Here is a press release from Wednesday from one of my good sources that has to do with New Jersey, Federal Spending and what Hudson County and Hoboken get from the Federal Government in terms of appropriations:
Lautenberg Announces Hundreds of Millions In New Federal Fundingfor New Jersey in Omnibus Bill
Bill Providing Critical Health Care, Education, Law Enforcement, Transportation Funding Throughout State Passes Senate, Heads to President for Signature
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) announced hundreds of millions of dollars in new federal funding for New Jersey that was included in the FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act that passed the Senate this evening and now heads to President Obama for his signature. These resources will improve health care for New Jersey children, upgrade the state’s transportation, education and infrastructure systems, create open space across the state and provide law enforcement with additional resources to keep our streets safe.
“In these tough economic times, we need to do all we can to help New Jersey families. Families across our state deserve better education, access to healthcare for their families, enhanced law enforcement and transportation options to get cars off the road. This bill provides the resources to help deliver those essential services,” Lautenberg said. “I was proud to help secure these funds and will continue to fight for every dollar our state needs.”
The bill includes new funding for two of New Jersey’s most important priorities: a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River and the Army Corps of Engineers’ flood control work in the Bound Brook area.
The bill includes an additional $48 million in funding for the new rail tunnel, funds that will go towards final design and construction of the tunnel. Construction work on the tunnel project, which is expected to provide as many as 44,000 permanent jobs in New Jersey, is expected to begin this summer.
“Our region’s economy depends on transit options that are reliable, convenient, energy-efficient and affordable. Building this new tunnel will create tens of thousands of jobs, provide commuters with safe, efficient transit options and help to preserve the quality of life in our region,” Lautenberg said about the new tunnel project.
The Green Brook Flood Control Project has levees and flood walls to protect Bound Brook and surrounding communities from flooding. The Borough of Bound Brook and surrounding municipalities have experienced six major floods that have resulted in seven deaths and more than $2.4 billion in damages. The federal government has already contributed more than $60 million towards this project and the work completed so far has helped reduce flooding damage. This bill provides $10 million to help finish the project in the Bound Brook area that is near completion.
“I have seen the devastation of the flooding in Bound Brook firsthand and it is time to get the community the resources it needs to finish this project and prevent this flood damage,” Lautenberg said about the Bound Brook funding. “This funding takes us even closer to finally providing the residents of these communities with protection they can rely on.”
Editors Note: The press release lists all the counties covered but for the sake of brevity, here is what we get for Hudson County:
Hudson County
· $86 million for New York/New Jersey Harbor Deepening through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
· $11 million for other New York Harbor and Hudson-Raritan estuary projects through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
· $48 million for the ARC Tunnel Project.
· $1.1 million for Hudson-Bergen Light Rail MOS-2.
· $475,000 to Stevens Institute of Technology for the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway.
· $285,000 to North Bergen for streetscaping along JFK Boulevard East.
· $237,500 to NJ Transit for the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Route 440 Extension project.
· $600,000 to the city of Bayonne to purchase equipment for a new centralized command and control operations center.
· $250,000 to Union City for an anti-gang and youth violence prevention program.
· $250,000 to the Urban League of Hudson County for an anti-gang initiative.
· $200,000 to Kearny for a security initiative to monitor the Kuehne chemical plant and CSX rail yards.
· $100,000 to Secaucus for interoperable communications equipment.
· $571,000 to Christ Hospital for emergency department renovation.
· $285,000 to Palisades Medical Center for facility renovation and equipment.
· $238,000 to North Hudson Community Action Corporation for facility renovation and equipment.
· $380,000 to Hudson County for the redevelopment of the Koppers Coke brownfield site.
· $143,000 for a flood control project along the Passaic River in Harrison through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
My commentary:
So in essence Hoboken directly gets $475,000 to Stevens Institute of Technology for the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway. I don't think this was quite what Mayor Roberts had in mind when he was trying to get Hoboken's cut of stimulus package for our city. At this point I guess we have to take what we can get but I know Hoboken got out the vote for Senator Lautenberg last fall. Is this all the thanks we get? In all fairness though, Hudson County did get a lot of funding overall for some major projects which should create jobs in this area that are desperately needed.
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