Tag Archives: $200 million

Federal grants will replace tunnels under roads that allow water to pass through but not fish

The Biden administration announced nearly $200 million in federal infrastructure grants on Wednesday to upgrade tunnels that route streams under roads but can kill fish that get trapped trying to get through. “We inherited a lot of structures that were built in a way that just didn’t think through the effect they had on fish,” US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in an interview with The Associated Press. “You don’t have to be a fish lover or an ecologist to care about this. It is very important for livelihoods, the economy and the way of life in many parts of the country.” Some of the 169 projects included in the first batch in a $1 billion initiative to be rolled out over five years under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 would upgrade or replace the culverts with bridges to make water — and fish — more free to let flow. >click to read< 11:36

California’s crab fleet awaits share of $200 million in disaster relief

The North Coast fishing fleet has welcomed some rare good news out of Washington, D.C., where the congressional budget deal reached last week included disaster relief funds intended to offset losses from the ill-fated commercial Dungeness crab season of three years ago. But just how much help may be on the way is uncertain and could remain so for some time. There’s bureaucracy involved, and the wheels of government often turn slowly for fishermen seeking aid. >click to read< 17:57

Congress passes spending bill after brief government shutdown

Congress approved a $300 billion, two-year spending bill and an additional $90 billion in aid for victims of hurricanes and California wildfires early Friday and President Trump signed it, ending a brief partial shutdown of the federal government.,,, of interest, tucked in the bill is $200 million for nine declared fishery disasters from Alaska to California dating to 2014. Reps. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, and Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, have been urging approval of funds to aid fishermen affected by the 2015-16 closure of the Dungeness crab season and several salmon fisheries going back to 2014. The administration would decide how to allocate the money. >click to read< 15:14