U.S. House passes bill that includes EKY funding - WYMT
U.S. House passes bill that includes EKY funding
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WYMT) - On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the 2024 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill.
The bill will provide nearly $58 billion for national security, energy security and economic competitiveness.
Eastern Kentucky will also gain important funding in the bill, including a request for $500,000 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study flood control options along the Kentucky River.
“This bill not only provides funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study potential flood control solutions along the Kentucky River, but also directs the Corps to do so in an expeditious manner. To put it plainly, we cannot afford to drag our feet on this important cause,” said Congressman Rogers, Dean of the House and a senior appropriator. “Indeed, this is a herculean effort, and I have been blown away by the responsiveness and helpfulness of the Army Corps of Engineers in responding after catastrophic flooding took 45 lives in Eastern Kentucky last year.”
The bill also provided $200 million for the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), including $10 million for the Appalachian Broadband Initiative, $16 million for infrastructure improvements and $65 million for the POWER initiative.
“The Appalachian Regional Commission has helped countless communities in Kentucky’s Appalachian region revitalize in the wake of the downturn of the coal industry, by supporting workforce development, combatting the region’s opioid crisis, helping repair our aging infrastructure, expanding rural broadband, and much more. This funding is a godsend for our rural communities, and after last year’s flooding, it’s needed now more than ever,” said Congressman Rogers.
$3 million will also go to the Army Corps to continue operations at Fishtrap Lake in Pike County.
Congressman Rogers said the bill also protects his annual requested prohibition preventing the Army Corps from carrying out a water-supply reallocation study for Lake Cumberland to protect local communities from being charged fees for using the lake for municipal water supply.
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