Contact: Rob Ostrander 202.224.7627 Shana Stribling 202.224.0309
Monday, November 14, 2005

WASHINTON, DC – U.S. Senators Kit Bond and Jim Talent announced that Missouri will receive more than $140 million in federal funds for key environmental projects.

“This money will help protect our rivers and meet Missouri's critical water transportation, flood protection and environmental needs," said Senator Kit Bond, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “I will continue to use my position as Missouri’s senior Senator to return hard-earned tax dollars to the state for the projects important to Missourians.”

“Sen. Bond and I are absolutely committed to protecting our people and creating jobs in Missouri,” said Senator Jim Talent. “It’s becoming increasingly more difficult to get our products to market, we need to update our energy infrastructure, our locks and dams are old enough to collect Social Security and frequent flooding is keeping communities poor by stifling economic opportunity. This funding addresses these and other concerns on behalf of Missouri.”

Bond and Talent secured the funds for critical Missouri environmental projects in the fiscal year 2006 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, which funds water projects under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and energy projects within the Department of Energy. The spending bill’s conference report passed the House last week and the full Senate this evening. The bill will now be sent to the President to be signed into law.

Bond and Talent highlight $140 million they secured for Missouri environmental projects:

* Locks Modernization -- $10 million for Pre-construction, Engineering and Design of new 1,200 foot locks on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers necessary to provide clean and efficient water transportation this century.

* Environmental Restoration - $54.5 million to improve fish and wildlife habit on the Missouri River, ensure compliance with the Endangered Species Act, and prevent unnecessary river closures. Additional environmental projects include: $1.313 million for the Missouri and Middle Mississippi Rivers Habitat Protection legislation; and almost $998,000 for Kansas City Riverfront enhancement; $100,000 for Confluence State Park where the big rivers join.

* Flood Control – Funds for construction for: Blue River Channel, Kansas City ($5 million), Meramec River Basin, Valley Park ($7.6 million), Bois Brule in Perry County ($1.81 million), and St. Johns/New Madrid ($4.95 million). Also, funds were included to study flood control projects proposed in St. Joseph ($175,000), Swope Park ($100,000), River Des Peres ($175,000), St. Louis-area (305,000), Kansas City-area ($500,00), and Springfield-area ($375,000).

* Port Construction – Funds to enable operation of small Mississippi River ports in New Madrid ($360,000), Hannibal ($68,000), Cape Girardeau Floodwall (300,000), and Caruthersville ($315,000). Additional funds are provided to operate lake facilities including Smithville ($1.13 million), Stockton ($3.368 million), Table Rock ($7.556 million), Pomme de Terre ($1.767 million), Clearwater ($2.409 million), Clarence Cannon ($5.496 million), Truman ($8.226 million), and Wapappelo Lakes ($4.442 million).

* Power Grid Modernization - $1 million for the University of Missouri-Rolla project. In response to the blackouts becoming more common, this critical project will develop new hardware and software technologies to enable the U.S. transmission system to operate more reliably and economically.

* Nuclear Facility Upgrades - $15 million for facility upgrades and infrastructure improvements at the Kansas City Department of Energy Plant. The Kansas City plant supplies various materials to the National Nuclear Administration's Weapons program