June 10, 2024 - Kentucky will receive more than $74 million in federal funds to continue cleaning up hazards left by historic mining and $28.67 million to support economic development and job creation in Eastern Kentucky.

The $74,217,023 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) award, issued through the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, is the third round of 15 years of the funding that will go to the state to rebuild ailing water infrastructure and address water supply issues.

“This program has already done much to protect Kentucky homes and make communities safer,” Gov. Andy Beshear stated. “The new round of funding will allow us to get to areas that sorely need it.”

With these grants, the state has begun and/or completed more than 40 projects in 15 counties totaling almost $45 million dollars. Projects were located in Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Floyd, Harlan, Hopkins, Johnson, Knott, Leslie, Letcher, Ohio, Perry, Pike, Webster and Whitley counties.

Projects that are eligible to receive BIL funding in Kentucky are those affected by coal mining that ceased prior to May 18, 1982. The state prioritizes projects based on the severity of the hazard.

Gov. Beshear and U.S. Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, R-Somerset, also announced that $28.67 million is available to Eastern Kentucky communities in 2024 through the federal Abandoned Mine Lands Economic Revitalization (AMLER) grant program to support economic development and job creation.

“These grants help our innovative, hard-working Appalachian communities by giving a boost to projects that create hundreds of jobs and a strong economic future for families,” Beshear said. “It’s an example of what we do best – find homegrown solutions that build a strong foundation for generations.”

The AMLER program has awarded nearly $225 million to 86 projects in 25 Eastern Kentucky counties since it was established in 2016 by Congressman Rogers to help coal-producing states recover from the downturn of the coal industry. When completed, these projects are projected to create more than 3,000 new jobs for the region.

“This year, the AMLER funding will be fast-tracked to Kentucky. We are cutting through unnecessary red tape by requiring the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement to send funding directly to each state within 90 days,” Rogers noted. “We are ending lengthy delays to help coal communities jump-start their local projects.