Secretary Salazar Highlights Job Creation, Boost to Economy From President's Economic Recovery Plan In Visit to Ohio
Press Release
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today highlighted the $23 million that the Department of the Interior will invest in Ohio under President Obama's economic recovery plan during a visit to Cuyahoga Valley National Park and a speech to the City Club of Cleveland.
"The investments we are making in Ohio will create jobs and spur the local economy, while conserving treasures such as our national parks and vital wildlife habitat," Salazar said. "We are helping to ensure a better future for both our communities and our land by creating jobs, boosting economic growth and conserving our natural, cultural and historical heritage."
Salazar emphasized the important role national parks and national wildlife refuges play in local economies and announced that the National Park Service will waive park entrance fees on three weekends this summer across the country to help families take vacations and boost tourism.
The projects funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 include upgrading nine miles of railroad line at Cuyahoga Valley National Park, closing four hazardous abandoned oil and gas wells to restore the natural landscapes, and repairing the historic Tinker's Creek aqueduct.
The National Park Service also will construct a museum collection facility at Hopewell Culture National Historic Park and begin preservation projects at Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will undertake restoration projects in the Big Darby Creek watershed in the Ohio River Basin and work with private landowners to remove invasive species, restore wetlands, and conserve the endangered Indiana bat.
"At Cuyahoga Valley National Park alone, two and a half million people visit each year, spending $38 million annually in the local economy, supporting nearly a thousand jobs," Salazar said. "Supporting our parks and refuges is something that benefits everyone."
Salazar has pledged unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability in the implementation of the Department of the Interior's economic recovery projects. The public will be able to follow the progress of each project on www.recovery.gov and on www.interior.gov/recovery.
For a complete list of projects in Ohio, please see here: http://recovery.doi.gov/OH
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