Federal funding will soon help more Eastern Kentuckians gain access to substance abuse treatment and recovery support, officials have announced

U.S. Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers and Gov. Matt Bevin announced Tuesday a grant by the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement (OSMRE) through the 2017 Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Pilot program that will create jobs in Eastern Kentucky, according to a statement from the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet.

The City of Hazard has been given preliminary approval for a $900,000 AML grant that will bring a natural gas pipeline from a wellhead in the central Perry County area to the Coalfields Regional Industrial Park. the statement said. The addition of natural gas to the industrial park, according to the statement, will attract jobs to a region that has been adversely impacted by changes in the coal economy.