Mountain State Times

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On June 21, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee held a hearing on the Economic Development Administration (EDA) and its work with states and localities across the country.

Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) welcomed Mike Graney, Executive Director of the West Virginia Department of Economic Development, to share testimony and discuss the state’s work with the EDA.

Below is the opening statement of Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) as delivered.

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and good morning to everybody. And thank you for calling today’s hearing to discuss reauthorizing the EDA.

“Welcome to all of our witnesses traveling far and wide, thank you for being here, we look forward to hearing from you.

“I would like to extend a particularly warm welcome to Mr. Graney, thank you for being here today.

“Governor Jim Justice assembled a tremendous team of economic development experts and leaders who work tirelessly for the betterment of my home state of West Virginia.

“Mr. Graney plays a pivotal role on that team as the executive director of the Department of Economic Development.

“Mr. Graney bring years of professional experience to his current position.

“He has spent most of his career in executive or co-founder positions with companies related to the petroleum industry.

“He was also president of One Stop, a chain of convenience stores based in West Virginia.

“Mr. Graney is very active, I can attest to this because we live in the same community, in many community and non-profit organizations. So thank you, Mike, for coming.

“Economic development is difficult work, but the reward for West Virginia is obvious.

“Mr. Graney and the rest of his team will work with all governmental levels to bring economic opportunity to our state.

“And they have achieved some recent successes, and I hope he will talk about that.

“Better jobs will allow West Virginians to continue to call the Mountain State home, as well as provide new careers for those who want to return home or join us in West Virginia.

“So, I thank him and his team for their dedication to this vital effort.

“As we will hear from our witnesses, EDA is an important partner across the nation for those that are working to advance economic opportunities for their citizens.

“As the lead agency for the federal economic development agenda, the EDA provides funding for critical infrastructure projects and other activities that support job creation and retention in economically disadvantaged urban and rural areas.

“During my time in the Senate, one of the things that I have sought to do is strengthen EDA’s presence and assistance in my home state of West Virginia. I’ve been successful I think.

“Since 2018, EDA has invested close to $233 million in 174 projects in West Virginia to help communities across our state grow economies, and keep those jobs too, and support thousands of jobs. 

“So, the EDA’s core programs do work.

“They have successfully supported locally-driven economic development since their inception, and I know our witnesses will share more success stories with us today.

“However, it has been 20 years, as the chairman noted, since Congress last authorized EDA.

“Thankfully, we are kicking off this process to develop legislation to reauthorize the EDA.

“Time and time again, this committee has proven that we can work together in a bipartisan manner, to pass meaningful legislation that tackles the nation’s challenges and needs.

“I believe that any reauthorization effort should focus on these things:

• Reauthorizing EDA programs at fiscally responsible funding levels and reasserting congressional direction over EDA funding decisions;
• Enhancing congressional oversight of EDA activities and encouraging coordination between other federal [economic] development programs and the private sector;
• Updating EDA’s processes for program implementation and project delivery; and
• Preserving locally-driven economic development decisions.

“We must achieve an appropriate balance with this legislation.

“That balance must uphold the core functions and goals of the EDA, while thoughtfully modernizing the EDA and its authorities and programs.

“Further, I do not believe that we should be creating new programs.

“In recent years, EDA received a total of $4.5 billion in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act and the CARES Act.

“This was on top of the $1.2 billion total in supplemental appropriations provided to EDA for disaster recovery in 2018 and 2019.

“The Recompete Pilot Program, which was one of two new EDA programs authorized in the CHIPS and Science Act, received a total of $200 million in regular and supplemental appropriations in the fiscal year 2023 consolidated appropriations act.

“The Recompete Pilot Program will use eligibility metrics that vary from existing EDA grant programs and focus on areas where prime-age employment trails the national average.

“The other EDA program established by the CHIPS and Science Act was the Tech Hubs Program.

“This program is designed to accelerate regional technology growth and innovation through regional based investments with the goal of becoming globally competitive in certain technologies and industries.

“The program received a total of $500 million in regular and supplemental appropriations in the fiscal year 2023 consolidated appropriations act.

“Given the significant funding levels provided by Congress to EDA, it is concerning that the majority of the agency’s programs are administered under expired authorizations.

“It is past due that we put forth a serious, bipartisan reauthorization proposal.

“The U.S. economy looks very different than it did almost twenty years ago.

“EDA’s authorizing statutes should reflect this reality.

“However, I must stress that the reauthorization legislation will not be successful if it departs from the EDA’s traditional missions.

“The legislation should not be used to pick winners and losers.

“We must maintain EDA’s focus on those areas that truly need assistance, and continue with an industry-agnostic approach that emphasizes locally-driven economic development decisions.

“I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today about what policy and programmatic improvements this Committee should consider.

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back my time.”

Original source can be found here.