WASHINGTON - The House Appropriations Committee on Thursday passed the 2003 Energy and Water Development spending bill that includes $4 million for pre-construction, engineering and design of a new lock to replace the deteriorating Chickamauga Lock in Chattanooga.

The current lock needs to be replaced by 2010 because the lock will be inoperable by that time, said Rep. Zach Wamp, a member of the committee.

"Replacing the Chickamauga Lock with a larger, more efficient lock is an absolute necessity. This is a important step to make sure that the funding is available as soon as the lock replacement is authorized in the Water Resources Development Act later this year," Rep. Wamp said.

He said $1.025 million was also included for the annual maintenance and operational expenses of the current Chickamauga Lock.

Congressman Wamp, noting he has worked diligently to provide full funding to the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) Project in Oak Ridge for the last four years, noted that the bill also includes $225 million for construction of the SNS, the largest civilian science project in the country.

"SNS is scheduled to be completed in 2006 and once it is finished, it will be one of the premier science centers in the world used to develop everything from medical miracles to transportation breakthroughs. This year's funding is what the project needs and it will keep it on track," added Wamp.

Also included in the 2003 Energy and Water Development spending bill that passed the full House Appropriations Committee are:

$242 million for modernizing the facilities and infrastructure at America's weapons facilities. Oak Ridge's Y-12 Weapons Plant will receive a large portion of these funds. "Our national security is more important than ever and we must make sure that all of our weapons facilities are in top shape," added Wamp.

$24 million for the construction of the Nanoscience Center in Oak Ridge. This facility will complement the work that will be preformed at the High Flux Isotope Reactor and the Spallation Neutron Source, both in Oak Ridge.

The subcommittee funds the Environmental Management Clean-up Reform Account at $1.1 billion, an increase of $300 million to fund accelerated clean-up efforts at DOE sites across the nation.

"The passage of this spending bill by the Appropriations Committee means great news for science and energy research, nuclear weapons stewardship and environmental management programs, not only in Oak Ridge but across the entire country," added Wamp.

The Energy and Water Spending bill will be brought to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration this fall.

Wamp has served on the Energy and Water Subcommittee for the past two years and on the full Appropriations Committee for six years.