• Administrator, senior EPA officials visiting communities across America this week to highlight recovery act's impact
WASHINGTON, DC, Feb. 18, 2010 -- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson joined Ohio First Lady Frances Strickland and Ohio officials today at a press conference marking the one-year anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). EPA's regional and assistant administrators visited communities across the nation this week to highlight how the recovery act has created jobs and made a difference in the lives of Americans.
"The recovery act has pulled our nation back from the worst economic crisis in generations and provided real relief for families and small businesses. EPA's investments in green jobs and clean communities are growing our economy and building a new foundation for prosperity," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "We're putting people to work and creating cleaner, healthier environments that are better places to buy a home or set up a business."
EPA has obligated $7.1 billion -- nearly 99 percent -- of its recovery act funding to states across the nation for a wide variety of projects that will put Americans to work improving air quality, protecting drinking water, cleaning up land and training workers. To date, the agency's recovery act funding has saved or created 6,750 jobs in communities across the country.
In Columbus, Administrator Jackson announced that the recovery act had saved or created 79,000 jobs in Ohio and would provide 4.5 million Ohio working families with a tax cut. Ohio is also among the leaders nationally in the number of recovery act funded water pollution control and safe drinking water projects. EPA provided the state with $220.6 million in recovery act funds for water pollution control projects and $58.46 million in recovery act funds for drinking water projects. Those projects alone will improve water quality across the state, impacting 5.6 million Ohioans in 187 communities and creating or saving more than 700 jobs. Those projects range from new or upgraded sewers in communities and improvements to drinking water facilities across the state.
President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on Feb. 17, 2009, and has directed that the recovery act be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability. To that end, the American people can see how every dollar is being invested at Recovery.gov.
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