TOPICS
TOPICS
Interior announces first stimulus projects
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Friday announced a number of projects the department soon will begin under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Ultimately, Interior will spend about $3 billion of the nearly $800 billion allocated under the stimulus plan.
"Our recovery investments were made following a very rigorous process conducted across all Department of Interior bureaus to identify merit-based projects that meet the criteria of the act -- mainly to fund projects that address the department's highest-priority mission needs, to generate the largest number of jobs in the shortest period of time, and to create lasting value for the American public," Salazar said.
Salazar said department officials will spend $140 million to fund 308 U.S. Geological Survey projects across all 50 states to repair and build facilities; replace and upgrade scientific equipment; advance critical national mapping activities; and reduce the backlog of deferred maintenance.
The department estimates that it will create 100,000 jobs once its entire $3 billion portion of the Recovery Act is dispersed, Salazar said, adding that Interior will closely monitor job creation as projects get under way and post that information on its Web site.
While Interior doesn't plan to increase its acquisition and financial management workforces to handle the additional projects, Salazar said agencies were prepared to hire personnel on a temporary basis if that proved necessary.
"We're comfortable we will be able to have the personnel in place," to adequately oversee the stimulus projects, he said.
In March, Salazar named Chris Henderson, formerly the chief operating officer for Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, to serve as "recovery czar" and oversee the department's stimulus spending.
Specific investments announced on Friday include:
- $15.2 million to modernize equipment at volcano observatories
- $14.6 million to upgrade 7,500 stream gauges
- $14.6 million to remove cableways, groundwater wells and stream gauges no longer needed to make sites safer for the public and support local economies
- $29.4 million to address deferred maintenance at laboratories and make them more energy efficient
- $29.4 million to modernize the Advanced National Seismic System
- $17.8 million to improve wildlife and environmental research centers in Maryland, Missouri and Wisconsin
- $14.6 million to improve imagery mapping used for emergency operations, natural resource management and flood control
- $488,000 to the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory to digitize and publicize bird banding data, which has applications in disease research
Interior intends to provide progress reports for each project on its Web site. Information also will be posted on the White House Web site.
COMMENTS
- Yes, there is always a potential for abuse. Just look at the previous administeration. George, Dick, and Don lied to the American public so that the could launder billions of dollars into places places they shouldn't have. Today I heard another cynic of the administration, a government contractor, Tom Brown, a retired AF colonel with SAIC, Inc. say during a briefing that the stimulus package was -- well, totally messed up. I suppose according to his plan for economic recovery we should have given Haliburton another grant. Mr Obama, you keep right on doing the good work you are doing and don't pay a hoot to those right winger cynics. Wayne Grewe Posted April 13, 2009 7:49 PM
- Great to see stimulus funds being pumped into our weakened national laboratories, such as USGS and NOAA. In the short term it pumps money into a wide spectrum of businesses that support the labs. And in the long term it's an investment that keeps America in its leadership role in science and technology. Joe Posted April 13, 2009 5:54 PM
- What a cruel joke. Article promises "stimulus jobs" and then proceeds to state Salazar says they will do it with existing personnel. Looks to me like a ploy to increase existing government workers salaries,at the expense of the public and small business. Looks like payback to Obams supporters with no new jobs creation. Here goes our government down the toilet again. Will you Dems never learn? Alan Korn Posted April 13, 2009 4:17 PM
