Fayette County Commissioner Bob Peterson doesn't know for certain that his community will be helped if it is officially labeled Appalachian.

But he said he knows such a designation couldn't hurt.

That's why he is pleased that the U.S. House on July 16 proposed adding four counties -- Ashtabula, Mahoning, Trumbull and Fayette -- to Ohio's existing

29-county Appalachian region. The House also decided to add counties in Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.

It's not a done deal, however.

Last Friday, the Senate passed its version of the bill that gives money and authority to the Appalachian Regional Commission. It directs federal funds into 410 counties in a 200,000-square-mile region that includes all of West Virginia and parts of 12 other states.

The Senate, however, added no counties, so a committee of members from both houses will hash out the differences.

The last time the commission was expanded was in 2002 with the addition of two counties in Kentucky and two in Mississippi.

Peterson remains hopeful that his county's designation will be approved.

Fayette County isn't as economically depressed as counties such as Meigs, Pike and Vinton, farther south and east toward the Ohio River.

Meigs had an unemployment rate of 9.8 percent in June, while Fayette was at 5.5 percent. Ohio Department of Development statistics show that the per-capita income in Meigs County is about $18,900, while in Fayette County it is a little more than $23,000.

But it appears there are no benchmarks a county must meet to be considered for the Appalachian designation. It takes only congressional approval.

If Fayette becomes a part of the region, officials don't want to take any money away from critical projects in more-distressed areas, Peterson said.

"Those counties would and should qualify for a lot more money," he said. "But we have needs and worthy projects, too, and we would at least like to be in the mix."

This year, the Appalachian Regional Commission funneled about $4.1 million into Ohio. Much of that went for improvements to roads and water and sewer systems, but some also went toward communication and public-safety projects and health systems.

Recent examples include $175,000 to Coshocton County Memorial Hospital for cardiac equipment, and $50,000 to help build a terminal at the Jefferson County Regional Airport.

The money rarely is enough to complete a project, but local officials can leverage it when applying for grants and loans, said Fred Deel, director of the Governor's Office of Appalachia.

Deel said he has not heard any complaints about expanding the region. A congressman who co-sponsored the bill hasn't heard any complaints, either.

"No one thinks this designation is going to be an endless pot of Appalachian Regional Commission money, so no one's fighting about it," said Deb Setliff, spokeswoman for Rep. Steven

C. LaTourette, R-Madison, who co-sponsored the bill. "Everyone just wants every advantage they can get."

hzachariah@dispatch.com