Dec. 16, 2004 – The Virgin Islands will receive $5.6 million in special allocations in the Omnibus Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2005 signed into law by President Bush last week, Gov. Charles W. Turnbull announced Thursday in a press release.
Included are $4,168,000 in Interior Department appropriations for environmental infrastructure projects mandated by federal court order and $250,000 in EPA special needs grants for sewer system improvements on St. Croix. The allocation also includes a "bonus" of almost $1 million above the formula baseline in recognition of the territory's improved financial management performance, Turnbull said in the release.
The bill also includes:
-$340,000 for the V.I. Department of Health for the purchase and acquisition of emergency medical services equipment and facilities.
-$300,000 for the V.I. Department of Education to fund the Beacon School after-school community learning centers.
-$350,000 in Army Corps of Engineers funding for the Christiansted Gut Flood Control Project.
-$141,000 for the V.I. Port Authority's Crown Bay Channel Project.
"In a tight budget year, we are pleased with Congress' action in funding these vital projects for the Virgin Islands," Turnbull said in the release. "I want to thank our friends in Washington for their efforts, including the strong support of Delegate Donna Christensen."
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