WASHINGTON – Congressman Zach Wamp (R-TN) said he helped deliver critical energy and water, transportation, interior, law enforcement, and economic development funds for the Third District of Tennessee and the State of Tennessee through his position on the House Appropriations Committee with this weekend’s House and Senate passage of the FY05 discretionary spending bills.
In a year of many war-time budgeting priorities, these bills pare back spending levels for many discretionary programs while continuing support for veterans health care, manpower and resources for fighting the War on Terror, and maintaining our highway and infrastructure investments, he said.
“We succeeded in holding the line on spending under the budget cap of $821 billion while protecting many important regional priorities for the State of Tennessee,” said Congressman Wamp.
The following categories include funding levels and descriptions for projects affecting East Tennessee:
RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
“Economic development through research and technology is expanding in the Tennessee Valley,” said Congressman Wamp. “From Chattanooga’s Enterprise agenda to the work of the East Tennessee Economic Council, we are advancing a research and technology agenda in East Tennessee from year to year.”
$1 million for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga SimCenter Program
This includes a $600,000 earmark in the Energy and Water section for climate change research and a $400,000 earmark in the Labor-Education bill to simulate and assess how bioterrorism could affect critical facilities, such as hospitals, health departments, and police centers.
$400,000 for Connect the Valley Initiative
This funding will enhance The Enterprise Center and increase the effectiveness of the many research initiatives to meet the needs of businesses and industry within the Valley.
$400,000 for the University of Tennessee Corridor Initiative
This funding continues an information-sharing initiative among institutions, businesses, and individuals. It also seeks to continue the Riverbend Technology Institute which steers the technology future of the Valley Corridor region. The funding will implement a fast-track certification program for business executives and government leaders for purposes of linking technologies to businesses, as well as networking with other corporate and government leaders, entrepreneurs, researchers, academic, and venture capitalists.
$400,000 for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Health and Performance Institute
This funding provides ways to promote best practices and treatment protocols for health enhancement initiatives. The Institute will propose lifestyle changes as well as disseminate information regarding the latest technologies and best practices for healthcare.
$400,000 for the Tennessee Valley Workforce Aging Management Program (WAMP) to Chattanooga State Technical Community College
The WAMP Initiative will continue to be a catalyst to business and industry in the Valley Corridor for workforce retraining, technology education and technology transfer. This program coordinates and focuses the collective technology capabilities of Corridor community colleges and technology centers to retrain the Corridor workforce, enhance Corridor business and industry recruitment efforts, and serve as a vehicle for technology transfer.
$300,000 for Technical Workforce Development Training Partnership for Southeast Tennessee Development District (SE TN Development District)
This project is a management, labor and educational partnership to train beginning and mid-career electrical technicians the skills to replace their retiring colleagues. This project will equip new training facilities with voice, data, video trainer equipment and materials.
$300,000 for the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults
This funding assists people in Chattanooga and surrounding counties to provide an array of first-rate, professional services in the areas of counseling, education, prevention, emergency and victim services, and programs for persons with disabilities.
$200,000 for the City of Oak Ridge (For integrating math, science and technology disciplines at the new high school)
This funding will provide needed resources and challenging math and science educational opportunities to gifted and talented students. The result will be higher quality instruction and enriched experiences to all students.
$600,000 for the Children’s Hospital at Johnson City Medical Center
The new children’s hospital needs to provide more space and expanded services. The facility is designed to enhance family member involvement in the care of children, both in inpatient and outpatient settings. Research indicates that family-centered care has a positive effect upon a child’s recovery.
$500,000 for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
· This funding supports The Clinical Informatics project that checks drug doses and predicts potential toxic interactions among drugs. It will create a prototype for other institutions nation-wide for cancer patient care.
$750,000 for the UT Health Science Center
The University of Tennessee at Memphis is the largest academic health science center in the southeastern United States. It is affiliated in education and research with numerous health care institutions in Memphis and the surrounding area. As one of the nation's leading academic health care centers, it offers outstanding academic and clinical programs, exceptional faculty, and state-of-the-art research facilities.
$250,000 for Hamilton County Center for Entrepreneurial Growth Incubator
This funding will provide a facility to house the Center’s currents clients and allow space and resources for continued growth.
$100,000 for Oak Ridge Center for Entrepreneurial Growth Incubator
This funding will provide for the expansion of successful business counseling programs and to prepare new technology companies for financing at various stages of their development.
$705,000 for the University of Tennessee West Tennessee Mississippi River Cropping Systems Unit
This funding provides research for maintaining the best crop management practices while limiting erosion and optimizing disease control and protect soil and water quality. West Tennessee needs regional research on developing new varieties and cropping systems that will improve disease resistance, enhance value of the crop and protect the regional soil and water resources. This is $75,000 over the FY04 funding level.
$1.75 million for the University of Tennessee Appalachian Horticulture Research Initiative
This funding supports an interscholastic program by the University of Tennessee, Tennessee State University and Mississippi State University to develop new ornamental cultivars through traditional technologies and genetic engineering. The horticultural team has an international reputation for excellence in woody plant crops and has a proven record of innovation and problem solving for ornamental horticultural industries. This is $200,000 over FY04 funding level.
$6.28 million for Wood Utilization Research (OR, MS, NC, MN, ME, MI, ID, TN, AK, WV)
The UT Institute of Agriculture Tennessee Forest Products Center has an ongoing project that has been instrumental in significantly improving the quality of lumber and the manufacturing efficiency of saw mills in Tennessee, and is making a major contribution to the sustainability and productivity of the Tennessee forest industry. UT will receive approximately $400,000 of this funding level.
TRANSPORTATION
“This bill makes the federal government a partner in the exciting infrastructure projects occurring in East Tennessee,” said Congressman Wamp. “Enterprise South represents the best potential of Tennessee’s industrial and commercial parks, and this funding will encourage the State of Tennessee to move forward with critical transportation improvements.”
$2.5 million for the Enterprise <ぐ颵ᇏ芻ꨀ봀噓�۷?譗Ѿ譟廎ᮩ?ދ삅ٴࢋｐࡑڋ셃˨잃㬄狘郛䃁浑琶ᇎ㒀ꨀ怀降yes>South Connector Road
This funding for the Enterprise South Connector Road will link the new I-75 interchange to State Highway 58 through the Enterprise South industrial park. This essential project will provide access through Enterprise South and brings the federal commitment to this project to $3.5 million.
$1.5 million for the Taxiway Alpha North Reconstruction
This funding will provide the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport with funds for the Taxiway Alpha “A” North Reconstruction project, which will repair pavement deterioration. This reconstruction will maintain access to the airfield, maintain safety, and support the airport’s flight schedules.
$125,000 for the Advanced Transportation Technology Institute (ATTI)
· This funding provides the development of material and systems that support electric, hybrid-electric, and other clean fuel industries. It will also support local initiatives such as the East Tennessee Clean Fuel Coalition and the University of Tennessee/Chattanooga advanced transportation activities. The goal of these projects is to lessen our dependence on foreign oil and work toward more environmentally-friendly alternatives.
$6 million for the Tennessee Statewide Jobs Access Project
This funding will provide transit services throughout Tennessee in order to connect low-income residents to new and existing job opportunities.
$9.5 million for the State of Tennessee Bus Facilities
This funding will enhance public transportation systems in Tennessee through the purchase of additional buses and construction of more bus facilities.
OAK RIDGE OPERATIONS
"From the national security challenges we face in the new era to scientific and research investments and environmental management, this bill is very good for the Tennessee Valley and, most importantly, good for America,” said Congressman Wamp.
Y-12 National Security Complex
This manufacturing facility, funded at $130 million over FY05 Budget Request, plays an important role in the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons complex. This bill provides $114 million, which is $50 million over the administration’s budget request, for the construction of the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility (HEUMF).
The new HEUMF when completed in 2007 will provide a single secure location for storing all highly enriched uranium at the complex. Officials say this premier facility will be the most secure of its kind in the country using the most sophisticated technology and the latest security expertise.
The bill also includes $50 million over the DOE budget request to tear down outdated buildings, modernize production facilities, and reduce of the size of Y-12 to streamline manufacturing and cut security costs. The safeguards and security account was increased by $30 million over the budget request as officials continue to work to fortify security at Y-12.
The total increase for the Y-12 National Security Complex in this bill is $130 million above the Administration request.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
· Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) - Full funding at $113.6 million. This will be the world’s most powerful neutron scattering facility when completed in 2006.
· Center for Nanophase Materials Science (CNMS) – Full funding at $17.8 million. This will be the first of its kind and leverage ORNL’s unique neutron scattering capabilities.
· Advanced Scientific Computing – Additional $30 million. The Department of Energy recently announced the development of a new supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
· Science Laboratory Infrastructure - $42.3 million - This will continue modernization of the ORNL facilities, assuring continued success and innovation.
· Fusion Energy Science Research – Additional $12 million – This will fund research addressing the backlog of domestic projects in this field.
· Energy Reliability and Efficiency Laboratory (EREL) – Funded at $775,000 - The EREL will research and develop electricity transmission and distribution technologies, distributed energy resources and demand responsive building systems in order to create an improved electric grid.
· Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation – Details are pending, but programs are fully-funded.
Environmental Management
· Provides adequate funding to move forward with Oak Ridge’s accelerated cleanup plan.
LAND AND WATER STEWARDSHIP
$400,000 for Moccasin Bend Design Concept Plan
Moccasin Bend has a rich and varied cultural history, with evidence of human occupation extending to the earliest human cultures in North America. Moccasin Bend National Archeological District will use this funding to begin designing the plan for the visitors’ facility, which showcases this treasured resource.
Cherokee National Forest
$400,000 for the Cherokee National Forest Chilhowee Campground Improvements
This funding will provide the Chilhowee Campground with various needed recreational upgrades, such as new eating area equipment, more logical parking opportunities, and better access to fishing sites.
$350,000 for the Ocoee Whitewater Center–maintenance & interpretive upgrades
This funding will provide needed maintenance and repair for the Center since the influx of tourism from the 1996 Olympic Games. Such items include: better parking lot lighting system; wastewater system maintenance; and reconstruction of sections of the Tanasi Trail System.
$150,000 for the Ocoee & Hiawassee Corridor Management Plan
This plan will be used as a basis for coordinated management and as a guideline for facility improvements to increase recreational use and economic opportunities. It will allow the Forest Service to determine future needs in the area where it will develop a corridor management plan for the Ocoee and Hiwassee Rivers.
$500,000 for the Cherokee National Forest Land Acquisition of Tennessee Mountains Tract
Continued funding to acquire key areas along the Appalachia Trail and protect critical natural resources including wildlife habitat and fragile mountain watersheds.
$2 million in President’s Budget for NBII, Southern Appalachian Information Node
In keeping with the President’s FY05 Budget request, the mission of NBII is to systematically organize, access, and display biological information to have this data readily available. Partners in this project include: ORNL, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
$1.5 million for Scott’s Gulf
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will manage this important land as a Wildlife Management Area to protect migrating birds, aquatic species and other wildlife.
$3.5 million for the Walls of Jericho
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will manage this important land as a Wildlife Management Area. The Walls of Jericho tract is on the southern Cumberland Plateau.
Great Smoky Mountains
$2.171 million for the Great Smoky Mountain National Park Water and Sewer System
This funding replaces the Smokemont water and sewer system with a new municipal system. The project has been identified by the National Park Service as a high priority. The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is our nation’s most visited park.
$500,000 for the Great Smoky Mountains NP (Institute at Tremont)
Each year 4,000 students and teachers from 13 states experience the magic of the Great Smoky Mountains through Tremont’s science and education programs. The institute has been providing residential environmental education services since 1969, and the unparalleled diversity of the Smokies creates a unique educational opportunity.
$400,000 for the Tennessee Civil War Heritage Area (NHA)
NHA is a statewide partnership of the NPS and is the only statewide national heritage area. It preserves and interprets the stories, effects, and legacies of the Civil War and Reconstruction in Tennessee.
$750,000 for the Lower Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge
The LHNWR encompasses one of the best remaining bottomland hardwood forest ecosystems in the lower Mississippi River Valley. Federal acquisition, restoration and management will reduce sedimentation, other water-borne contaminants and altered hydrology by restoring altered watercourses. It will also eliminate the increased risk of development in the beautiful sacred lower watershed.
$750,000 for the Chickasaw National Wildlife Refuge
This funding will acquire some of the largest areas within the boundary of the Chickasaw National Wildlife Refuge which contain Bald Cypress. This process is essential to the long-term objective of conserving naturally occurring habitats of the Lower Mississippi River Valley Ecosystem. Season flooding supports migratory waterfowl and songbird species that use the refuge as a wintering habitat.
$450,000 for the Memphis U.S. Fish and Wildlife Port of Entry
Funding provides for personnel needs at the port of entry because of the large volume of wildlife and wildlife products being imported and exported through this port.
$6.5 million for Wooly Adelgid, Sudden Oak Death, and Southern Pine Beetle
Increased funding to combat sudden Oak Death, Southern Pine Beetle, and the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid. These exotic pests have proven to have huge impacts on forests and trees and are a very real threat to the native forests in Tennessee.
$400,000 for the City of Dayton’s Water Treatment Plant
This funding supports a water treatment process called flocculation and settles basins so that existing basins can be repaired as a first step towards the plant’s expansion.
$250,000 for Anderson County Water Extension Lines
North central Anderson County has been plagued by contaminated well water. This funding will help provide Anderson County residents with safe drinking water.
$200,000 for Spring City, Tennessee Water and Sewer Replacement
This funding will replace the corroding water and sewer lines and improve water quality for the residents of Spring City.
$100,000 for Roane County for Water Infrastructure Improvements
Roane County’s well contamination rate is 75%. This project will provide safe, potable drinking water to approximately 300 households.
$50,000 for the City of Bean Station
Bean Station needs federal funding to evaluate a site on the Cherokee Lake that is a likely candidate for a new wastewater treatment plant for the city.
Claiborne County Potable Water Lines and Extensions/Storage
The proposed project funding would provide potable water for two areas of Claiborne County where there are over seventy percent contamination of the residents’ wells and springs. This project would provide drinkable water to 600 more households and would secure three water storage tanks to serve the other two water line extension requests to provide more reliable, safe water for Claiborne County. The bill encourages this project to be funded.
City of Harrogate Sewer System
Ineffective sewer and septic waste systems polluted surface and groundwater contamination in Harrogate. This funding will improve the town’s sewer connections and clean out current pollution so residents will have acceptable sewer service. The bill encourages this project to be funded.
Sewer System for City of Blaine
The City of Blaine is currently without a public sanitary sewer system due to rocky terrain, poor soil conditions, and a lack of available space. This proposed funding enables them to develop a sanitary sewer system for the City. The bill encourages this project to be funded.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
“Working with Tennessee’s U.S. senators, we have doubled the amount of funding for the State of Tennessee to combat the meth problem,” said Congressman Wamp. “The combined effort by federal and state agencies will use this necessary funding for proper training, equipment, and enforcement officers to attack this problem head-on, not just here in East Tennessee where this effort originated, but all across the State of Tennessee.”
$2 million for East TN Methamphetamine Task Force
· Over the past several years, the use, production, and distribution of methamphetamine have proliferated throughout the State of Tennessee. This doubles the funding for the Meth Task Force to operate, train, and purchase equipment. Federal and state agencies are working directly with local law enforcement offices in a cooperative effort to combat this growing epidemic.
$250,000 for the Chattanooga Drug Court
To establish a drug court in Hamilton County patterned after the very successful Nashville Davidson County court.
$250,000 for the Law Enforcement Innovation Center
This funding provides innovative and technologically-based training and technical assistance services to law enforcement agencies and communities. LEIC programs address the need for safer communities, reduced domestic violence, reduced gun violence, and improvement of the quality of life for all citizens. LEIC brings law enforcement professionals and people in the community together to solve problems and help make southeast Tennessee a safer place to live.
MISCELLANEOUS
$66 million for the Appalachian Regional Commission
· Regional economic development throughout the ARC counties in Tennessee