Wilkes-Barre, PA - Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11) today announced that he has secured another $1 million to further the American Heritage River cleanup of the Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed.

At Congressman Kanjorski's request, the Fiscal Year 2001 Appropriations act for Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies includes $1 million for the Pennsylvania GIS Consortium to continue its work on a comprehensive master plan for environmental cleanup and economic development in Northeastern Pennsylvania. President Clinton signed the legislation into law last month

The Pennsylvania GIS Consortium is a non-profit organization, led by Wilkes University and King's College, that is using state-of-the-art Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to gather data on sources of acid mine drainage, sites of mine-scarred land, sewer and storm drainage systems, flood plain maps, transportation infrastructure, and many other items.

"This highly sophisticated tool is vital to the success of the comprehensive clean-up initiative in the 1,800 square miles of our watershed. GIS enables us to gather the necessary information, organize it, and make it understandable so that everyone can understand the environmental and economic problems we face, set priorities to fix them and direct our resources accordingly," Congressman Kanjorski said.

GIS allows massive amounts of disparate data to be stored in computer systems and then processed in such a way that the data is visualized in thematic maps which are easier to understand and interpret.

GIS Consortium President/CEO Dale Bruns, a Wilkes University Professor, said, "Congressman Kanjorski's leadership in securing this funding is much appreciated. Combined with the $1.94 million he has previously obtained, this $1 million federal grant will help us create a world-class data collection system that will not only guide progress on the environmental clean-up, but will also facilitate attracting industry to Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania."

In addition to receiving the federal grant, the Pennsylvania GIS Consortium was recently honored with the prestigious Hammer Award from Vice President Gore's National Partnership for Reinventing Government. The award was given for the consortium's work in developing innovative solutions to environmental and economic development challenges in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania.

Hammer Awards are presented by the Clinton-Gore Administration's National Partnership for Reinventing Government, established in 1993 to find ways to make government work better, cost less and get results Americans care about. The awards got their name from hammers that once cost the government $400 because of cumbersome purchasing procedures that were eliminated as part of reinvention.

The Pennsylvania GIS Consortium is working in conjunction with the American Heritage Rivers initiative, a comprehensive effort to assist and promote rivers that have important cultural, historical, economic, and environmental value and needs. President Clinton and Vice President Gore have directed federal agencies to give top priority to funding projects located in the 14 areas across the nation that received the American Heritage River designation. The Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed stretches north from Northumberland County to include parts of Montour, Columbia, Sullivan, Schuylkill, Luzerne, Lackawanna, Wayne, and Susquehanna counties.