Funding for Middle Creek study included in omnibus bill

Print
LAKE COUNTY – An omnibus appropriations bill passed by the House of Representatives Wednesday night includes funding for the Middle Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project, along with the war in Iraq, medical research, K-12 education, college financial aid, energy independence and rural health care.


The House approved H.R. 2764 – the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008 (Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008) – on a 272-142 vote on Wednesday, according to GovTrack.


Congressman Mike Thompson, who was unable to vote on the bill because he's recovering from surgery, issued a Thursday statement on the bill that praised parts of it and criticized others.


“The priorities of the federal budget over the past seven years have been completely out of touch with the needs of American families,” Thompson said in the statement issued by his office. “This spending bill invests in areas that will improve the lives of every American, such as education, health care, the environment and critical infrastructure projects.”


The bill included $227,000 for Lake County’s Middle Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project, which was secured by Thompson.


Anne Warden, Thompson's Washington communications director, said the funds will be used for a feasibility study on the project, which will restore 1,200 acres of wetlands and 500 acres of floodplain in the Clear Lake area.


The restoration project will reconnect the Scott’s Creek and Middle Creek to the historic Robinson Lake wetland and floodplain, as Lake County News has reported. These two watersheds provide 57 percent of the water flow into Clear Lake.


“Restoring Middle Creek will improve our area’s protection from flooding,” said Thompson. “It will also have a very positive effect on the wetlands surrounding Clearlake.”


However, in Thompson's view, the bill has definite drawbacks.


“Unfortunately, this bill also includes billions more for the war in Iraq – a war that has already cost our country $500 billion,” said Thompson, a Vietnam veteran who has been critical of the war since its beginning. “I am extremely frustrated that we continue to fund the president’s ill-advised war without any plans for bringing our troops home.”


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..


{mos_sb_discuss:3}