Interior Dept. reveals $750M in economic stimulus money to restore national parks, create jobs

October 14th, 2009 Obama says he's looking at any way to create jobsSPRINGFIELD, Va. — Standing at the site of a highway project funded by his economic stimulus plan, President Barack Obama said Wednesday he is committed to exploring all avenues to create jobs.

September 30th, 2009 Obama to announce $5 billion from stimulus for NIHWASHINGTON — The National Institutes of Health is getting $5 billion in economic stimulus funds to support research into cures for cancer and other diseases, and to create jobs. President Barack Obama was making the announcement Wednesday at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md., with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (seh-BEEL'-yuhs).

September 24th, 2009 Panel says spend more on national parksWASHINGTON — An independent panel says the U.S. should invest more money in its national parks to preserve them for future generations.

September 23rd, 2009 Stimulus money for wildfires going to DC parksWASHINGTON — Nearly $3 million in stimulus money targeted for fighting wildfires is being spent to restore public parks and watersheds in the nation's capital, which has no national forests. The Forest Service has directed that $2.8 million in "Wildland Fire Management" funds, approved under the economic stimulus law, go to groups that will create "green jobs" in the District of Columbia.

September 14th, 2009 Interior Dept. gets ready for global warmingWASHINGTON — Interior Secretary Ken Salazar moved Monday to prepare the nation's parks, refuges and endangered species for the onslaught of global warming.

July 23rd, 2009 Obama: Hiring will be among last things to improveWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says economic steps by his administration have saved jobs and created new ones. But he says new hiring is among the last things to improve during an economic recovery.

July 10th, 2009 Keep them playing: Stimulus money aids orchestrasWASHINGTON — Dozens of orchestras around the nation can keep playing for now, kept in tune by federal stimulus dollars aimed at saving jobs. The League of American Orchestras said Thursday that the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded 64 orchestras one-time grants of $25,000 or $50,000 to preserve administrative and artistic jobs at risk of being eliminated amid the recession.

June 3rd, 2009 NY senators to Army: Stop the presses!SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Calling it a "mistake" and not in the spirit or intent of the economic recovery legislation they supported, New York's U.S.

May 13th, 2009 Senate backs allowing guns in national parksWASHINGTON — The Senate has approved a measure that would allow people to carry loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refuges. Republican Sen.

May 11th, 2009 Breakdown of areas left out of stimulusListed are a sampling of counties with some of the largest unemployment rates that are expected to receive little or no transportation stimulus money during the first phase of projects funded under President Barack Obama's $787 billion recovery plan. An Associated Press analysis of the first round of projects planned through March by states shows the transportation money that Obama billed as a way to produce jobs isn't targeting areas that need jobs the most.

May 11th, 2009 White House: Stimulus on pace for 3.5 million jobsWASHINGTON — The Obama administration is defending its claim that the $787 billion economic stimulus plan will save or create 3.5 million jobs before 2011 even while conceding that unemployment will likely continue to rise beyond its earlier predictions. A report Monday by the White House Council of Economic Advisers said the projections were based on conservative estimates and widely accepted assumptions.

May 3rd, 2009 BLM to get $300 million for stimulus projectsLAS VEGAS — The Interior Department is sending more than $300 million in federal stimulus money to the Bureau of Land Management to update its facilities and jump-start renewable energy projects across the country, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Saturday. Salazar said the 650 approved projects will "restore our landscapes and our watersheds" and help fulfill the Obama administration's target for renewable energy development.

April 23rd, 2009 Highlights of stimulus spending to improve parksInterior Secretary Ken Salazar said Wednesday that $750 million in economic stimulus money will go to restore and repair national parks nationwide, including about $55.8 million for the National Mall in Washington. Highlights of the spending include: WASHINGTON, D.C.

April 22nd, 2009 Stimulus money includes spruce-up of National MallWASHINGTON — More than $55 million in economic stimulus money will be used to fix the National Mall, even though money for the renovations was removed during congressional debate on the stimulus package this winter. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Wednesday that $750 million in stimulus money will go to restore and repair national parks nationwide, including about $55.8 million for the National Mall.

February 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US lawmakers reached a compromise deal Wednesday on a record economic recovery package, which could allow the plan to pass both houses of Congress before the end of the week. The Senate and House of Representatives ironed out differences in separate versions of the stimulus bill and knocked the total price tag down to $789 billion, including a mixture of tax cuts and government spending projects to pull the US out of its worst recession in decades.