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Missouri Loses Millions in Federal Transportation Funds
ST. LOUIS (SLFP.com), October 25, 2009 - Missouri has lost $202 million in federal funding for state and local road, bridge and other transportation improvement projects. The money was lost when Congress failed to repeal a rescission built into the last federal transportation act.
On Sept. 30, the Federal Highway Administration took away $8.708 billion nationally in contract authority from state highway programs. Missouri"s portion of lost funds was $202 million.
"About half of this reduction will directly impact projects selected by our local partners. We have completed our calculation of specific project types affected and have passed along the bad news to them." said MoDOT Director Pete Rahn. "As we have cautioned repeatedly, our funding sources soon won't keep pace with even our basic maintenance needs. Missouri cannot afford to lose these funds. This decrease in federal funding will further jeopardize our ability to create jobs, provide a safer transportation system and continue improving roads and bridges."
Future bridge improvements on state-maintained highways will be affected because more than $98 million was rescinded from the On-System Bridge program. Another $17.4 million was rescinded from the Off-System Bridge program, which will impact bridge improvements in every county and the city of St. Louis.
Missouri lost $44.7 million for transportation projects in urban areas (Surface Transportation Program-Urbanized), including $13 million in Kansas City, $28 million in St. Louis and $3.5 million in Springfield.
Federal funds for transportation enhancement projects, like sidewalks, landscaping and pedestrian and bicycle facilities, were cut by $16.2 million.
More than $17 million was lost in federal funds for Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement projects, including nearly $2.3 million in Kansas City and more than $15 million in St. Louis. That means Missouri"s two largest metropolitan areas have less for projects like diesel retrofits and rideshare programs that help reduce the amount of air pollutants.
$2.6 Billion to Help Low-Income Households with Energy Costs
ST. LOUIS (SLFP.com), October 25, 2009 - HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced the release of more than $2.6 billion to states to help low income citizens with their heating bills during October, November and December of this year. These funds represent grants to states, tribes and territories under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Missouri is slated to receive $42,865,630; Illinois will receive $174,648,969.
"By releasing this money now, we are helping to provide needed assistance to millions of Americans who otherwise might not be able to afford heat this winter," Secretary Sebelius said. "This program helps to offset seasonal energy costs for low income families, leaving more of their income to use for other necessities."
LIHEAP helps eligible families pay the costs of heating and insulating their homes in the winter, and cooling their homes in the summer. HHS is releasing such a large allocation of LIHEAP funds now in order to ensure that states have resources available to support their energy assistance programs as the weather turns colder.
"Each year LIHEAP helps more than five million low income households deal with energy costs," said Carmen Nazario, assistant secretary for children and families. "We will continue to work with states, tribes and territories to assure their heating assistance programs work effectively."
St. Louis Selected for Regional Veterans Day Observance
ST. LOUIS (SLFP.com), October 25, 2009 - Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki has announced the designation of 41 regional Veterans Day observances. These sites are model community events for the observance of Veterans Day 2009. The 26th Annual Regional Veterans Day Celebration will take place at the Soldier's Memorial in downtown St. Louis, November 7, 2009 with the Observance beginning at 10:45 a.m., followed by the Parade at Noon.
"Veterans Day is a national Thank You to the men and women who have served all of us in uniform," Secretary Shinseki said. "These regional observances enable the federal government to bring resources closer to more Veterans."
President Dwight D. Eisenhower formed the Veterans Day National Committee in 1954 to plan and promote the observance of Veterans Day nationally and regionally. Today, the committee is administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and is comprised of representatives from 44 organizations dedicated to supporting military Veterans.
The 2009 Veterans Day regional observances range from parades and ceremonies to military exhibits and tributes to distinguished local Veterans. Each site is recognized by the VA and may receive military support from the Department of Defense when available.
The 2009 Veterans Day Regional Sites are: Birmingham, Mobile, and Ozark-Dale County, Ala.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Palm Springs, Calif.; Loveland, Colo.; New Castle, Del.; Brevard Community College-Coco Campus, Fla.; Atlanta and Dawson County, Ga.; Emporia, Leavenworth and Valley Center, Kan.; Madisonville-Hopkins County, Ky.; and New Orleans, Shreveport-Bossier City, Shreveport and Slidell-Tammany Parrish, La.
Other regional sites include Sherborn, Mass.; Brunswick, Md.; Detroit, Mich.; Gulfport, Miss.; St. Louis, Mo.; New York, N.Y.; Columbus, Ohio; Ponca City, Okla.; Albany, Douglas County and Portland, Ore.; Gatlinburg and Nashville, Tenn.; Austin, Bonham, Dallas and Houston, Texas; Virginia Beach, Va.; Auburn, Port Angeles, Vancouver and West Richland, Wash.; and Milwaukee, Wis.
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