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Pryce Secures Funding for Pressing Environmental Washington, DC – Congresswoman Deborah Pryce announced that the final conference report on H.R. 2361, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 Interior Appropriations bill, which is expected to be passed by the House today and sent to the President for his signature, contained important funding initiatives she sought that will go to The Ohio State University to help address two pressing environmental problems: $500,000 for research into solving the hypoxia problem in the Gulf of Mexico, and $400,000 into research that will combat and prevent further Emerald Ash Borer infestations in Ohio and around the country. First, the bill contained $500,000 for research at OSU’s Olentangy River Wetland Research Park (ORWRP) to assess hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. “This funding will allow OSU to dedicate its expert researchers and facilities towards solving one of our hemisphere’s most pressing environmental problems,” Pryce said. “This funding and research will truly help to roll back the clock on a disturbing environmental situation.” Water quality deterioration and wetland loss are serious problems throughout the Mississippi River Basin. As a result of pollution and land drainage, the Gulf of Mexico now has a pollution zone from hypoxia which is the size of the state of New Jersey. The ORWRP was designed as a site where researchers study processes in rivers and wetlands and investigate if and how we can create and restore these systems for habitat enhancement, flood control, and water quality improvement. With its new wetland research building, there is no other facility of its kind on any other campus in the USA for environmental education, research, and outreach which can address solutions to these important issues. OSU Vice President for Agricultural Administration Bobby D. Moser said, “Congresswoman Pryce's leadership in supporting this effort shows a vision for the future and an understanding of the importance of protecting water as one of our most basic and crucial resources." Bill Mitsch, director of the ORWRP and Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Science at OSU, said, "This is an exciting step in the long process of solving the Gulf of Mexico hypoxia through water restoration of the Mississippi River Basin, an area that encompasses 40% of the lower 48 states. It will also help us restore Ohio's rivers and wetlands. We are deeply appreciative to Congresswoman Pryce for helping us secure this funding, which will be used to educate students across Ohio about the use of wetlands in solving such an important environmental challenge. We are equally excited that this project will benefit the wetland research and teaching at some of the universities in Ohio that use the ORWRP facilities and network, especially Wright State, Shawnee State, and Kenyon College." Congresswoman Pryce also secured $400,000 for research into combating and preventing Emerald Ash Borer infestations in Ohio and around the country. So far, the EAB has killed or infested 15 million ash trees in the state, and about 200,000 ash trees have been destroyed, most of which were cleared in an attempt to slow the beetle's spread. “This invasive species poses a great threat to the five billion Ash Trees in Ohio, and we must act now in a decisive way by taking both offensive and defensive measures,” Pryce said. “This important and timely funding will study ways to prevent a further spread of EAB in the case that eradication efforts prove insufficient.” In addition to this important preventative funding, Pryce has also co-signed a letter with Congressman Tiberi to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to request emergency funding for EAB eradication measures in Ohio. Congresswoman Pryce represents the Fifteenth District of Ohio, which includes Western Franklin County, Madison, and Union Counties. She serves as Chairman of the House Republican Conference for the 109th Congress, making her the fourth ranking member of House leadership. She also co-chairs the U.S. House Cancer Caucus. |
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