Pryce Secures Federal Investment in Ohio for Military and Homeland Security Projects

Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-OH-15) today announced federal investments of nearly $20 million in Ohio’s economy for projects aimed at supporting our troops and protecting the Homeland. The money will be used by Ohio-based businesses to develop products and systems that can be used by the U.S. military to improve capabilities and efficiency.

These investments, secured by Pryce, are part of the 2005 Defense Department appropriations bill, which passed in the House Thursday.

“I am delighted that the creativity and expertise of Central Ohioans is being recognized by our federal government,“ Pryce said. “In these challenging times in the war on terror, I am proud that Central Ohio businesses are supporting our troops in such tangible ways.”

Among the companies receiving funds are Battelle and Ashland. Battelle will receive $3.5 million to continue production of a Joint Biological Detection System, which can be used to remotely test for biological warfare agents. The company also will receive $1.5 million dollars to co-develop hybrid military vehicles with The Ohio State University.   Ashland received $1.1 million to research and develop adhesive technology that can be used to create hard surfaces in a matter of minutes in areas where a runway or road is needed.

Rep. Pryce also secured funding for these initiatives:

·         $1 million for LSP Technologies to conduct laser peening on F-119 engines - Laser peening has proven to be effective at strengthening materials and making them more resistant to damage. The B1 was often grounded due to damage of the fan blades in the engines from foreign objects. After laser peening, no foreign object-related engine failures were reported, and there was no need for the previously frequent inspections. This resulted in a $90 million in cost savings. The Air Force estimates $1 billion in savings if this technology is applied to its entire fleet.

·         $2.5 million for LSP Technologies to conduct laser peening for Army helicopters – The Apache helicopter has high altitude flying problems in Afghanistan. There is a need for more power from the engine, which places severe stress on the main rotor shaft and engine transmission. Laser peening will toughen these components to allow for a more powerful engine and great operations capabilities.

·         $1 million for Edison Welding Institute’s Army Welding Technology Deployment  - EWI and the Army’s Picatinny Arsenal have partnered to accelerate the introduction of critical welding and joining technologies into the Army production base. This project currently consists of doing design and testing of encapsulated ceramic protective panels for tanks/vehicles. The new request would expand activities into Humvee door armor upgrades, titanium joining of mortar base, future combat systems hull applications, and fuselage welding for planes.

·         $2.5 million for Distributed Transportable Synthetic Fuel Manufacturing Modules developed by Velocys – Funding will radically shrink size of a processor to 1/10 size, allowing it to be airlifted and used on site to produce synthetic fuel in the field, meaning the Army could reduce re-supply tonnage shipments and free up space for other urgent missions, thus reducing expenses.  

Congresswoman Pryce represents the Fifteenth District of Ohio, which includes Western Franklin County, Madison, and Union Counties.  She serves as Chairman of the House Republican Conference for the 108th Congress, making her the fourth ranking member of House leadership.  The Congresswoman also co-chairs the Cancer Caucus.