Public paper · October 9, 2026 · Mining desk · Kentucky
Eastern Kentucky: $22 million in mine-land grants for nine counties (Oct. 9, 2026)
Gov. Andy Beshear and U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers (KY-05) announced nine AMLER grants worth more than $22 million on Oct. 9, 2026, in Corbin. The money pays for gas and water lines, an EMS station, a hospital surgical robot, school nursing and farm classes, tourism, and an industrial site in Leslie, Laurel, Johnson, Clay, Elliott, Harlan, Letcher, Owsley and Pike counties.
noticenearby.com/papers/eastern-kentucky-amler-grants-22-million-oct-9-2026.pdf
On Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at the Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) Summit in Corbin, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and U.S. Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers, who represents Kentucky’s 5th Congressional District, announced nine new grants worth more than $22 million for projects in nine Eastern Kentucky counties.
The money comes from the Abandoned Mine Lands Economic Revitalization program, called AMLER. It is federal money meant to help coal communities turn land and towns hurt by past mining into new jobs and services. Rogers started the program in 2016. The governor’s office says AMLER has sent more than $1.3 billion nationwide, including more than $280 million for 120 projects in Kentucky.
The grants cover gas and water lines, a new ambulance station, a hospital surgical robot, nursing and farm classes for high school students, two tourism projects, and a build-ready industrial site. Each county’s award is listed below, with a link to that county’s Notice Nearby page.
How projects were picked: Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary John Lyons chose projects for review by the Kentucky Division of Abandoned Mine Lands. The cabinet says it received 112 applications asking for more than $268 million.
The nine awards, county by county
- Leslie County — $4.03 million to the Leslie County Fiscal Court to lay more than 35,000 feet of natural gas line. The county says the line will serve 12 businesses, more than 100 households, and six schools and churches when it is finished. Leslie County Judge/Executive William Lewis called it Phase III of the county gas line project. County hub: https://noticenearby.com/ky/leslie
- Laurel County — $3.5 million to the City of London Convention and Tourism Commission to finish infrastructure at the Wilderness Road Event Center in London. Planners expect up to 65,000 visitors in the first two years and five full-time jobs when it opens. County hub: https://noticenearby.com/ky/laurel
- Johnson County — $2.9 million to the Johnson County Schools to grow the nursing and agriculture programs at the Johnson Central Career and Technical Center. Nursing students get simulation equipment that mimics real patient care. Agriculture students get high-tunnel greenhouses and farm equipment. The district expects to train 246 agriculture students and 75 nursing students in the first year. County hub: https://noticenearby.com/ky/johnson
- Clay County — $2.76 million to the AdventHealth Manchester to buy a da Vinci 5 robotic surgical system. The hospital says it will add five surgical services with less invasive operations and expects to serve 360 patients in the first year. County hub: https://noticenearby.com/ky/clay
- Elliott County — $2.5 million to the Elliott County Fiscal Court to replace the emergency medical services (EMS) building in Sandy Hook with a larger, modern station. The county expects about 3% more patients treated in the first year it is open. County hub: https://noticenearby.com/ky/elliott
- Harlan County — $2.2 million to the City of Cumberland to replace old water distribution lines and add new ones. The city expects the work to serve 194 households and 50 businesses in the first year after it is done. County hub: https://noticenearby.com/ky/harlan
- Letcher County — $2.15 million to the Letcher County Water and Sewer District to run a new waterline to the planned Children’s Autism Center of Mountain Comprehensive Health Corp. (MCHC) and to about 200 households. County hub: https://noticenearby.com/ky/letcher
- Owsley County — $1.64 million to the City of Booneville for Phase II of the Sag Hollow business development: three new overnight cabins. Planners expect 2,800 visitors and two new jobs in the first year. County hub: https://noticenearby.com/ky/owsley
- Pike County — $600,000 to the Pike County Fiscal Court to build a ready-to-use building pad at the Wolfpit Industrial Park. The county expects about $125,000 in occupational tax revenue in the first year. County hub: https://noticenearby.com/ky/pike
Broadband money presented the same day
At the same event, the two leaders presented $25.7 million to the Center for Rural Development for six projects under the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. The state says those projects will bring high-speed internet to more than 3,000 homes in 12 counties. The governor’s office first announced that money on Wednesday, Oct. 7, as part of $78.8 million Kentucky received from the Appalachian Regional Commission in fiscal year 2026.
What AMLER added up to in Kentucky this year
The state counts 14 AMLER grants in Kentucky in 2026, worth more than $35 million in all: the nine announced in Corbin, two Eastern Kentucky awards worth $6.6 million announced in June, and three Western Kentucky awards worth $6.6 million announced in September.
The state says that when all 14 are finished they are expected to keep or create 257 jobs and train up to 500 Kentuckians a year. It says the infrastructure and job-training projects will serve 165 businesses and 3,369 households, the community health projects will serve more than 160,000 people a year, and the tourism projects will draw nearly 67,800 visitors a year.
What local leaders said
Pike County Judge/Executive Ray S. Jones II said the award is the final phase of the Wolfpit Industrial & Technology Park, an 88-acre site the county says could hold 250 manufacturing or technology jobs.
Cumberland Mayor Charles Raleigh said the money will improve water service and help the city save on water loss and repair costs. Johnson County Schools Superintendent Thom Cochran said it helps finish the health-science classrooms, labs and greenhouses at the district’s new career and technical center.
Where to learn more
AMLER program details are on the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet website: https://eec.ky.gov/Natural-Resources/Mining/Abandoned-Mine-Lands/Pages/AMLER_Program.aspx. The Kentucky Division of Abandoned Mine Lands office number listed in the release is 502-782-9913.
Original source: Office of Gov. Andy Beshear news release, Oct. 9, 2026, delivered to the Notice Nearby publisher inbox and posted at https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/KYGOV/bulletins/42e9d6e. Notice Nearby wrote this paper in its own words from that release. It leaves out the release’s closing section about other announcements by the governor.
What to read next
Kentucky’s 5th Congressional District hub, which covers all nine counties: https://noticenearby.com/district/KY-05
Kentucky statewide hub: https://noticenearby.com/ky · Mining desk: https://noticenearby.com/mining
County pages: Leslie https://noticenearby.com/ky/leslie · Laurel https://noticenearby.com/ky/laurel · Johnson https://noticenearby.com/ky/johnson · Clay https://noticenearby.com/ky/clay · Elliott https://noticenearby.com/ky/elliott · Harlan https://noticenearby.com/ky/harlan · Letcher https://noticenearby.com/ky/letcher · Owsley https://noticenearby.com/ky/owsley · Pike https://noticenearby.com/ky/pike
Notes and sources
- Author: Ryan Standley / Record of Sale, LLC / Notice Nearby.
- Source: Office of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (governor.ky.gov) news release, Oct. 9, 2026, via GovDelivery; Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet AMLER program page.
- Hero photo: Breaks of the Big Sandy gorge on the Kentucky–Virginia line next to Pike County — Virginia State Parks staff, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BreaksBalconyView_SJ_(8361204879).jpg).
- Discussed on @NoticeNearYou: (pending — fill xPostUrl after live post).
- Not legal advice. Not a newspaper. Not Legal Publication. Record of Sale, LLC (Oregon).
Mining desk · Kentucky government announcements · Notice Nearby public papers shelf. County briefs on the Leslie, Laurel, Johnson, Clay, Elliott, Harlan, Letcher, Owsley and Pike County hubs. @NoticeNearYou post pending.
Not legal advice. Not a newspaper. Not Legal Publication. Record of Sale, LLC (Oregon).