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Project Requests, FY 2011

In a continuing effort to provide greater transparency to the process, Members of the 111th Congress are posting their appropriations project requests online. This is intended to give the public more opportunity to examine these requests. Attached to each project in the list below is a letter from the associated fiscal intermediary and the project sponsor which provides additional information about the project. Thank you.

In Alphabetical Order

Agriculture Innovation Center, Crookston, MN 

$750,000 -- Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, PO Box 599, Crookston, MN 56716 

The Agriculture Utilization Research Institute is a non-profit which was authorized and funded by the Minnesota State Legislature. They plan to begin a " New Generation Innovation Center " to assist agricultural entrepreneurs with marketing, business innovation, and information sharing. The centers will focus on certain business areas, such as bioenergy, bio-based projects, and food production.

 
All-Hazard Response Capability

 
$2,310,000 - MN National Guard, Veterans Services Building, 20 W 12th Street, St. Paul, MN 55155 

Movement to a lighter tracked transportation system will allow more accessibility during domestic operations and crisis response. This project will exponentially multiply the MNNG's ability to reach affected areas in all weather and all terrain. 

Bovine Tuberculosis, MI, MN 

$2,000,000 -- College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, 455 Veterinary Medical Center, 1365 Gortner Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 

Both Minnesota and Michigan have a problem with bTB in cattle and white-tailed deer. The disease is now established in wildlife which creates new challenges for Minnesota and Michigan 's current control and eradication program. The College of Veterinary Medicine would work closely with Michigan State University to collaborate on research that would: 1) create an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of the disease and intervention strategies, 2) develop methods to overcome resistance to the disease by livestock producers and wildlife management using science-based control strategies, 3) develop effective vaccines to reduce the spread of the disease, and 4) integrate basic and applied research in an interdisciplinary manner. 

Clay County Reconstruction of Hwy 52

$2,000,000 – Clay County Courthouse, 807 11th Street North, PO Box 280, Moorhead MN 56561 
There is 13.7 miles along Hwy 52 that connects the Cities of Moorhead with Sabin, Baker, and Barnesville. The City of Moorhead has been having an economic boom and many people are now commuting from these smaller towns into Moorhead so the road needs to be upgraded in order to maintain the commuters, farmers, and shippers who regularly use the road.

 
City of Moorhead, MN, SE Main Ave, 20th, 21st Street Underpass and Ancillary Improvements

$1,000,000 -- City of Moorhead, 500 Center Ave, Box 779, Moorhead, MN 

The SE Main Ave 20th and 21 Streets Underpass represents the next phase of Moorhead’s comprehensive community improvement and mitigate safety concerns. Project Study Report/Final Design and ROW Acquisition are already completed and permit approvals have all come in so the City is trying to pull together enough funding to start construction. This project is ready to go and all they need is the funding.

City of Staples, MN, North-South Corridor with Railroad Overpass

$1,000,000 – 122 6th Street NE, Staples, MN 56479 

The City of Staples has been divided by railroad tracks since the track was laid and now trains have increased in numbers and length that they have become a safety hazard. Staples and MNDOT have developed a plan to extend CSAH 30 and provide an overpass over these train tracks. All the planning and studies are complete. This project is ready to go and all they need is the funding. 

City of Willmar Waste Water Treatment Facility 

$2,000,000 - City of Willmar, Box 755, Willmar, MN 56201 

The project is needed to comply with more stringent effluent limits and replace failed technology to meet NPDES permit requirements.

Dairy Veterinary Education, St. Paul, MN 

$1,440,120 -- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, 455 Veterinary Medical Center, 1365 Gortner Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 

This federally funded Center of Emphasis in Dairy Veterinary Education has been created and is hosted within the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota . The center is serving as the national site for developing a program of dairy education for students pursuing a career in dairy veterinary medicine: clinical training, herd health protocols, production system management, animal welfare promotion, food system expertise for dairy products, and public health and regulatory veterinary medicine. The Center seeks to serve as one of the “Regional Centers of Excellence” as authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill.

East Grand Forks, Freight and Industrial Park Road Improvements 

$2,000,000 – City of East Grand Forks, 600 DeMers Ave, PO Box 373, East Grand Forks MN 56721 

Currently, local streets experience high traffic volumes from approximately September to May during harvest season around the American Crystal Sugar processing plant. These freight and industrial park roads are adjacent to residential and park property and can be a hazardous to children, pedestrians and drivers hauling to the nearby processing plant. This new proposed route would divert freight traffic away from residential and pedestrian traffic and provide enhanced safety. 

Fargo Moorhead Metro Study, MN

$10,000,000 – US Army Corp of Engineers, St. Paul District, 190 5th Street East, Suite 401, St. Paul, MN 55101 

The Red River of the North, which flows through the cities of Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota, has exceeded flood stage every year since 1993, including at record levels in the spring of 2009. The U.S. Corps of Engineers, indicates that a 500-year event in the region would flood nearly the entire city of Fargo and a large portion of Moorhead. This funding will be used to finalize the Chief’s Report and to initiate design of a diversion channel and outlet structure including all necessary information to begin construction. 

Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) Sensors for MN National Guard UH-60 Medevac Helicopters 

$900,000 - The Minnesota National Guard, Veterans Services Building, 20 West 12th Street, Saint Paul, MN 55155 

Equipment provides dual use for Federal and State missions. It offers unique and potentially life-saving search and rescue capability, and ensures all-weather flight and mission capability. It is a proven asset to Federal and State missions. 

Knowledge Management Systems for the Minnesota National Guard 

$757,000 - MN National Guard, Veterans Services Building, 20 W 12th Street, St. Paul, MN 55155 

This program is needed to prepare the Minnesota National Guard for future operations, foster information sharing with operational partners, and ensure thorough planning and communication during domestic missions. Additionally, GIS use and training correlates directly to current operational requirements and in-theater practices. Finally, the improved situational awareness potentially saves lives and damage to property due to the increased effectiveness of the National Guard as a response force.

Lyon County, MN, Interchange on TH 23 at CSAH 7 

$1,650,000 – Lyon County, 504 Fairgrounds Road, Marshall, MN 56258 

This project will address a major access, traffic and safety issues that are affecting the Lyon County area. This interchange will improve access to the Southwest Minnesota Regional Airport, the City of Marshall’s industrial parks, including Schwans Foods, and provide better safety for young drivers from the nearby high school.

 
Minnesota River at Granite Falls, MN 

Increase Authorization - US Army Corp of Engineers, St. Paul District, 190 5th Street East, Suite 401, St. Paul, MN 55101 

After record flooding this project is ready to move forward with the Army Corp of Engineers and develop a flood control plan to protect the City of Granite Falls and the surrounding areas. 

Minnesota River, Montevideo, MN 

Increase Authorization - Army Corp of Engineers, St. Paul District, 190 5th Street East, Suite 401, St. Paul, MN 

This project is in their third stage of construction and nearing completion. At completion this project protect one third of all properties in Montevideo and 500+ jobs.

Minnesota Valley Regional Rail Authority Rail Rehabilitation, MN 

$2,000,000 - 200 South Mill Street, PO box 481, Redwood Falls, MN 56283 

This short-line regional rail line is in need of higher grade track due to the growing demand for agricultural goods and renewable energy fuels. With congestion becoming more and more of a problem in Minnesota more shippers are looking to railroads for shipping and receiving. Phase IV is the rehabilitation of 94.3 mile long short-line railroad that will be upgraded from a Class I (10mph) track to a Class II (25 mph) track which will increase the efficiencies more than 250%. This project has wide regional, state and local support.

National Unmanned Aircraft System Maintenance Training Program 

$2,000,000 - Northland Community & Technical College,1101 Highway 1 East, Thief River Falls, MN 56701 

The sole purpose surrounding this opportunity and the benefit for the tax payers funds include; leverage and expansion of assets to the tax payer, new and emerging resources available for the job market, economy, and businesses. The development and growth of UAS maintenance technicians which will add more opportunity for jobs, stimulate growth of the field, and provide highly skilled individuals to the communities and region. As the technology expands the maintenance training program offerings and job opportunities for highly skilled workers will too, this will provide a stable market for new entrants. Our current region and across the United States will benefit having highly skilled members of communities offering excellent resources and capabilities for the growth and development of our new industry. 

Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indian Multi-Purpose Facility in Ponemah, MN 

$1,500,000 – PO Box 550, Red Lake, MN 56671

The City of Ponemah has been in desperate need of a multi purpose facility to replace their now condemned community center which housed both their senior programs and the Head Start programs. Ponemah is a 2 hour drive to the nearest movie theater so teens have very few entertainment options a multi purpose building would give them somewhere to go. Red Lake is currently working with the Boys and Girls Club of America.

Red Lake River, Crookston, MN

$1,250,000 - Army Corp of Engineers, St. Paul District, 190 5th Street East, Suite 401, St. Paul, MN 
As a result of record floods in the last ten years, this project is near complete after these few repairs and then the City of Crookston will fully protected from flooding. 

Red River of the North, Breckenridge, MN

$407,000 - Army Corp of Engineers, St. Paul District, 190 5th Street East, Suite 401, St. Paul, MN

Devastated after the 1997 floods on the Red River, the City of Breckenridge has been moving forward with their flood control project which has protected the City from the 2006 and 2009 floods. The Army Corp of Engineers is half way through this three phase project which has already prevent $26 million in damages from the 2006 and millions more in savings after the 2009 floods.

Regional Barley Gene Mapping Project, MN

$800,000 -- Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR

This project will support research at University of Minnesota , North Dakota State University, Oregon State University , Washington State University, and the USDA-ARS Cereal Crops Research Unit in Madison, Wisconsin. The project will fund research on four areas where there is the greatest potential for success to increase barley production--winter hardiness; drought tolerance; disease resistance; and quality. Barley supports millions of jobs and generates billions of dollars in business activity and tax revenue, for states and the federal government. Modest federal investments in barley research result in exponential paybacks for the US economy as a whole.

Roseau River, Roseau, MN

$12,000,000 -- Army Corp of Engineers St. Paul District, 190 5th Street East, Suit 401, St. Paul, MN

In 2002 the Roseau River reached record high levels and flooded the town of Roseau. The Army Corp of Engineers have been working through their necessary studies and planning and have finally reached the construction phase of their flood control project. Flood control projects saves lives and saves millions of dollars in damage in small communities, without the preliminary work Roseau would have flooded again in 2009. 

Soils Management Research, MN

$1,000,000 -- North Central Soil Conservation Research Laboratory, 803 Iowa Avenue, Morris, MN

The funding for this project would supplement the funding requested by the President for the lab and would make it possible for the lab to hire two new researchers: an integrated cropping systems agronomist, and a new crops breeding position. 

White Earth Police Radio Improvement, White Earth, MN

$1,250,000 -- White Earth Reservation Tribal Council, P.O. Box 418, White Earth, MN 56591

The White Earth Tribal Nation's police force relies on outdated and aging radio equipment to keep its people safe. In order to enforce the law to the extent necessary, White Earth requires today's radio technology. This project will fund the purchase of three radio towers, and up-to-date dispatch, squad-car, and portable radios. These improvements will promote public safety and allow the White Earth police communicate better with other law enforcement agencies.


Wild Rice, St. Paul, MN

$303,000 -- Plant Science Unit, 411 Borlaug Hall, 1991 Upper Buford Circle, Saint Paul, MN

Wild rice is the only cereal grain native to North America. Its success supports American wild rice producers and American white rice producers, who's products are sold in wild/white rice blends. American wild rice is threatened by seed shattering and fungal diseases. This project will support research to create disease and shatter-resistant wild rice to ensure that American wild rice producers remain competitive in the global marketplace. 

Wild Rice and Marsh rivers, Ada, MN

Increase Authorization - Army Corp of Engineers, St. Paul District, 190 5th Street East, Suite 401, St. Paul, MN

After two record breaking floods the City of Ada has been developing their flood control project. Unless the authorization level is increase this project that is ready to start construction will be stall indefinitely. 

Willmar Municipal Utility, MN Corncob Co-Combustion Plant Modification

$3,000,000 - Willmar Municipal Utilities, 700 SW Litchfield Ave, PO Box 937, Willmar, MN

The MN Corncob Co-combustion Plant is an emerging renewable energy technology in the bio-fuel energy source. The City of Willmar has been study this technology for sometime and has started modifying their current coal generation station to a co-combustion bio-mass fuel using corn cobs. This will be the first full-scale corncob co-combustion power generation system in the U.S. and will utilize what has been considered an agriculture byproduct into a renewable fuel revolutionizing the byproduct market not to mention a locally grown product.