72 Kentucky counties among those eligible for cut of $150m in USDA rural community natural disaster aid

Includes our local counties

U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Kentucky State Director Hilda Legg today announced 72 counties in the commonwealth are eligible to apply for grants to help recover from natural disasters.

The announcement comes after U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service Administrator Bruce Lammers announced that USDA is making $150 million in grants available through the Community Facilities Program.

“Thanks to the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue,” said Legg, “USDA Rural Development continues to be a valuable partner in helping communities across the commonwealth recover from natural disasters. I encourage all of the listed counties to contact our closest field office to see how we can help.”

The $150 million is included in the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act that President Trump signed into law on June 6, 2019. The grants may be used for relief in areas affected by Hurricanes Michael and Florence; wildfires in 2018; and other natural disasters where the Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided a notice declaring a Major Disaster Declaration and assigned a FEMA disaster recovery number.

Grant applications will be accepted at USDA state offices on a continual basis until funds are exhausted. Grant assistance will be provided on a graduated scale; smaller communities with the lowest median household income are eligible for a higher proportion of grant funds. For application details and additional information, see page 47477 of the Sept. 10 Federal Register.

Eligible counties include Adair, Ballard, Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Bullitt, Butler, Caldwell, Campbell, Carlisle, Carroll, Carter, Casey, Clay, Crittenden, Cumberland, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Floyd, Fulton, Gallatin, Grant, Graves, Greenup, Hancock, Hardin, Harlan, Henderson, Henry, Hickman, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Kenton, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Livingston, Madison, Magoffin, Marion, Marshall, Martin, McCracken, McCreary, McLean, Metcalfe, Morgan, Nicholas, Ohio, Owen, Owsley, Pendleton, Perry, Pike, Powell, Rockcastle, Russell, Spencer, Trigg, Trimble, Union, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Whitley, and Wolfe.

More than 100 types of projects are eligible for Community Facilities funding. Eligible applicants include municipalities, public bodies, nonprofit organizations and federally recognized Native American tribes. Projects must be in eligible rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less.

In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a cornerstone recommendation of the task force.

To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB).

USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.