COCHRAN: HOUSE-SENATE ACCORD REACHED
ON BILL TO FUND MISSISSIPPI WATER PROJECTS
Final House, Senate Votes Needed to Complete FY2010 Energy & Water Appropriations Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) was among the negotiators who reached a final agreement Wednesday on the FY2010 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill (HR.3183), a spending measure that is important to ongoing levee construction and maintenance in Mississippi.
Cochran, ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, served on the conference committee that reconciled differences in House and Senate-passed versions of HR.3183. The measure requires final approval in both houses of Congress before it can be sent to the White House for consideration.
“The House and Senate have an opportunity to soon complete work on the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill. I look forward to the final votes on this bill and to sending it to the White House as soon as possible. I do not foresee any reason why the Administration will not also support this legislation, which is important to Mississippi and the nation,” said Cochran.
HR.3183 provides funding for the Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, the Department of Energy and independent agencies like the Appalachian Regional Commission and Delta Regional Authority.
The legislation provides $56.0 million for levee construction and maintenance in Mississippi in FY2010, as well as $24.0 million for the operation and maintenance of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Within funding outlined for the Department of Energy, universities in Mississippi are in line for energy-related research and development projects.
“This appropriations bill is critical to Mississippi because it contains the resources required to maintain and improve the levee and flood protection systems that keep our people safe and promote commerce,” Cochran said.
“Through the Department of Energy, students and researchers at Mississippi universities will have opportunities to apply their knowledge to the challenge of finding new and innovative ways to harness the energy on which our nation thrives,” he said.
The following are highlights of Mississippi projects funded in HR.3183:
Water Projects
- Mississippi River Levee Construction & Maintenance -- $56.0 million for levee construction ($44.7 million) and maintenance ($11.3 million)
- Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway -- $24.0 million for operation and maintenance, in addition to $2.5 million for wildlife mitigation activities
- Mississippi Water and Wastewater Projects -- $10.0 million for water and wastewater projects authorized under the Water Resources Development Act/Section 592
- DeSoto County Regional Utility Authority -- $8.0 million to support the DeSoto County regional wastewater system
- Mississippi River Flood Control – More than $80.0 million directed to harbor and river projects in Mississippi
Department of Energy
- Sustainable Energy Research Center, Mississippi State University -- $10.0 million to support engineering and scientific research related to creating renewable transportation fuel industries
- Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Richton -- $25.0 million for engineering and site characterization
- Gulf of Mexico Hydrates Research Consortium, University of Mississippi -- $1.2 million to continue development and deployment of an integrated multi-sensor station for continuous monitoring of hydrates and the gas hydrate stability zone in the Gulf of Mexico
- Nanostructured Materials for Improved Photovoltaics, University of Southern Mississippi -- $1.0 million to develop photovoltaic devices for commercial renewable energy use
- High-Speed Wind Turbine Noise Model With Suppression, University of Mississippi -- $1.0 million to investigate blade modifications to control wind turbine noise
Independent Agencies
- Appalachian Regional Commission -- $76.0 million
- Delta Regional Authority -- $13.0 million
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