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Obama gets bill that funds land buys for local refuges
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Congress approved the spending of $3.1 million to acquire additional land at two national wildlife refuges in southern New Jersey.
The 2010 Interior-Environment Appropriations bill includes $1.1 million for 28.17 acres at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Barnegat Township and another $2 million for land acquisition at the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge, according to local legislators.
The House passed the bill by a 247-178 vote and the Senate approved it 72-28 on Thursday, according to the Library of Congress and the Senate Appropriations Committee. It now goes to to President Barack Obama for his signature.
U.S. Reps. Frank LoBiondo, R-2, and John Adler, D-3, both voted for the bill's passage, which went largely along party lines, with most Democrats voting for it and most Republicans voting against it.
LoBiondo was an exception to that trend, one of only 10 Republicans to vote for the bill. "Southern New Jersey has long placed significant value on preserving and protecting our open spaces, and I continue to strongly support those efforts particularly at our wildlife refuges," LoBiondo said.
Adler said the additional preservation efforts were important at Forsythe because they will bolster efforts to preserve the cleanliness of groundwater and tidal wetlands used by migratory birds.
"This project will help keep our water safe and clean for local families," Adler said.
Both New Jersey senators, Democrats Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, supported the measure.
Contact Daniel Walsh:
856-649-2074
Posted in Ocean on Friday, October 30, 2009 3:10 am
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