LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -
The U.S. Department of Transportation is giving Nevada $673,000 in unspent earmark funds that can be spent on transportation projects in the state.
The money comes from a pool of $473 million in earmarks allocated from 2003-2006 for highway projects. According to the Obama Administration, the funds remain unspent.
A provision of the 2003-2006 acts allows U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to make unused funds available for eligible transportation projects.
"We're releasing these funds so Nevada can get down to the business of moving transportation projects forward and putting our friends and neighbors back to work," said LaHood.
The Obama Administration Friday said it "won't allow infrastructure funds to sit idle as a result of stalled earmark projects at a time when hundreds of thousands of construction workers are looking for work."
"We're not going to let politics stand between construction workers and good jobs repairing our roads and bridges," said President Obama.
All states must identify the projects they plan to use the funds for by Oct. 1, and must obligate them by December 31, 2012.
A list of available funds by state can be accessed, here.
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