Thompson Votes to Pass Government Funding Agreement, Secures $5.5 Million for Lake County Projects


Press Release

Posted:

Washington – Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) voted to pass the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, a set of six domestic funding bills focused on helping families and communities across the United States. The investments in the bill will help families with the cost of living, create and sustain good-paying jobs, and help people in need.

“Funding the government is one of the most important responsibilities for Congress, and today’s set of bills, while not perfect, will fund our government and ensure we can continue working to keep our economy strong,” said Thompson. “These bills includes funding I secured for priority projects in Lake County, and I look forward to seeing President Biden sign this bill into law.”

The Consolidated Appropriations Act included $5,576,031 in funding for three projects in Lake County. The projects are:
    •    $4,116,279 for the Clearlake Burns Valley Sports Complex
    •    $959,752 for the In-Lake Water Treatment System at Clear Lake
    •    $500,000 for the Big Valley Fish Habitat Improvement and Groundwater Recharge Project
Background on these projects can be found below.

The Clearlake Burns Valley Sports Complex project will build a community sports and recreation center, expanding the community’s access to sports and recreational amenities and establishing the city as a destination for events and tournaments. At present no youth sports programs can have tournaments in economically disadvantaged Lake County due to a lack of facilities. This project will rectify that situation and drive new visitor spending in Lake County. It will bring in 40,000 annual visitors to the city, resulting in 10,000 hotel room stays and bringing in $8.6 million per year to the local economy.

The In-Lake Water Treatment System at Clear Lake project supports the Clean Water Act by preventing the pollution of Clear Lake’s drinking water at the source. It uses an oxygenation system to combat the growth of harmful agal blooms in Clear Lake before the water goes into the water treatment plant, reducing in-plant treatment costs and preventing the formation of toxins that cannot otherwise be removed and would pass untreated into the drinking water of Clear Lake residents.

The Big Valley Fish Habitat Improvement and Groundwater Recharge Project encompasses two sub-projects: 1) The Development of the Adobe Creek Conjunctive Use Project and 2) The Rehabilitation of the Kelsey Creek Detention Structure. Both projects work in tandem to improve fish habitat and aquifer recharge throughout a priority groundwater Basin, Big Valley Groundwater Basin. Specifically, these projects will enhance summer flow and riparian habitat in Adobe Creek, Highland Creek and Kelsey Creek ultimately improving fish spawning habitat, especially as it relates to the State-Listed Threatened Clear Lake Hitch (CLH).

This first government package invests in America’s future and delivers for the American people by:
    •    Helping with the high cost of living, creating and sustaining tens of thousands of good paying jobs, fighting inflation, and providing full funding for key lifelines such as food assistance and more affordable housing and homeownership.
    •    Protecting women’s rights by blocking attempts to limit women’s access to reproductive health care, including abortion, and by increasing funding for gender-based violence prevention and prosecution programs.
    •    Confronting the climate crisis, fighting climate change, and ensuring America’s energy independence with robust, transformative investments in deploying clean energy technologies in communities across the country, and providing funding for cutting-edge scientific and climate-related research.
    •    Honoring our commitments to our veterans by ensuring they receive the care and benefits that they have earned and investing in veterans’ health care, including targeted investments that advance women's health, mental health, and homelessness assistance.
    •    Funds community projects: Responds directly to pressing needs in Lake County and districts like mine by supporting underserved areas and fostering the economic development that makes communities healthier, safer, and stronger through community projects.
This package includes the following funding bills: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; and Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.

The remaining six appropriations bills for fiscal year 2024 are expected to be released in the coming days and be voted on ahead of their expiration on March 22.