Better Schools
The School Facilities Construction Commission is forging ahead with the distribution of more than $200 million for the construction of schools and educational facility upgrades.
These projects could generate as many as 1,000 jobs.
- $127 million in Federal Funds are being allocated to local school district construction projects.
- $75 million in General Fund dollars will go to build or upgrade vocational school facilities.
Cleaner Water
Team Kentucky is investing in water or sewer-related projects statewide that will improve the quality of life for Kentuckians while boosting the Commonwealth's infrastructure. Administered by the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority, $250 million has been appropriated for water and wastewater grants for the following uses:
- $150 million
- Allocated to projects within a
county based on county population
- $50 million
- Available for customers in rural areas without clean drinking water services
- Available for utilities under federal consent decree to address stormwater and sanitary sewer system concerns (Lexington, Louisville, Northern KY Sanitation District No. 1, Winchester)
- $49.9 million
- $24.9 million to supplement a project grant where the project cost is greater than the county's allocation
- $25 million for bids higher than estimated project cost
There are 713 public drinking water and wastewater utilities in Kentucky. Once projects are selected this fall, all funds must be obligated by December 31, 2024.
It is estimated that delivering clean drinking water to Kentuckians will create at least 3,800 jobs.
How to Apply
The Call for Projects begins June 1, 2021. Public drinking water and wastewater utilities will coordinate with the Water Resource Coordinator representing Kentucky's 15 Area Development Districts (ADDs) and Area Water Management Councils. The ADD Water Service Coordinator will create a new Project Profile or update an existing Project Profile through the Water Resource Information System (WRIS) online portal. They will select “Cleaner Water Program Grant Funds” as the funding source under the budget tab to indicate interest in funding through the grant.
Click here to visit the WRIS Portal.
Frequently Asked Questions
A governmental agency with a Water Management Council approved project profile for a water or sewer-related project. Some examples of eligible governmental agencies are: city-owned water or sewer utility, water commission, water district, sewer district, sanitation district, a county (through an additional memorandum of agreement) for the benefit of a water association.
Water or sewer-related projects.
There is not a specific limit on the grant amount per project.
The application process will be ongoing throughout calendar year 2021 or until all funding is committed.
KIA will begin reviewing projects while the Call for Projects window is open. Grant awards will be made throughout the calendar year 2021.
Grant recipients will be able to request up to 85% of the total grant amount after all commitment letter conditions have been satisfied and the grant assistance agreement has been fully executed. The remaining 15% of the grant will be available after project closeout.
Better Internet
The COVID-19 pandemic accentuated the need for all Kentucky citizens to have access to high-speed, reliable internet access to stay informed and connected to school, work, family, church, health care and other critical services. As more jobs transitioned to telework and classrooms moved to online learning, households across Kentucky became increasingly reliant on technology dependent on enhanced internet capacity to not only download data, but also to upload and share information, particularly when two or more platforms were simultaneously online.
Under
House Bill 320 and
House Bill 382, a bipartisan agreement signed into law by Gov. Beshear, Kentucky's Broadband Deployment Fund includes $300 million in state funds earmarked to address the connectivity needs of unserved and underserved communities across the Commonwealth. Combined with at least 50 percent required matching federal investments, a minimum of $600 million will support broadband expansion in Kentucky, creating more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs. Coupled with the recent broadband speed test, access mapping and the KentuckyWired project, the Commonwealth has the potential to move to the forefront of broadband expansion nationwide.
To meet the most immediate need of those currently unserved populations across the state, the Kentucky Broadband Deployment Fund will prioritize the applications of projects that include areas without current access to broadband or those providing 10 Mbps or less download speeds.
Expanding broadband in Kentucky is estimated to create 10,000 jobs.
Stronger Communities
“Part of Governor Andy Beshear’s Better Kentucky Plan is to use the $6.5 billion allocated through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) – also known as the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act – to build stronger communities in every corner of the commonwealth. These federal dollars offer unprecedented opportunities to communities, businesses and local governments to make improvements in areas of energy efficiency, forestry, renewable energy, waste management and water. It will let Kentucky make significant progress in reclaiming abandoned mine lands, redeveloping brownfields and capping orphaned oil and gas wells.”
—Energy & Environment Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Goodman
Better Transportation
Governor Beshear is seizing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make transformational improvements in Kentucky’s transportation infrastructure. The Governor’s 2022-2028 Kentucky Highway Plan puts a priority on repairing and preserving pavement and bridges, meaning greater safety, efficiency, equitability and resilience for all users – drivers, cyclists, transit riders and pedestrians. The plan is based on anticipated state and federal revenues of $8.5 billion through 2028. The plan also positions Kentucky to compete for federal funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to advance projects that are critical to Kentucky’s continued economic growth but have long been delayed because of their cost. The BIL goes beyond highways and bridges with funding to modernize all other modes of transportation – air, rail, riverports and public transportation.
Greener Drive
Electric vehicles (EVs) are the way of the future, and Kentucky is at the center of the revolution. Kentucky is developing an Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan (EVIDP) - a critical next step to expand Kentucky’s network of reliable Direct Current Fast Chargers (DCFCs) and Level 2 chargers on highways throughout the Commonwealth to support local and long-distance EV travel.
Kentucky is slated to receive $69.4 million through 2027 for EV charging infrastructure, with $10.3 million in fiscal year 2022 and $10-15 million in each of the four following years. Governor Andy Beshear proposed and enacted a $30.5 million General Fund investment to boost Kentucky’s EV funding.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, in coordination with the Energy and Environment Cabinet, the Public Service Commission, and the Federal Highway Administration, is developing Kentucky's Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan. The Plan is required to secure EV infrastructure funding from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
The Plan will be submitted by August 1, 2022, to the Joint Office of the US Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Energy. Once approved, Kentucky’s share of $10.3 million in National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Funds will be available to spend.
Federal Highway Administration guidance directs state agencies to spend NEVI funds first on Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs) to build out the charging network on those corridors before they can be spent elsewhere in the state.
Kentucky established a stakeholder group, along with several advisory committees, to provide input based on Federal Highway Administration guidance to ensure underserved communities are part of the inclusive EV future we’re building for Kentuckians and travelers.
Share your charger station interest by completing
this form.