DOE says a nearly half-billion dollar investment will be directed to more than a dozen U.S. "coal communities" to advance the domestic manufacturing of clean energy products.

The University of Utah and Sandia’s Nevada site beat out a volcanic area in Bend, Oregon, the Idaho National Laboratory near Idaho Falls, and a Sandia site at the U.S. Navy’s China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station north of Ridgecrest, California.

The Energy Department just announced 14 "clean" manufacturing projects it plans to stake in regions hit by closures of coal mines and coal-fired power plants. Why it matters: Many of the projects use recycled materials and aim to shore up domestic supply chains,

The Department of Energy announced on Tuesday that it will spend $428 million to expand battery manufacturing and recycling facilities in places that have suffered power plant and coal mine closures.

The Biden administration is putting $428 million into bolstering manufacturing projects in 15 communities whose economies have historically relied on coal plants or mining. The funds will go to 14 projects,