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Heather Stephens, director of the Regional Research Institute and professor of community
and economic development at WVU, will help lead a free virtual event discussing
infrastructure investments in distressed rural places and the role of the federally
chartered regional commissions at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday (Jan. 15).
The WVU community is invited to register to attend the event online.
Hosted by the Brookings Institution, the public event will feature Stephens and Brookings
senior fellow Tony Pipa who will engage the federal co-chairs of the Appalachian
Regional Commission (Gayle Connelly Manchin), Delta Regional Authority (Corey Wiggins)
and Northern Border Regional Commission (Chris Saunders) on the insights offered
by their recent report, “Unlocking investment in distressed rural places: Comparing
the infrastructure funding of select federally chartered regional commissions versus
federal programs.”
Infrastructure investment is an essential component of economic growth and productivity,
Stephens said, yet underinvestment in infrastructure has been a long-standing issue
in rural America, home to some of the most distressed communities in the nation.
The federally chartered regional commissions are mandated to direct their federal
resources — including for infrastructure — to the distressed communities within
their service areas.
With billions of dollars making their way to communities from the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act, CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act,
Stephens and Pipa believe it is critical to understand the opportunities and barriers
for distressed rural communities to access infrastructure investment from both
federal agencies and the regional commissions.
Stephens’ work focuses on issues related to regional economic development and the
differences in the impact of policies across regions. Her current and past research
has examined questions related to energy, environmental quality, entrepreneurship,
health and regional growth. Her work has been published in journals that include
the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Environmental and Resource Economics,
Growth and Change, Journal of Regional Science, Resource and Energy Economics and
Small Business Economics. She serves on the Bureau of Economic Analysis Advisory
Council and as the chair of the technical advisory committee for the Northeast
Regional Center for Rural Development.
Viewers can submit questions for speakers by emailing [email protected] or via X @BrookingsGlobal using #RuralInvestment.
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