Washington, DC – Today, the U.S. Senate passed the Interior Appropriations bill, which included more than $18 million in funding for key projects throughout California secured by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA).
 
The bill now goes to President Obama for his signature.
 
Senator Boxer said, “I am so pleased the Senate passed this bill that includes critical funding to improve air and water quality in California and help communities fight wildfires.  I look forward to seeing President Obama sign it into law.”

The bill includes the FLAME Act, which will create a federal fund dedicated to helping communities cover the costs of fighting catastrophic wildfires so that agencies no longer have to borrow from funds intended for fire prevention activities.  Senator Boxer introduced this legislation in 2008 and co-sponsored Senator Jeff Bingaman’s (D-NM) bill this year.

Senator Boxer said, “By establishing a dedicated federal fund for fighting fires, we will ensure that the Forest Service is not forced to drain other important accounts to fight catastrophic wildfires.”

The following are investments secured by Senator Boxer for California:

City of Rialto for Inland Empire Groundwater Remediation and Drinking Water System Improvements
Location: Rialto and Colton, San Bernardino County, California
Amount Received: $300,000
Funds will be used for wellhead treatment to remove perchlorate from water and to contain contaminated groundwater.
 
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City of Eureka for the Martin Slough Interceptor Project
Location: Eureka, Humboldt County, California
Amount Received: $875,000
Funds will be used for a wastewater collection system that will improve water quality and prevent sewer overflows into Humboldt Bay.
 
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Municipal Water District of Orange County for Water Supply Improvements
Location: Orange County, California
Amount Received: $875,000
Funds will be used to build a pilot seawater desalination plant at Dana Point to create a new source of freshwater for Orange County.  The plant’s environmentally-sensitive design includes subsurface slant intake wells that avoid trapping marine organisms.  
 
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Emissions Reduction Grants to the South Coast Air Quality Management District and San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District
Location: Fresno, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Merced, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tulare Counties, California
Amount Received: $10,000,000
Funds will be used as a federal match for vehicle emissions reductions programs to help meet federally mandated air quality standards.
 
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Lake Tahoe Community Fire Protection Project
Location: South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado and Placer Counties, California
Amount Received: $5,000,000
Funds will be used to ensure adequate water flows to fight wildfires in Lake Tahoe by speeding replacement of small pipelines and providing larger-capacity water storage tanks, new pump stations, and emergency power stations.
 
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Angel Island Immigration Station
Location: Marin County, California
Amount Received: $1,000,000
Funds will be used to stabilize the foundation of and rehabilitate the hospital at Angel Island’s Immigration Station, which is known as the “Ellis Island of the West.”  The hospital will be used as a museum and facility for administrative, interpretative, and genealogical research.