Duluth International Airport Receives Stimulus Grant by Oberstar.org staff Appearing in Oberstar.org on 2009-04-19. Since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act became law in February, Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District has received nearly $62 million in funding for programs that will save or create jobs. Earlier this month, Minnesotans began seeing some of those recovery dollars as the “Making Work Pay” tax credit went into effect and one-time payments of $250 were sent to senior citizens, people on Supplemental Security Income, and Veterans Affairs and Railroad Retirement Board beneficiaries. “We’re getting cash to people when they need it most,” said Congressman Oberstar. Earlier this month, President Obama announced that stimulus projects are ahead of schedule and under budget, thanks in part to intense competition on behalf of contractors bidding for money. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced that fierce competition has lowered bids 15% to 20% on average. The announcement also highlighted the 2,000th transportation project approved under the stimulus package, a widening of I-94 in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Duluth's International Airport is the latest target of stimulus money, receiving millions from the Federal government for the construction of a new terminal. The Federal Aviation Administration received a $1.1 billion grant from the economic stimulus bill aimed at funding airport improvements. Because the Duluth airport’s project was “shovel-ready,” the airport authority was chosen as a recipient of over $7 million in funding to create a new terminal at the airport serving Duluth and much of Northeast Minnesota. The economic stimulus bill specifically targeted “shovel-ready” projects in the legislation to avoid any delay in creating jobs. Because of this, many stimulus projects can get underway sooner, with much of the red tape already cleared. “This was a shovel-ready project because Congressman Oberstar has been helping us with this for several years,” said Brian Ryks, executive director of the Duluth Airport Authority. “There is still a lot of work to do to secure the rest of the funding; we will need more support from the FAA, but the State of Minnesota will also be a key partner.” Congressman Oberstar was pleased with the award. “It is gratifying to see another increment of the economic recovery funding coming back to Minnesota, especially for this project,” said Oberstar. “This is a project that is 30 years overdue; rebuilding this terminal will create hundreds of jobs in our economy, and when the work is finished, the completed building will serve as a welcome mat for Northeast Minnesota.” The new terminal is expected to be located on what is now the short-term parking lot. Ryks said he expects construction to start in late June or early July. For more stimulus information, please visit www.recovery.gov and stay informed with the Oberstar Democracy Project newsletter.

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