Webster County Judge/Executive Steve Henry was a featured speaker at the Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities (BRECC) Forum during the 2025 NACo Legislative Conference this week. He led a conversation with Dr. Brian Anderson, Executive Director of the Interagency Working Group for Coal and Power Plant Communities within the U.S. Department of Energy, in a discussion on the critical role coal communities play in economic revitalization.
Anderson provided county leaders with a candid look at federal support for energy communities, emphasizing the Trump administration's commitment to economic transformation.
“We want diverse economies and communities, and I think we're a pretty good vehicle to do that,” Anderson said.
Highlighting the federal government's energy priorities, he explained that the focus is on “affordable, abundant, reliable and domestic energy production.”
Anderson urged local leaders to be proactive.
“Be loud…because we, the federal government, the entire federal government, need to hear what your priorities are.”
Webster County workforce training center
During the forum, Webster County received national recognition for its innovative workforce training center, which is addressing regional workforce needs by preparing skilled utility workers.
The Lisman Workforce Complex in Webster County is a former coal mine administrative building converted into a training facility for in-demand technical career paths including utility lineman training, commercial driver’s license and diesel technology.
The lineman training program at the Lisman Workforce Complex targets displaced coal workers and enables utility companies to recruit from the regional workforce. The program is an eight-week workforce development certification that has a 99% completion rate and the average starting wage for graduates is around $55,000.
“When coal declines, it’s not just a resource that disappears—it’s jobs, it’s tax revenue, it’s entire communities struggling to find a new path forward,” Henry said. “Webster County’s Workforce Training Center is a perfect example of how we can rebuild our economies from the ground up. It’s not about replacing what we lost—it’s about creating something new that gives people opportunities for the future.”
Floyd County mapping coal community assets
During the forum, Floyd County was honored for its efforts in mapping coal community assets, a key step in driving strategic economic development.
The county developed a coal asset map that tracks former coal sites, lists their qualities and suggests economic diversification projects for their reuse. The map is now being used to identify potential properties for higher ground housing developments and a Community Resilience Hub to prepare for future disasters.
To learn more about the Floyd County program, click here.
L-R: Kathy King Allen of the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, Robert Allen of the Mountain Association and grant writer Ruthie Caldwell represented Floyd County at the BRECC Forum.
