Millions coming to flooded counties for water infrastructure improvements

Jun. 23—FRANKFORT — Gov. Andy Beshear was joined by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development's state director for Kentucky, Thomas Carew, to announce millions in funding that will be available to help eastern Kentucky communities repair water infrastructure damaged by last year's floods.

The more than 20 counties that received a major disaster declaration in 2022 are eligible to apply. The funds can be used to repair damaged water infrastructure as well as to reduce long-term risks from future weather events. Applications opened Wednesday and will remain open for 60 days. For more information, visit rd.usda.gov.

"The flooding caused unprecedented destruction in these rural communities, including significant damage to water infrastructure," Beshear said. "Today, we are once again keeping the promise we made to be there for our Eastern Kentucky families during the entire rebuilding process."

"Thank you, Gov. Beshear for helping highlight this important supplemental funding," said Dr. Carew. "No community can thrive without water. That's why we pushed hard for this program. This is just another way that USDA Rural Development supports communities throughout their long-term recovery efforts. By working together, eastern Kentucky can build back stronger than ever."

"The flooding last year was devastating. For many people, you go to bed one night, you wake up the next day, and your life is gone. Everything that you've worked for your entire life — it's gone. We not only lost property; we also lost lives," said Floyd County Judge/Executive Robbie Williams. "But one thing about us folks in eastern Kentucky is that we all stick together. We're going to work through this together with the help of the governor. These announcements really help us turn the page. The future of Eastern Kentucky is going to continue to get brighter and brighter."

Currently, 87 families are housed in travel trailers, and 296 households have transitioned out of the Commonwealth Sheltering Program in eastern Kentucky. As of this week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved more than $107.5 million in Individual Assistance Grants. For more information on rebuilding efforts, visit governor.ky.gov/Flood-Resources.

In addition:

—Gov. Beshear highlighted the commonwealth's growing electric vehicle industry. Since 2020, Kentucky has secured 20 EV-related announcements accounting for around $11.2 billion in planned investments and more than 10,800 new full-time jobs created.

—The governor and Executive Cabinet Secretary and State Budget Director John Hicks previewed the country's largest investment in high-speed internet, the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. BEAD provides $42.45 billion to provide universal access to affordable and reliable high-speed internet across all households and businesses in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and U.S. territories. The federal government has said it will announce each state's funding allocation by the end of June. Third-party estimates expect that Kentucky will receive between $700 million and $1.3 billion.

—The governor provided an update on $140,000 in discretionary road funding through the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to the City of Cadiz. The discretionary award went toward developing Jolly Way, which improved traffic flow for a nearby school bus garage and benefited local businesses. Watch the video here.

—Beshear gave an update on oil capping efforts in the commonwealth. As part of his Better Kentucky Plan, Beshear previously announced a $25 million grant to plug orphan oil and gas wells across the commonwealth. Of the 22 states that received federal funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to plug wells, Kentucky is reporting the highest number of wells plugged.

The governor reported 540 wells have been capped in 23 counties across Kentucky, and 42 contracts have been signed to plug a total of 628 wells. The work has restored more than 32 acres of land for farming and other uses. So far, 90 jobs have been created through this work.

—The governor provided an update on the success the commonwealth is seeing in hiring Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) social workers, Kentucky State Police (KSP) sworn personnel and correctional officers at state prisons and juvenile detention centers because of recruitment efforts and pay increases.

The Cabinet for Health and Family Services reported a 6% increase in DCBS social worker staff and a 22.5% increase in family support staff since December 2021. The commonwealth has introduced new and innovative responses to help with retention, including an additional $5 hourly shift premium, a Kentucky colleges recruitment program and paid internships for students.