Sounds like a good use of The People’s (borrowed against the future) money, eh?
Majority of funds for climate change program went to repave Bloomsburg parking lots
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is sending $740,000 to Pennsylvania for “critical infrastructure to combat climate change” – but most of the money will go toward repaving parking lots.
The USDA Rural Development program provides taxpayer money for all sorts of programs, from infrastructure to health care to environmental and economic concerns in the rural parts of America. In fiscal year 2022, it provided almost $1.5 billion for local projects.
Its latest announcement noted 16 projects in Pennsylvania, but the lion’s share of the funding will go to four parking lots in Bloomsburg.
“These 16 projects represent Pennsylvania’s diverse rural economy and will strengthen its resilience,” USDA State Director Bob Morgan said in a news release. “The Biden-Harris Administration has created a roadmap for how we can tackle the climate crisis and expand access to renewable energy infrastructure.”
That roadmap has a strong emphasis on cars.
“The Town of Bloomsburg in Columbia County received a $500,000 grant to repave four parking lots in the town,” the news release noted. “The aging infrastructure needs major repairs. Improvements of these lots will impact more than 30 businesses that are within a block radius of the proposed project.”
It is unclear how parking lots are critical infrastructure against climate change, though local businesses may benefit from customers having higher-quality parking nearby.
You think?
