Funding for the design of the Chickamauga Lock was included in a 2004 spending bill approved by the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee.

Rep. Zach Wamp said, "Because replacing the Chickamauga Lock is critical to the future of East Tennessee, I worked closely with Energy and Water Appropriations Chairman David Hobson (R-OH) to make sure the funding was available in the 2004 spending bill to design the new lock on the Tennessee River. The Subcommittee passed the bill late Tuesday evening."

$7.88 million was included in the 2004 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill for the pre-engineering and design (PED) of the new Chickamauga Lock and for continued operation and maintenance of the existing lock. Continued maintenance on the current lock is needed to make sure that it stays operable until the new lock is completed, Rep. Wamp said.

"Although the Committee did not fund any new construction projects, these funds will continue the design and engineering for the new lock," said Wamp.

"Replacing the Chickamauga Lock has been my number one legislative priority and it is exciting to see it become a reality. If the current lock is not replaced, it could be shut down as early as 2010 and many goods would have to be shipped by alternative means, including putting thousands more tractor-trailer trucks on our highways. A new lock is crucial to future commerce in the Tennessee Valley" said Wamp, who has served on the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee for the last three years.

The bill included $143 million, which is full-funding, for the continued operation and construction of the nation's largest science project, the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) in Oak Ridge. "The full-funding level keeps the project on schedule and on-budget for the coming year," said Wamp. "Upon completion in 2006, premier scientists from all over the world will travel to Oak Ridge to work with the SNS on everything from medical miracles to transportation breakthroughs."

The following is a list of other important projects included in the 2004 Energy and Water spending bill:

· $30 million increase over the Administration's request for the Y-12 Weapons plant in Oak Ridge, TN. "This additional funding is needed to meet the added workload requirements and increased safeguards and security at Y-12," said Wamp.

· The subcommittee included full funding of the Administration's request for accelerated environmental clean-up in Oak Ridge. "By quickly cleaning up these sites, many buildings on the Oak Ridge Reservation will become federal assets, instead of federal liabilities," added Wamp.

· $20 million for ORNL's Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS). The CNMS will be used in conjunction with SNS and the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) in Oak Ridge for research in the areas of energy conservation and transmission.

· $40 million increase in high-speed computing research for the nation-wide Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) program, which will support DOE's mission through scientific computation. The ORNL is a national leader is high-speed computational sciences.

· $28 million increase over the Administration's request for infrastructure improvements and to correct safety deficiencies at our nation's science laboratories. "About one-half of ORNL's facilities are more than 40 years old. New facilities will improve safety, help with recruitment of top-notch scientists and increase operational efficiency," said Wamp.

· $100,000 for the town of Dandridge, in Jefferson County, to help with stream bank erosion problems along the Dumplin Valley Creek, near Milldale Road.

· $100,000 to complete the stream bank protection study on Terminal Road in Chattanooga. At the Tennessee River, near Williams Island, the City of Chattanooga needs to study the needs for stream bank stabilization of 500-600 feet of exposed sewer line and manholes serving an industrial port along Terminal Road.

The full House Appropriations Committee is expected to consider the Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill next Tuesday. The bill is expected to reach the floor of the House of Representatives before the August District Work Period.