Senator Tom Harkin Applauds Announcement Of $750,000 In Recovery Act Dollars For Bear Creek Watershed Project

June 2, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today applauded Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s announcement that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide $755,000 in funding for the Bear Creek Watershed Project in Winneshiek County. The funds are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, the Recovery Act, and will help to provide the financial and technical assistance necessary to construct flood control dams in the area.

Harkin is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry as well as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and helped to secure these funds in the final version of the Recovery Act.

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“These projects are essential to the further improving water quality and natural wildlife habitats of Winneshiek County’s Bear Creek,” Harkin noted. “Additionally, these funds will create good jobs and help to prevent future flooding in Iowa.”

Through the Recovery Act, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) has worked to identify projects ready for implementation located in areas of the country most impacted economically by natural disasters. USDA-NRCS plans to direct these funds for the purpose of improving public safety and the environment while at the same time relieving stress on the local economy through job creation and retention.

Source: Senator Tom Harkin