Project Requests, FY 2010

In a continuing effort to provide greater transparency to the process, Members of the 111^th 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

Bovine Tuberculosis Disease and Control and Eradication Program

$600,000 -- 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.

Center for Rural Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Minnesota, Crookston

$500,000 -- University of Minnesota, Crookston, 2900 University Avenue, Crookston, MN

Creating, maintaining and growing small businesses is important to the growth of the Minnesota economy. The Center for Rural Entrepreneurial Studies (CRES) at the University of Minnesota, Crookston will use funds to provide technical assistance to economic developers and monitor best practices for developing and expanding small business and entrepreneurship in Northwestern Minnesota.  Already designated a US Department of Commerce Economic Development Association University Center, this will provide the funding necessary for the University of Minnesota, Crookston to optimize CRES program development, staff and student support, and technology infrastructure at the center. CRES encourages cooperation between students, faculty, non-profit community, business community and the greater community to grow business and entrepreneurship in rural Minnesota.  

City of Detroit Lakes Crescent Parkway Improvements

$650,000 -- City of Detroit Lakes, 1025, Roosevelt Ave         PO Box 647, Detroit Lakes, MN

The Crescent Parkway is a five acre area that was significantly impacted by the realignment of Hwy 10.  Now, the old highway lands are vacated and being turned over to the City for creation of Crescent Parkway and the development of a business corridor.  This new Parkway will spur private economic development and provide for multi-functional
green spaces for the community to enjoy.  Without this type of development these vacant lands will become a stain in the community. All the planning and studies are complete.  This project is ready to go and all they need is the funding.

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

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

The SE Main Ave 20^th 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 North South Corridor with Railroad Overpass      

$1,000,000 -- City of Staples, 611 Iowa Ave NE, Staples, MN

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.

Enhancing Barley Through Genomics

$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.

Lyon County Interchange on TH 23 at CSAH 7

$650,000 -- Lyon County, 607 West Main Street          Marshall, MN

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 National Guard Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program

$2,000,000 -- The Minnesota National Guard, 20 West 12^th Street, Saint Paul, MN 55155

The Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Program is implemented throughout the State of Minnesota and over all phases of the deployment cycle. During the Fiscal Year 2010 budget cycle the Minnesota National Guard will experience approximately 2,500 Soldiers returning from mobilization in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. These soldiers must be offered mental health counselors and others support in local armories. The goal of this program is to prevent the reintegration issues that many soldiers experience from becoming a health crisis such suicide, traumatic brain injuries, post traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse and relationship concerns.

Minnesota River at Granite Falls

$3,000,000 -- Army Corp of Engineers St. Paul District,      190 5th Street East, Suit 401, St. Paul, MN

The City of Granite Falls experienced major flooding in 1997.
The City was able to get their locally preferred plan approved and now the Army Corp of Engineers needs this funding to start implementing the local plan for flood control and flood risk management.

Minnesota Valley Regional Rail Authority Rail Rehabilitation

$1,000,000 -- Minnesota Valley Regional Rail Authority, 200 S. Mill Street, PO Box 481, Redwood Falls, MN

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 Center of Emphasis in Dairy Veterinary Education

This federally funded Center of Emphasis in Dairy Veterinary Education be created and hosted within the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota. The center would serve 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 would serve students in the clinical phases of their education and also veterinarians already graduated. Students might come from any accredited school across the U.S. Faculty would be recruited from across the U.S. and internationally from participating veterinary colleges, government, private sectors, etc. to participate, thus building a broad array of talent and topics across the many disciplines. It would also serve as a site for intensive education for dairy veterinarians who want to make a career shift from private practice to public or food system career paths.

Pope and Douglas County Solid Waste Management

$800,000 -- Pope and Douglas County Solid Waste Management, 2115 South Jefferson Street, Alexandria, MN

Pope and Douglas County Solid Waste Management (PDSWM) has been producing energy cleanly and efficiently at it's waste combustor facility in Alexandria since 1987. PDSWM currently has two waste combustors at the facility, but is in need of third due to community expansion.  The 3M facility, Alexandria Technical College and the Douglas County Hospital, are all planning major expansions to their facilities and will be needing additional steam energy. Disposing of
waste through a waste to energy facility also is good for the
environment.  There are less greenhouse gas emissions from a waste to energy facility than there are from land filling the waste.

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

$800,000 -- Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, PO Box 550, Red Lake, MN

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 Headstart 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 River of the North Flood Risk Management, Breckenridge, MN

$5,000,000 -- 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.  This project is ready to start the next phase if enough funding is secured.

Roseau River Flood Risk Management, Roseau, MN

$5,000,000 -- 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.

$500,000 -- North Central Soil Conservation Research Laboratory, 803 Iowa Avenue, Morris, MN

The North Central Soil and Conservation Research Lab develops environmentally and economically sustainable agricultural systems. This project will help provide knowledge and technology for proper land, crop and weed management to enhance the biological, chemical and physical properties of soils and to improve environmental quality. In addition, the Lab would like to work towards hiring an agricultural economist, a research hydrologist, a climate change research scientist, and a cropping systems ecologist. The research conducted by the lab is a national interest. As American agriculture continues to move into the global marketplace, it is increasingly important to investigate the best agricultural practices.

Tire to Track Transformer System

$3,500,000 -- MATTRACKS Sales, Inc., 202 Cleveland Ave, PO Box 214, Karlstad, MN 56732

The Military is continuing to include “Track Conversion Systems” and “Track Capabilities” in its discussions and requirements for its Unmanned Ground Vehicles and Light Vehicles.  Under the supervision of the Tank and Automotive Command/Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, MATTRACKS, Inc. has been designing a Track Conversion System and Tire to Track Transformer System to provide solutions for the military. In developing these systems the Military will be able to use available vehicles and turn them into all-terrain vehicles thus saving the military time and money not having to develop and purchase several different vehicles.    

Ultra Light Utility Vehicles (ULUVs) for the National Guard

$10,000,000 -- Polaris Defense, 2100 Highway 55, Medina, MN 55340

The National Guard has added Ultra Light Utility Vehicles to their FY10 “Top 25” Equipment Modernization Shortfall List.  Currently there isn’t funding planned in the ARMY budget for this class of vehicle.  This project is to provide initial fielding of these ULUVs to the Army National Guard and Air Force National Guard. This addition to the Top 25 list confirms the critical need for lighter, smaller, more cost effective vehicles to perform logistics and support functions, as well as homeland security functions, both at home and in the Global War on Terrorism.  This request provides funding for All Terrain Ultra Light Utility Vehicles (ULUV) - which can and do meet this critical need today.

White Earth Reservation Wild Rice Processing Facility

$1,000,000 -- White Earth Reservation, PO Box 418, White Earth, MN

White Earth reservation is home to some of the most plentiful, natural wild rice crops in the nation.  A processing and storage facility is needed to provide a consistent product stream to meet the high demand for their natural, organic wild rice. Although there is national retail interest in their natural wild rice, without a facility to process and store the rice the Tribe will fail to take advantage of this opportunity.

$492,740 -- 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 River Feasibility Study

$300,000 -- Army Corp of Engineers St. Paul District, 190 5th Street East, Suit 401, St. Paul, MN

The Army Corp of Engineers will study the entire Wild Rice River basin in Minnesota, both upstream storage and downstream storage in order to identify flood control projects that will restore natural resources, manage flood risk, and retain more water to prevent flooding in the Red River.

Willmar Wastewater Project Authorization

$800,000 -- Army Corp of Engineers St. Paul District, 190 5th Street East, Suite 401, St. Paul, MN

The City of Willmar must build a new Wastewater Treatment Plant to meet the current EPA requirements, replace aging equipment and meet the new water quality standards. Currently, the City has awarded seven out of ten phases of this project.  The last three phases of the project
include two wastewater-pumping stations, force main to be constructed with the City's road project, and decommissioning of the existing wastewater treatment plant.  The new treatment plant will meet the EPA's goals to improve water quality in the Minnesota River and surrounding watersheds by reducing the high levels of ammonia and phosphorus.

Willmar Municipal Utility, MN Corncob Co-Combustion Plant Modifications

$1,000,000 - 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 completed the planning for 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.