News – July 1, 2008
The Newbury Port News reports that a key congressional committee has approved a bill providing US$760,000 for dredging the Merrimack River channel and another US$95,000 to study erosion on Plum Island.
Congressman John Tierney recently announced that US$855,000 will be included in the Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill for the federal fiscal year that will begin October 1st.
The bill has been approved by the House Appropriations Committee and could be brought to the House floor in the coming weeks.
“Having worked closely with my colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee and advocated for these priorities, I am pleased that US$855,000 has been specified in the bill for these critical projects,” Tierney said.
The US$760,000, added to another US$654,000 appropriation obtained by Tierney last December, should complete the US$1.4 million that the Army Corps of Engineers has estimated it will cost to dredge the channel.
The additional US$95,000 will go toward repairing the south jetty, a project that is expected to cost millions of dollars.