For decades, communities have navigated economic uncertainty, closures, energy transitions, and other challenges stemming from hosting energy-generating infrastructure.

In particular, community stakeholders surrounding the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant, have been leaders in addressing economic impacts resulting from nuclear decommissioning. For over a decade, they and other communities across the country have laid the groundwork for how to consider, accurately measure, and mitigate the economic impacts of plant closure.

Many communities have benefitted from this work, and it is this base of knowledge, experience, and increased awareness of the issue that has motivated the federal government and others in the energy transition space to build on this work and offer support to nuclear host communities and regions.

Our Technical Assistance for Nuclear Communities program has focused on lifting up the experiences of communities like Southern Vermont, building capacity in communities ​​while plants are still operating, and offering tools and strategies to meet the challenges and opportunities associated with plant closure, energy transition, and economic diversification.

Now, the Nuclear Communities TA team has compiled step-by-step resources so you can plan for a strong economic future both during and after hosting energy infrastructure. 

Dive into the content

This roadmap illustrates how communities can strengthen and grow their economic base throughout the energy transition lifecycle. Following this roadmap can help make communities more resilient to potential future economic shocks by diversifying their local economies.

Land Use & Planning: Preparing for the Future Land inventory and Leveraging Underutilized Parcel Zoning Analysis Housing Capacity Analysis Placemaking Strategies Case Study: Multiple Investments in Plymouth, MA

Building Economic Resilience Fiscal Health of Communities Leveraging the Nuclear Workforce to Develop Synergistic Industries Case Study: Smart Planning & Development in Southwest Michigan

Improving Regional Coordination The Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) and Nuclear Communities Nuclear Powerplant License Renewal

Approaching the Energy Transition How Nuclear Power Decommissioning Can Inform the Energy Transition Solar & Nuclear Co-Location Case Study: Keeping the Economy Moving in South Central Pennsylvania

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The Community Economic Diversification Roadmap is part of a partnership between Smart Growth America, National Association of Development Organizations, the Nuclear Decommissioning Collaborative,  and Center for Creative Land Recycling supported by the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

This effort utilizes Federal funds under award ED20HDQ3030068 from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the project team and do not necessarily reflect the views of EDA or the U.S. Department of Commerce.