Federal Budget Cuts to Regional Commission

The Bush administration has proposed a 50-percent cut to programs promoting socioeconomic development by one federal agency. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Damon Boughamer reports on the cuts facing the Appalachian Regional Commission:

Transcript

The Bush administration has proposed a 50-percent cut to programs promoting socioeconomic
development by one federal agency. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Damon Boughamer
reports on the cuts facing the Appalachian Regional Commission:


The term “Appalachia” is most often associated with West Virginia and Kentucky. But
Appalachian Regional Commission territory runs north to Lake Erie, and the agency distributes
money across 13 states, including much of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. Louis Karnagay
is a spokesman for the commission. He says many of the agency’s efforts have had
environmental components.


“We have developed some projects to study the feasibility of ecotourism in the region. We have
also commissioned studies on the ecology of the Appalachian region, on the biosphere area
there.”


In Pennsylvania, officials fear they could lose three-million dollars next year. That would put
business training at risk that would include instruction on adhering to environmental regulations.
The states and several Congressional delegations are starting to lobby for a reversal of
the cuts. The ARC has invested more than 67-million dollars in its lakefront counties since its
inception in 1965.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Damon Boughamer.