit full applications must meet all deadlines established by the Center for 

Strategic Partnerships. Applications are not considered complete and timely unless all pertinent 

documentation is included in the project package. This includes match commitment letters. 

Pennsylvania supports ARC’s efforts to obligate all available funds by the end of the fiscal year 

and will act accordingly if applications are not submitted in a timely fashion.

Matching Requirements

In general, the Commonwealth expects a recipient of an ARC grant to contribute its own resources 

to a project to the extent it can do so and seek additional non-ARC funding assistance when 

possible. Matching funds should be identified by amount and source with evidence of assurance 

that such funds are available. In addition to the ARDA match requirements described in the ARC 

Project Guidelines, Pennsylvania’s ARC participation costs will be limited to 50 percent of project 

costs, with the following exceptions:

• Section 7.6 of the ARC Code restricts ARC assistance to 30% of eligible project costs on 

most projects located in an ARC designated Competitive Counties (Allegheny, Butler, 

Montour, and Perry) except for projects noted in Section 7.6d of the code. This restriction 

may also be waived or modified in accordance with the code.
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• Projects located in designated Distressed Counties (Forest) may be funded up to 80% of 

the eligible costs.

• Projects located in designated At Risk Counties (Fayette) may be funded up to 70% of the 

eligible costs.

• Projects located in an ARC designated attainment county (currently none in Pennsylvania)

are generally ineligible for any ARC assistance. This restriction may be waived or modified 

by a demonstration in accordance with Section 7.6f of the code. 

Grants funded under Section 302(a) will comply with the terms of the ARDA, which require a 

50%-50% matching requirement.

Funding for work on the Appalachian Development Highway System, including Local Access 

Roads, is allowed at 100% wherever the project is located.

When funding for an access road project is under section 214, the project will be subject to the 

general funding limits (80% distressed, 50% transitional, and 30% competitive. When funding for 

an access road project is under 201 (Federal Highway Administration) the project will be funded 

at levels dictated by current FHWA directives. Other public and private investments are strongly 

encouraged, and availability may be considered when selecting projects.

Pennsylvania may use the discretionary grant authority contained in section 302 of ARDA to 

increase ARC participation above the statutory limits in projects implementing Regional 

Initiatives. The discretionary authority, however, cannot be used to eliminate the funding 

restrictions on projects in competitive and attainment counties. Pennsylvania may use all or a 

portion of its allocated authority for projects involving emergency economic distress upon 

approval of the Co-chair’s Committee.

Multi-County Projects - Matching Requirements: Special matching rules apply to projects that are 

carried out in more than one county. Projects may be funded at the average match limits for the 

counties if at least one county is competitive and there are no distressed or attainment counties.

Examples:

Seven transitional @ 50% and two competitive @ 30%

50+50+50+50+50+50+50+30+30=410/9=45.5%

Project may be funded at 46%

Two transitional @ 50% and two competitive @ 30%

50+50+30+30+=160/4=40%

Project may be funded at 40%

Seven transitional counties @ 50% and one competitive county @ 30%

50+50+50+50+50+50+50+30 = 380/8=47.5%

Project may be funded at 48% of eligible cost
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Cost Overruns/Underruns

When project cost underruns occur, ARC funds will generally be de-obligated and made available 

for other eligible projects. Cost overruns will be considered as separate projects and will be subject 

to normal project selection criteria.

Project Monitoring and Progress Evaluation

ARC projects may be monitored by staff to assess progress in meeting scheduled milestones and 

to identify and resolve any problems that may have occurred in project performance. On-site 

inspections may be done at the midpoint and at project completion to ensure compliance with 

approved project scope by state and ARC staff. Interim monitoring will usually be done by 

telephone. All open construction projects will be reported to DCED by the respective LDD every 

90 days.