Secretary of Interior Salazar Calls Job Numbers Good News for Nation

RICHMOND, VA – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the new increase of 162,000 in national jobs figures at Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site in Richmond, Virginia.

“The jobs figures released today are good news for the whole nation,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said today in a visit to Richmond. “They also reflect the effectiveness of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Obama Administration's policies to create and save jobs nationwide.”


The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed into law by President Obama last year has jumpstarted the US economy and created or saved approximately two million jobs. In Virginia alone, the Council of Economic Advisors estimates that 48,000 jobs were created or saved by the Recovery Act in 2009. More than $5.5 billion in Recovery funds has been made available to Virginia – and more than $2.7 billion of has already been spent to stimulate the local economy.

The $5.5 billion being invested in Virginia is supporting:

• 84 transportation projects
• 1,000 small business loans
• tax relief for 2.9 million Virginia working families
• expanded unemployment benefits for more than 330,000 Virginians
• economic relief payments to 1.2 million seniors and veterans
• 5,000 education jobs in the fourth quarter of 2009
• more than $944 million to help prevent additional Medicaid cuts in Virginia

Of the $5.5 billion in recovery funds going to Virginia, $31 million is from the U.S. Department of the Interior. “These investments in our national parks, historic sites, and colleges and Universities are the Nation's most significant since President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in the midst of the Great Depression.” said Secretary Salazar. Virginia's national parks support the State's economy. In 2008, non-local visitors to national parks in Virginia spent an estimated $486 million dollars and created 9,738 jobs not counting jobs in the parks.

Department of the Interior investments in Virginia include:

• Road resurfacing in Prince William Forest Park and fifty deferred maintenance projects at national parks and wildlife refuges around the state.
• $16 million will be spent to rehabilitate 11 miles of the Skyline Drive and 16 historic overlooks along the drive in Shenandoah National Park.
• $100,000 will support the rehabilitation of historic buildings at Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site.
• $600,000 will go to historic preservation of two buildings at St. Paul's College, a Historically Black College in Lawrenceville, Virginia.
• $3.6 million will rehabilitate Arlington House, outbuildings and grounds, and will update facilities at George Washington Memorial Parkway.