Congressman Hal Rogers and Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell filed companion bills on Thursday in the House and Senate to begin
the federal process to designate Southern and Eastern Kentucky, including
Russell and surrounding counties, as the Kentucky Wildlands National Heritage
Area. The legislation comes on the heels of Eastern Kentucky PRIDE’s grant
award from the Appalachian Regional Commission earlier this year to brand the
region as the Kentucky Wildlands. The Kentucky Wildlands National Heritage Area
Study Act directs the Secretary of the Interior to complete a study to
determine whether the region meets the requirements for a National Heritage
Area designation.
As a National Heritage Area, the region would receive
technical assistance and federal funding through a partnership with the
National Park Service.