Governor Doyle Announces $8.9 Million in Recovery Act Funds for Transit Projects

Funding Will Help Purchase New Vehicles, Build Bus Facilities in Oshkosh, Statewide

Gov. Jim Doyle

Madison, WI – Governor Jim Doyle today announced $8.9 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for transit projects in Wisconsin. The state Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transit will receive $8,830,634 to purchase 50 new vehicles and build bus shelter facilities, while the Oshkosh Transit System will receive $29,877 toward its hybrid bus purchase program.

“These projects show what the Recovery Act is all about – putting people to work and making major, longterm investments in Wisconsin’s communities,” Governor Doyle said. “I would again like to thank President Obama and our Congressional Delegation for their leadership on this important issue.”

The two Wisconsin projects announced today are among nearly 200 new transit projects funded by the Recovery Act in 42 states and Puerto Rico. Overall, more than $600 million is being awarded in Recovery Act transit funding nationwide.

The Recovery Act has helped every state, including Wisconsin, deal with the most difficult national economic times since the Great Depression, while paving the way for future economic growth. In Wisconsin, the Recovery Act has been credited with creating or retaining more than 44,000 jobs.

Since the program was created, Wisconsin has overseen nearly $982 million in Recovery Act expenditures.

Major projects in Wisconsin have included road construction projects, major water infrastructure, and a new high speed rail line that will create thousands of jobs and benefit the state’s economy for generations.

Under Governor Doyle’s leadership, Wisconsin is also the only state to direct 100 percent of the Recovery Act’s state energy funds to help the state’s largest manufacturers find savings through energy efficiency and create jobs.

Since taking office in 2003, Governor Doyle has worked aggressively to create and retain jobs in Wisconsin. Governor Doyle’s budget last year created some of the strongest economic development tools in the nation to help businesses create jobs and get people back to work. Wisconsin now has powerful new tax credits to help manufacturers create and retain jobs, new tools to help investors create start-ups, and new incentives to spur research and development.

Governor Doyle has laid out plans to continue building the state economy and creating jobs, including passing the Clean Energy Jobs Act to create 16,000 jobs in the emerging clean energy economy; creating the Wisconsin Green to Gold Fund to help manufacturers reduce energy costs and create and retain jobs; and passing the CORE Jobs Act to strengthen successful programs for manufacturing, research and development, and worker training.

Posted @ 4:17 p.m.