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.
