In this story from today’s Contra Costa Times President Bush signs bill giving money to California for flood protection.
Here is an excerpt.
Federal emergency plan benefits state levee system
$94.5 billion plan includes $30.4 million for flood protection and levee repairs
By Erica WernerASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON - President Bush on Thursday signed a $94.5 billion emergency spending bill to fund hurricane relief and the Iraq war that includes $30.4 million for Sacramento flood protection and levee repairs.
The money includes $23.3 million targeted for 29 levee sites that state officials say represent an urgent risk. Last month, the state and federal governments agreed to allow expedited environmental reviews so those projects can be completed by Nov. 1. State officials now estimate the total cost of repairing those levees at less than $150 million.
The remaining $7.1 million is for stream repairs in south Sacramento.
The total was close to the $37 million that Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., a member of the Appropriations Committee, obtained in the Senate version of the emergency spending bill last month.
The House version had no money for California levees, but the funding mostly survived negotiations by House and Senate lawmakers on a compromise bill despite White House pressure to keep the cost down.
"This funding is a critical piece of the puzzle to restoring our levees," Feinstein said in a statement. "The Army Corps of Engineers has indicated that this money could be spent immediately on critical projects. If we do not act, the risks are clear -- to lives, to property and to drinking water supplies."
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also welcomed the bill's passage.
"The federal government owes the people of California for the cost of our levee repairs and border security. This is a step in the right direction, but much more money is owed," he said in a statement.
