Money to put Minnesota forest land into conservation and help Grand Rapids build a new wastewater treatment plant was included in a $27 billion spending bill that passed the U.S. House Wednesday.

The Interior and Environmental Appropriations Bill funds the nation's public parks, lands and environmental program; the Minnesota appropriations in the bill were included at the request of U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar.

The fiscal year 2008 Interior Appropriations bill provides $1.75 million for the Koochiching Forest Legacy Project to help purchase forest land adjacent to the Superior National Forest near International Falls.

"This is an important conservation project that ensures public access for outdoor recreational uses for generations to come," said Oberstar. The project will also ensure that habitat is protected for animals like the Canada lynx, the bald eagle and the timber wolf. 

In addition a $1 million grant to Grand Rapids will help with the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant. The city's current plant is at the end of its useful life and needs to be reconstructed.

"Clean water is important to everyone," said Oberstar. "Grand Rapids is near the headwaters of the Mississippi River, so everyone who lives downstream benefits from a good wastewater treatment plant in that city. This is a good investment."

On the national level, the Interior Appropriations bill reverses years of neglect by the Bush administration when it comes to funding for pollution control programs. Since 2001, funding for the Environmental Protection Agency has been cut by 29 percent in inflation-adjusted terms. This bill begins to reverse that decline by increasing EPA funding by nearly five percent over last year's levels.

Funding for national parks will increase by 9 percent and the U.S. Forest Service will get a 10 percent increase in funding.

"Congress is under new leadership. We understand that we have to invest in a clean environment for our children and grandchildren," said Oberstar.