Rye Development CEO Paul Jacob talks about his company’s plans to build a $1.3 billion coal-to-pumped storage hydropower facility as Gov. Andy Beshear looks on during a news conference, Thursday, March 21, 2024 in Frankfort, Ky. Jacob says the project will create about 1,500 construction jobs and 30 operations jobs once the facility is operational. (Tom Latek/Kentucky Today via AP)

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Biden administration has announced up to $475 million in federal funding for clean energy projects on current or former mine land sites. The U.S. Department of Energy announced Thursday that the projects will be in five states. They include the political battleground states of Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada. Kentucky and West Virginia are also benefitting. They are solidly Republican and have been hit hard by the downturn in the coal sector. The projects will involve solar power, geothermal energy, hydroelectricity and batteries. The administration says the clean energy projects will strengthen the country’s energy security while helping ensure mining communities continue playing a role in the energy economy.