-Rahall: Congress Should Restore Funding to Vital Programs-

U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) is urging his colleagues in Congress to restore funding for crucial watershed and flood prevention. "Our local Resource Conservation and Development Councils play a vital role in rural development and natural resource conservation in southern West Virginia," said Rahall.

The Administration's Fiscal Year 2006 budget request proposes to eliminate funding from the Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Program for watershed and flood prevention operations. Throughout the country, and particularly in West Virginia, RC&D Councils play an important role in protecting the environment in a way that improves jobs and living standards for residents.

"I have long been an advocate of conservation programs," said Rahall. "I am especially supportive of the work being done by the Mountain RC&D and the Great Kanawha RC&D in the Greenbrier Valley Conservation District, the Guyan Conservation District, the Elk Conservation District and the Southern Conservation District of West Virginia, which benefit the residents of the third Congressional District."

Rahall urged the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Agriculture of the House Committee on Appropriations to restore the $72.2 million to the USDA budget for 2006 to provide the necessary funding to keep all existing RC&D Councils operating throughout the United States.

"The RC&D Councils are a great example of critical programs this Administration would like to eliminate," concluded Rahall. "They are increasingly important to southern West Virginia and make a huge difference in our communities by encouraging people to take leadership roles in improving the community."

In addition to the many resource conservation, watershed and flood prevention projects, RC&D Councils in southern West Virginia have completed successful projects such as the creation of community centers, libraries, parks, and memorials. The RC&D councils of southern West Virginia have worked on the Pigeon Creek watershed, the Big Sandy Watershed Coalition, the Ft. Gay community park, projects of the Greater Huntington Parks, the Lincoln County Library, the covered bridge and park at Brookeview Elementary in Boone County, Food Recall and Bioterrorism workshop, Specialty Crop workshop, Forest Pesticide Training, the New River Birding and Nature Festival, the John Henry Historical Park and the Nicholas County Sheltered Workshop, to name a few.