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Friday, 13 March 2009 |
 Amador County - Earmarks inserted into the $410 billion federal spending bill were signed into law Wednesday, including $180,500 for the Pine Grove Corridor Improvement Project. Congressman and Amador County Representative Dan Lungren included the funding as part of nearly $38 million in earmarks he authored or co-authored with other local representatives. This was far more than the Amador County Transportation Commission expected, with original fund estimates closer to $40 or $50 thousand. … In total, the federal bill includes at least $69 million for the Sacramento region, including money to extend the city’s light rail system, repair ship channels and fix sewer systems. Lungren’s largest approvals were joint requests for funding with Democratic Representatives Doris Matsui of Sacramento and Mike Thompson of St. Helena. These include $13 million towards American River watershed improvements, $12 million for South Sacramento flood control, $11 million for Folsom Dam modifications and raising the dam, and $1.4 million for food safety research at UC Davis. “In the face of the current economic situation, it is vital that we continue to bring federal resources to Sacramento,” said Democratic Representative Matsui. Lungren’s solo requests include $500,000 for a Folsom Emergency Operations Center, $275,000 for wastewater upgrades in Galt, and $142,500 for ADA-compliant infrastructure in Citrus Heights. All this comes at the same time that many in Washington have criticized pork-barrel earmarking for bloating the federal budget. Republican Senator John McCain and many House Democrats have been staunch critics of the system while still receiving large earmarks for priorities in their own states. Senator McCain and Tom Colburn of Oklahoma tried to pass an amendment that would eliminate earmarks, but with no success. Two Democrats voted with McCain and eight Republicans voted against him. President Obama called the bill “imperfect” but said he didn’t want Congress to get “bogged down at this critical juncture in our economic recovery.” Story by Alex Lane
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