Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced that 14 West Virginia counties will receive a combined $1,391,968 through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service from the Secure Rural Schools program to support public schools, roads and to reimburse counties for providing emergency services on national forest and grasslands. Chairman Manchin secured this funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) that reauthorized Secure Rural Schools through fiscal year 2023. 

“The funding released today will help ensure that West Virginia’s rural counties and school districts can continue to provide essential services to students and communities on Forest Service lands. The bipartisan infrastructure law is continuing to deliver for West Virginia, and I commend the Forest Service for their strong commitment to quickly distributing this funding that will give our communities the tools they need to succeed,” said Chairman Manchin.

Individual awards to counties listed below:

• $8.23 - Barbour
• $33,009 - Grant
• $135,573 - Greenbrier
• $4,259 - Hampshire
• $75,380 - Hardy
• $95.57 - Mercer
• $27,541 - Monroe
• $48,230 - Nicholas
• $158,738 - Pendleton
• $354,286 - Pocahontas
• $7,512 - Preston
• $282,369 - Randolph
• $106,427 - Tucker
• $158,537 - Webster

For more information from the USDA Forest Service, click here.