As Majority Leader and Senior Member of the Appropriations Committee, Senator McConnell delivers national resources to bolster Kentucky priorities
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) secured a number of critical resources for Kentucky in government funding bills approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee today. The Committee, of which Senator McConnell is a senior member, approved his requests to include funding to help fight the Asian Carp infestation in Western Kentucky and to support Kentucky's hemp program.
"Today, I proudly voted to invest federal resources into Kentucky's priorities and to bolster the communities across our Commonwealth as they address urgent needs," said Senator McConnell. "As Senate Majority Leader and a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I'm standing up for rural America and ensuring that Kentucky's economy continues to grow and our Commonwealth has every opportunity to succeed. Whether it's standing with our boaters and anglers in the War on Carp or promoting Kentucky's exciting new hemp industry, it's my job to bring national attention to our local agenda."
The provisions Senator McConnell secured in the Senate Interior and Commerce Appropriations bills include:
- ·$25 million to help fight the War on Asian Carp. Senator McConnell helped secure $11 million for the project last year. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will use the funding to help remove Asian Carp, an invasive species, from reservoirs like Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. The bill also includes more than $9 million for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and its work to combat the spread of Asian Carp in Western Kentucky lakes and in the Ohio River and Tennessee River basins. Earlier this year, USFWS and USGS agreed to Senator McConnell's request to deploy the advanced "Unified Method of Fishing," which involves corralling Asian Carp into one location using electronic technology and extracting the fish from the water with specialized nets. This technique has been successful in controlling Asian Carp populations abroad, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has successfully deployed it in Missouri and Illinois. In May, Senator McConnell visited Western Kentucky with members of the Trump Administration, where they discussed options, such as the Unified Method, to address the Asian Carp invasion with local elected officials, community leaders and the local media.
"With local leaders like Judge Wade White, we're making real progress in the War on Carp in Kentucky. At my request, the Trump administration is using its most sophisticated strategies to protect Kentucky's waters, and I'm proud to direct these federal resources to support that critical work," Senator McConnell added.
- ·A measure to support the Drug Enforcement Agency's efforts to develop technology to enable law enforcement to distinguish between hemp and marijuana. The provision directs the DEA to identify or develop on-the-spot field testing technologies for this purpose.
"I stand ready to work with Kentucky's hemp producers to address whatever challenges arise as they explore the full potential of this remarkable crop," said Senator McConnell. "Ensuring law enforcement can differentiate between industrial hemp and its illicit cousin is critical, and I'll continue working with the DEA and other federal agencies so hemp can be treated the same as any other legal commodity."
- ·A provision directing the USFWS to continue to expedite the establishment of the Green River National Wildlife Refuge (GRNWR) in Henderson County. In 2018, Senator McConnell secured language directing the Department of Interior to establish the GRNWR to support conservation, hunting and fishing opportunities in Western Kentucky.
- ·A provision encouraging the USFWS to remove certain inoperable locks and dams along the Green and Barren Rivers. The bill provides almost $19 million for USFWS to work with states like Kentucky to remove structures or barriers that harm fish and fish habitats.
- ·$115 million for the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) pilot program, $25M of which will go to Kentucky for the development of projects on land previously used to mine coal that will help support economic development in Eastern Kentucky. As Senate Majority Leader, McConnell shepherded the provision creating the AML Pilot to enactment with U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers (R-KY) in 2015. So far, Senator McConnell and Congressman Rogers have helped secure $105 million from this federal program to be awarded for Kentucky projects.
- ·$319.5 million for the Economic Development Agency (EDA), which provides federal competitive grants to communities to assist with economic development. Since 2016, Senator McConnell helped secure nearly $12 million in federal competitive grants for Kentucky through EDA grant programs. This year, he secured $4 million for the Estill County Board of Education in Irvine, Kentucky. The grant will help build an Area Technical Center (ATC) educational building, expected to help create more than 500 jobs and retain 450 jobs. In 2017, Senator McConnell also secured $3 million in EDA funding to renovate the Rochester Dam in Western Kentucky.
- ·$378 million to fund the Department of Justice (DOJ) programs created by the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), which passed in 2016 under the leadership of Senator McConnell. The funding includes $136 million for Drug Courts and Veteran's Treatment Courts to further combat the opioid and addiction epidemic in highly impacted states, like Kentucky.
- ·$47 million for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Anti-Heroin and Anti-Methamphetamine Task Force programs. This funding supports local law enforcement agencies, including those in Kentucky, in their efforts to investigate the unlawful distribution of heroin, prescription opioids, and methamphetamines.
- ·$545 million for the Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) program to support local law enforcement. Last year, Senator McConnell worked with state officials to secure millions to help Kentucky communities meet law enforcement needs, including supporting drug task forces throughout the Commonwealth.
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