Straits Hospital May See Some Federal Funding

Construction of the Mackinac Straits Hospital health care facility has been tagged for favorable federal consideration and this year's budgets were increased to control emerald ash borer and gray wolf populations by the U.S. House of Representatives in May.

These actions were taken when the annual Agriculture

Appropriations bill was passed by the House, announced Congressman Bart Stupak Wednesday, May 24.

In addition to funding programs for wildlife control, Mr. Stupak said that the bill contained several "soft earmarks" that could benefit northern Michigan, including the proposed construction of a new health care facility at St. Ignace. Soft earmarks are instructions from the House Appropriations Committee to a federal agency to give favorable consideration to specific projects.

The bill includes $20 million, $12 million more than last year, to combat the emerald ash borer, a beetle indigenous to Asia that has destroyed nearly 15 million ash trees in Michigan.

The bill contains $1.24 million for funding to control wolf population growth, an increase over last year's $1.05 million appropriation. The allocation includes $300,000 in funding to control the double-crested cormorant population in Michigan and Ohio.

Mr. Stupak noted that passage in the House is only the first step in the appropriations process and that both the new program funding as well as the soft earmarks must still undergo Senate consideration.