Illegal dump in Lyon County (Photo: Lyon County Sheriff's Office/Facebook)
Governor Andy Beshear and Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Goodman announced on Thursday that 16 counties, including Lyon County, have been awarded a grant to clean up illegal dumps.
The total amount awarded for this initiative is approximately $924,600, which will be utilized to address 69 illegal dumps in these counties. Lyon County’s share is $54,695.65.
In emphasizing the importance of clean and safe communities, Gov. Beshear expressed that Kentucky families deserve nothing less. He acknowledged that illegal dump sites can harm the quality of life and property values of Kentuckians, even though they are not at fault. He highlighted that this grant program will benefit thousands of individuals across the state.
In addition to Lyon County, the following counties received grants: Breathitt, Butler, Clay, Floyd, Green, Harlan, Knott, Lawrence, Lyon, Marion, Martin, McLean, Meade, Pike, Warren and Wolfe.
As a condition of receiving the grant funding, counties are required to contribute a 25 percent match of the grant amount. However, officials have stated that the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet has the authority to waive this match requirement for any individual illegal open dump if the cleanup costs exceed $50,000.
Since the grant’s creation in 2006, state officials reported close to 2,800 dump sites across the state since its creation in 2006.
Grants for the Illegal Open Dump Grant Program come from the Kentucky Pride Fund, which is generated through a $1.75 environmental remediation fee for each ton of garbage dumped at Kentucky municipal solid waste landfills. Officials said this “tipping fee” was first authorized by the 2002 General Assembly under House Bill 174, for use in a dump cleanup reimbursement program to a grant program and expanded the scope of the fund to address household hazardous waste collection and recycling infrastructure.
