The Office of Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen recently announced that Nevada has been in the process of receiving around $3.4 million of funding via the Secure Rural Schools Program, and that Mineral County will be getting approximately $254,432 of that.

The source of the money is from the USDA Forest Service, a federal entity that stated last week that it would distribute close to $228 million paid to counties in 41 states including Puerto Rico. The Secure Rural Schools program supports the monies going towards roads, schools, and municipal services covering the 2021-2023 fiscal years.

MC File photo – Mineral County will be getting approximately $254,432 of funding via the Secure Rural Schools Program.

“The Secure Rural Schools program is one of many ways the Forest Service provides continuous support to communities across the country” said Forest Service Chief Randy Moore. “Not only do these dollars provide funding for schools and roads, but the program also reimburses counties for providing emergency services on national forests and supports the development of community wildfire protection plans, all critical programs designed to improve the quality of life in these communities.”

The amount that each state receives is determined by factors established in the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act that passed in 2000 in which these counties elected to participate in its Secure Rural Schools revenue sharing program. The Forest Service collects the revenue from the counties to redistribute in this program that is set to sunset in the early 2020s.

“Secure Rural Schools is a critical program that helps provide essential funding for counties across rural Nevada,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to have helped rural counties in Nevada receive more than $3 million from this program to support local schools, bolster emergency services, and improve wildland fire management. I’ll continue working to ensure communities like Mineral County get a fair share of federal funding.”