New BRECC Toolkit: Coal Communities’ Pathways for Economic Diversification
This webinar is available on-demand. If you have issues accessing the recording, please email nacomeetings@naco.org.
Join the BRECC National Network to learn how coal counties are diversifying their economies through increasing housing supply, providing innovative workforce development opportunities and revitalizing downtowns. NACo will unveil our new economic diversification toolkit with six proven strategies for coal and other rural communities. For more information on BRECC's National Network learning series and other programming, visit naco.org/brecc.
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Featured Initiative
Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities
The Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities initiative connects coal communities, supports local leaders and builds capacity in under-resourced communities to advance new approaches and projects for economic diversification.
U.S. Department of Agriculture unveils $700 million for regenerative agriculture
On December 10, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the launch of a $700 million pilot program to support regenerative agriculture practices across the country.
County Countdown – Dec. 1, 2025
Every other week, NACo's County Countdown reviews top federal policy advocacy items with an eye towards counties and the intergovernmental partnership.
Counties Celebrate Key Permitting Inclusions in SPEED Act
NACo issued the following statement in response to the passage of the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act (H.R. 4776), which advanced out of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources on November 20.
House Natural Resources Committee advances Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act
On November 20, the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources advanced the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act (H.R. 4776), which would make important changes to streamline federal permitting and strengthen county involvement in decision-making by amending the National Environmental Policy Act. Counties support commonsense permitting reforms, and NACo secured provisions in the SPEED Act that would guarantee counties a seat at the table during federal environmental reviews.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency releases new definition of the “waters of the United States”
On November 17, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a proposed rule defining what constitute the “waters of the United States” and are subject to federal regulation under the Clean Water Act. The new definition is narrower than previous rules and codifies the decision of U.S. Supreme Court in the 2023 case Sackett v. EPA.