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Washington, DC--Today Congressman David Wu secured federal dollars for four important Oregon projects. The funding is included in H.R. 5427, the Energy and Water Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2007. H.R. 5427 passed the U.S. House of Representatives today by a vote of 404 to 20.
Projects receiving funding in the bill include:
• $15 million for Columbia River Channel Deepening
The funds will help implement the environmental measures that were proposed by the Army Corps of Engineers in its Biological Assessment released in February 2002 for the Columbia River Channel Deepening Project.
This funding will cover the construction of nine ecosystem restoration features, construction of wetlands mitigation measures, establishment of facilities and activities that will monitor dredging for any environmental effects, and research activities for salmon recovery.
The health of the river and its many inhabitants is a critical component of the channel deepening project. It has been designed to minimize impacts on the river as well as on endangered species. In order to move forward, the project must comply with all federal and state environmental regulations.
Almost 40,000 people dependent on maritime trade on the river for jobs, it is important that this project proceed in a manner that ensures the health of the river and timely completion of the project.
• $1.5 million for Chemeketa Community College to develop affordable microscopes
Chemeketa Community College will continue to develop table-top electron microscopes for nanotechnology undergraduate education. Nanotechnology is an emerging science that involves the engineering of extremely small materials, devices, and systems at the atomic, molecular, and macromolecular level. The science is widely considered to be "the next frontier" in scientific research. An essential component of nanotechnology education is training with electron microscopes. However, due to the complexity and high cost of the microscopes, very few graduate students and even fewer undergraduate students have access to nanotechnology education.
• $280,000 for the Tualatin River Basin Water Supply Project
The project addresses the long-term water supply for Washington County residents and businesses. Demand for water in the Tualatin Basin is expected to double by 2050. The funding Congressman Wu secured today will help continue the project. This is in addition to $537,000 he secured in fiscal years 2005 and 2006. The studies are crucial to the economic future of Washington County and the state of Oregon.
• $100,000 for the Northwest Regional Sediment Plan
The Lower Columbia Solutions Group is a bi-state group of local, state and federal stakeholders focused on sustainable dredge material disposal for maintenance dredging on the Columbia River. The group was established in 2002 by the governors of Oregon and Washington to promote the beneficial use of maintenance dredge material. This funding will complete the preliminary phase of a bi-state plan for sediment management.
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