Tuesday, September 26, 2006
CONTACT: Barry E. Piatt
or Brenden Timpe
PHONE: 202-224-2551
DORGAN SAYS HOUSE, SENATE AGREE ON BILL THAT INCLUDES PROJECTS AT KILLDEER MOUNTAIN MANUFACTURING
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) --- An appropriations bill that has cleared a major hurdle and is set for final passage includes federal funding for two projects involving Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing (KMM) in Killdeer, North Dakota, that will help bolster the region’s economy as well as the U.S. military, U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) announced Tuesday.
Dorgan, a member of the House-Senate conference committee that negotiated the final version of the Fiscal Year 2007 Defense Appropriations bill, said the projects will help spur the economy in Killdeer, Dickinson and the surrounding region while strengthening the U.S. military. Senator Dorgan also credited Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Congressman Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) for their work in helping move the bill through Congress.
The first project in the bill will partner KMM with North Dakota State University (NDSU) and Crane Aerospace and Electronics to develop a miniaturized wireless sensor system that will help detect humans or vehicles on a battlefield or other area of interest to the U.S. military. KMM is already working to produce 500 sensors for use in a demonstration system.
The bill also includes $2 million for Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing to demonstrate a “supply chain optimization universal tool kit” the company developed to help small- and medium-sized businesses compete for Department of Defense contracts. In the demonstration, KMM will implement state-of-the art manufacturing practices. Its manufacturing sites will be electronically connected with Boeing’s F-15 production line in St. Louis using radio frequency identification (RFID) and other sensors and advanced information systems. This will show how both Killdeer and Boeing can save money by minimizing inventory throughout the supply chain and by matching the pace of supply with the pace of consumption.
“These projects are exciting opportunities for Killdeer that will spur the local economy while strengthening the U.S. military,” Dorgan said. “North Dakota has a hard-working, talented workforce and an entrepreneurial spirit that makes it a logical place for Department of Defense contracts, and I’m glad I could help secure this funding for these projects.”
House and Senate negotiators, including Dorgan, have agreed on a final version of the Defense Appropriations bill and will now send it to the House, then the Senate, for final approval.
--END--