Transportation, Sudden Oak Death, Dominican University

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey secured $11 million to protect the environment, promote the local economy, and ensure the continued well-being of the people of Marin County. Rep. Woolsey voted against the controversial bill because it underfunds elementary and secondary education by $7.8 billion, fails to protect the rights of over 8 million American workers to overtime pay, fails to protect diversity and localism on the nation’s television airwaves and does not protect country of origin labeling. The FY04 Omnibus bill passed both chambers of Congress.

“We can protect the environment and develop the local economy responsibly by preserving the health of local agriculture, improving our health services infrastructure and supporting a multi-model transportation system,” said Rep. Woolsey.

The project funding secured by Rep. Woolsey for Marin County include:

· $3.69 million – Sudden Oak Death: To continue research into the causes and spread of the disease, and to support a genomics research position to study the pathogen at U.C. Davis.
· $1.1 million – Muir Woods Visitor Access: To develop a park-in ride facility and a shuttle bus system to Muir Woods. Will alleviate health recreational traffic during weekends and summer months to the Muir Woods National Monuments as well as other federal parks in Marin County.
· $1.5 million – Science and Technology Center at Dominican University: To implement Dominican University’s Center for Science and Technology which will serve as a national model for cross-disciplinary science education and professional training. By creating access to state-of-the-art science and technology facility for the University’s 1,500 students and regional K-12 schools, the center will encourage women and minorities to pursue science teaching and the health professions.
· $200,000 -- Tomales Bay Wastewater treatment: To upgrade the wastewater treatment facilities for the protection of the bay’s natural beauty and local shellfishing operations. This funding was requested by the Marin County Board of Supervisors.
· $4.5 million – Golden Gate Bridge seismic retrofit project: Working with Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Mike Thompson, Rep. Woolsey secured funds to continue the seismic retrofit work on the Golden Gate Bridge.

Securing project funds has become increasingly difficult as the Bush administration has turned a historic budget surplus into a ballooning federal budget deficit, and as the Republican majority increasingly promotes special interests over that of America’s working families. The $11 million for Marin County projects is in addition to the $1.1 million received for Sonoma county projects and the $36.8 million received to combat Pierce’s disease in the FY04 Omnibus bill.

The Omnibus bill is a combination of seven conference reports that include spending bills for Agriculture, Commerce/Justice/State, District of Columbia, Foreign Operations, Labor/HHS/Education, Transportation/Treasury, Veterans Affairs and Housing & Urban Development (VA-HUD).