The 'Marshall Plan for Middle America' Plans $600 Million in Clean Energy Investments

The "Marshall Plan for Middle America" calls for $600 billion in investments over a decade in the states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky. The investments would transition the Appalachian region away from fossil fuels and into renewable and energy efficiency projects, according to an article by Reid Frazier.

The authors claim that the plan would create 270,000 direct and 140,000 "induced" jobs," according to Frazier.

Leslie Marshall, associate director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Sustainable Business and the lead author of the plan, is quoted in the article describing the "confluence of crises" the plan intends to address: climate change, social and economic inequality, and the pandemic.

"The plan does not specify where the money will come from, but suggests it could be funded through a mix of tax breaks, public-private partnerships, and alliances between labor, environmental, and academic institutions," according to Frazier, who also notes that the plan shares a lot in common with the Green New Deal.

According to a separate article on the plan by Chris Teale, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto has already spoken in support of the plan, but mayors from Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia have also signed on to support the plan.