Federal Appropriations Requests

I received a large number of appropriations requests from local constituents, communities and organizations. After careful consideration, I selected 35 requests that will make key investments in a range of needs for communities in Northwest Washington to help grow and support jobs and spur economic growth in our region.

In reviewing requests, I considered whether the project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds, if it meets 2nd District needs and priorities, if it is prepared to use federal funding effectively, and if it can be funded in an earmarked account. The House Appropriations Committee will evaluate all the requests it receives to determine which merit funding.

In the interest of transparency and accountability, all request made to the Appropriations Committee are listed below, organized by the bill in which they would be funded and listed alphabetically. The list complies with House transparency rules by listing the name of the project, the entity that would receive funding, the address of the organization and the project’s purpose.

Agriculture:

Organic Cropping
Washington State University
P.O. Box 643140
Pullman, WA

$500,000 for research into priorities identified by Northwest organic farmers including developing wheat varieties for organic systems, seed treatments for organic vegetable production, and studying economic trends in organic production. Several of these projects have the potential to advance sustainable agriculture on a national scale. There are nearly 700 certified organic farms in Washington state. Washington state is second in the nation in “farmgate” sales of organic products directly from the producer with $159.8 million sold.

Pacific Northwest Small Fruit Center
Washington State University
P.O. Box 643140
Pullman, WA

$500,000 for research into plant breeding, pest management, genetic research, and processing methods for small fruits.  The Center helps Northwest farmers integrate scientific research into their farming and processing.  Research done by the Center is focused on profitable and environmentally-responsible farming and production practices. Washington state leads the country in raspberry production and is a leading producer of other berries and grapes as well. In 2009, Washington raised 64 million pounds of red raspberries valued at $64 million.

Protecting the Pacific Northwest Grape and Wine Industry from Plant Viruses
Washington State University
P.O. Box 643140
Pullman, WA

$300,000 to combat the presence or spread of devastating plant viruses affecting the Grape and Wine Industry.  The Washington state wine, grape and grape juice industries provide approximately 19,000 jobs and contribute $3 billion annually to the state’s economy.  Washington is the largest producer of juice grapes and the second largest producer of premium wine grapes in the United States. Around 900 Pacific Northwest wineries depend upon the production of quality wine grapes. This project would help to ensure that planting materials entering the Northwest are virus-free, that our vineyards remain virus-free, and that we prolong the longevity of the industry.

Small Fruits Initiative – Plant Improvement
Northwest Center for Small Fruits Research
4845 B SW Dresden Ave
Corvallis, OR

$1.35 million for research into eliminating fruit diseases that plague small fruit crops in the Northwest, including berries and grapes.  Washington State leads the nation in red raspberry production. In 2009, Washington raised 64 million pounds of red raspberries valued at $64 million. Funding for this center is crucial for raspberry production and other small fruit industries.

Washington Agricultural Competitiveness
Washington State University
P.O. Box 643140
Pullman, WA

$1 million to identify and expand international trade opportunities and domestic marketing opportunities for Washington state agricultural products. Washington state's $42 billion food and agriculture industry employs 160,000 people and contributes 13% percent to the state's economy.  More than $14.8 billion in food and agricultural products were exported through Washington ports last year, the third largest total in the U.S.  Exporting Washington agricultural goods to foreign nations and marketing our products in new domestic markets will support this important industry and create new jobs across the state.

Commerce, Justice, Science:

Automated Field Reporting Infrastructure Improvement Project
Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office
3000 Rockefeller Avenue M/S 606
Everett, WA 98201

$1.22 million to provide first responders and emergency services managers in the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office with the tools they need to keep our community safe.  This funding will purchase equipment and software to increase the speed and efficiency at which mission-critical information is exchanged.

Border Prosecution “FASTRACK” Project
Whatcom County
311 Grand Avenue
Bellingham, WA

$560,000 to provide law enforcement services to Whatcom County to improve the local criminal justice system, and reduce the backlog of border related prosecutions.

Campaign for Kids Project
Whatcom County Boys and Girls Club
1715 Kentucky St.
Bellingham, WA

$205,460 to create 160 local family-wage jobs to improve local infrastructure to Pioneer Park, where there are many ball fields, parks and quality-of-life investments. 

Multi-State Drug Trafficking Prevention Program
Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force (SRDTF)
3000 Rockefeller Avenue, M/S 606     
Everett, WA

$836,000 to provide constant and professional investigation to disrupt drug trafficking organizations in Northwest Washington and prevent dangerous drugs from making their way onto the streets by attacking the upper levels of drug trafficking organizations. 

Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative (NSMCI)
Northwest Straits Commission
10441 Bayview Edison Rd
Mount Vernon, WA 

$2 million to restore and protect the northwest region of Puget Sound which supports marine species and habitats that contribute directly to the economic vitality of Washington state. Funding would support research, stewardship, and restoration efforts to protect commercially and ecologically valuable species, like salmon, rockfish, Dungeness crab, seabirds, and marine mammals.

Washington State Meth Initiative
Pierce County Alliance
510 Tacoma Avenue South
Tacoma, WA

$2.5 million to enable the Meth Initiative to continue their program efforts, which include investigations of clandestine meth labs, treatment programs for those addicted to methamphetamine, and the mobilization of Meth Action Teams in Washington state that engage in local education and prevention efforts.  Continued federal funding will also allow the Meth Initiative to target new threats, including the growth in meth trafficking along the I-5 corridor. 

Defense:

National Guard Employment Enhancement Project
Washington Military Department
Camp Murray Building 104
Tacoma, WA

 $1.5 million to establish a pilot program to help unemployed and underemployed national guardsmen find work.  The Washington National Guard Bureau will work with union apprenticeship programs, trade associations, educational institutions, and government agencies to help guardsmen acquire the skills they need to obtain a living-wage job.

Western Regional Counterdrug Training Center   
Washington Military Department
Camp Murray Building 104
Tacoma, WA

$2 million to support continuing operations at the Western Regional Counterdrug Training Center in Washington state.  This Center helps train federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement officials in drug interdiction so they can continue to keep our communities safe from methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs.

Energy and Water:

Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters Restoration
Seattle Corps of Engineers
4735 E. Marginal Way S.
Seattle, WA 98124

$7 million to help restore and recover Puget Sound, which will benefit Washington state's economy and industries such as shipping, fishing and shellfish production, agriculture, outdoor recreation, and tourism.

Puget Sound Nearshore Marine Habitat Restoration
Seattle Corps of Engineers
4735 E. Marginal Way S.
Seattle, WA

$1.5 million to evaluate the factors that are causing the habitat to decline and pollution to occur in the Puget Sound Basin, evaluate potential solutions to these problems, and recommend a series of actions and restoration projects that will lead to recovery.

Skagit River General Investigation Study 
Seattle Corps of Engineers
4735 E. Marginal Way S.
Seattle, WA

$1.2 million to continue the Skagit River General Investigation study to analyze various flood control projects in order to protect citizens and infrastructure impacted from a 100-year flood event of the Skagit River.  Over the past 20 years, the Skagit River has flooded nearly every other year at a cost of tens of millions of dollars.

Swinomish Channel Dredging
Seattle Corps of Engineers
4735 E. Marginal Way S.
Seattle, WA 98124

$850,000 to dredge the Swinomish Channel to allow commercial and recreational vessels to safely pass through the channel.  Log tow companies, rock haulers, boat builders, fish processors and many others depend on the Channel for their livelihood.  The Channel supports an estimated $93 million in economic activity per year.

Interior:

Blaine Wastewater Treatment Plant Relocation Project
City of Blaine
1200 Yew Avenue
Blaine, WA

$1 million to help fund the final phase of the Blaine Wastewater Treatment Plant Relocation Project.  The final phase of the project will abandon the existing treatment plant and redirect sewage flow to the new treatment plant by constructing new pumping and conveyance facilities.  This project will improve local infrastructure, enable economic growth for the City of Blaine, and ensure clean drinking water for the residents of Blaine.

Everett to Tulalip Water Pipeline
Tulalip Tribes and City of Everett Joint Board for Managing the Construction of the Everett to Tulalip Waterline
3319 Federal Ave
Everett, WA

$1 million to help complete a section of a 7.5 mile long water supply pipeline to provide a long-term supply of water to the Tulalip Tribes and to Smith Island in the City of Everett.  The Tulalip Tribes Utilities water system has reached the limit of its available supply and the demands on the Tribes' water system are expected to exceed its supply capacity in a few years. 

Protecting the Heritage Lands of Ebey's Reserve
Trust Board of Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve
162 Cemetery Road, PO Box 774
Coupeville, WA

$3 million to purchase conservation easements on hundreds of acres of farmland within Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve.  Ebey’s Landing was created by Congress in 1978 to protect the “cultural landscape” of Coupeville and central Whidbey Island, and this funding will help ensure that working farmland stays in production.

Labor, Health and Human Services:

Center of Excellence for Marine Manufacturing & Technology
Skagit Valley College, Whidbey Island Campus
1900 SE Pioneer Way
Oak Harbor, WA 

$250,000 to provide short-term intensive certified and credentialed professional development and skills enhancement training in electronic systems and advanced materials for the marine manufacturing and repair/refit sectors of Northwest Washington State.  The need for accessible certified and credentialed technical training is critical to job retention and growth in Northwest Washington.  A twelve month training calendar will be created, disseminated and marketed within the region.

Community Health Improvement Initiative
United General Hospital
2000 Hospital Drive
Sedro Woolley, WA

$500,000 to be used to purchase and update equipment for United Hospital's Community Health Improvement Initiative.  Approximately 30 percent of Skagit County residents are obese, and United routinely has difficulty providing the necessary tests and care because of limited resources.  United needs to upgrade their equipment to accommodate these individuals.  Another scarce resource at United is Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capability.  United is seeking funding to support an electronic ICU consultation to allow other local hospitals to consult and assist physicians and nurses at United with the treatment of critical patients.

Dental Education in the Care of Persons with Disabilities
University of Washington
301 Gerberding Hall
Seattle, WA

$870,000 to help renovate the University of Washington's 35-year-old Dental Education in the Care of Persons with Disabilities (DECOD) facility, which will significantly expand service capacity, provide more treatment options, and allow a higher degree of quality care for patients.  The DECOD facility provides dental care for patients with disabilities from across Washington state.

Everett Community College Workforce Training Facility
Everett Community College
2000 Tower Street
Everett, WA 

$3 million to lease and renovate a safe, up-to-date classroom and shop facility to house Everett Community College’s high demand Welding and Fabrication workforce development program. The College has advanced education and training for Snohomish County and regional jobs for nearly 70 years. Constructed in 1958, Monte Cristo Hall houses Welding and Fabrication, one of the College’s highest demand workforce development programs.

Peace Island Medical Center
Peace Health
2901 Squalicum Parkway
Bellingham, WA

$1 million to help purchase medical equipment for a new Critical Access Hospital in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Washington.  This new facility will help address significant health care access issues that exist for this remote community.  The new hospital will expand access to primary care and basic acute care services. 

Summer Jobs Program
Northwest Workforce Council
101 Prospect Street, PO Box 2009
Bellingham, WA

$1.46 million to provide opportunities for youth and young adults to develop workplace competencies and soft skills that are severely limited by the recession-driven lack of jobs and high unemployment. The Northwest Workforce Council would create 488 paid internship jobs and training for youth in support of the Northwest’s key industries: health and allied services, marine industries, advanced manufacturing, and energy-related and Green initiatives. Wages from these internships help their families, and quickly boost the economies in Whatcom, Skagit, Island, and San Juan Counties. 

Veterans and Students Service Initiative
Washington Campus Compact c/o Western Washington University
516 High St., MS5291
Bellingham, WA 

$300,000 to allow veterans and college students to develop workforce skills, engage veterans in service activities, and create capacity for nonprofits to meet community needs. The economic downturn has created pressure on college students to be better prepared to meet the demands of a challenging employment environment. The influx of veterans in the college system has created an opportunity for colleges and communities to harness their service ethic and motivation to continue to serve. Community agencies, while also feeling the impacts of the economic downturn, are uniquely situated to provide service and learning opportunities for veterans and students to develop their own skills while meeting critical community needs such as hunger, environmental, and/or human service concerns. 

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development:

Anderson LaVenture Extension Project
Skagit County
1800 Continental Place
Mount Vernon, WA

$2 million to help construct a new arterial roadway connecting South Laventure Road, an existing north-south arterial in eastern Mount Vernon, to the Anderson Road freeway interchange.  This will ease congestion on Interstate-5 and provide an alternative route in the rapidly developing areas of eastern Mount Vernon.

Mount Vernon Downtown Riverfront Promenade and Trail Project
City of Mount Vernon
910 Cleveland Avenue
Mount Vernon, WA 

$2 million to help complete construction of a riverfront promenade and trail in downtown Mount Vernon.  This project is a central part of Mount Vernon's downtown riverfront redevelopment project and will improve public pedestrian access to the Skagit River.

Everett Transit Hybrid Bus and Paratransit Vehicle Procurement
Everett Transit
3225 Cedar Street
Everett, WA

$1.2 million to help Everett Transit purchase two ultra-clean hybrid diesel-electric buses and five paratransit mini-vans.  The additional paratransit mini-vans would allow Everett Transit to offer 30,000 more trips per year to transit-dependent communities and the additional fixed route hybrid coaches would expand capacity and add 105,000 boardings yearly.  Expanding Everett Transit’s fleet would allow them to sustain and grow transportation service levels within the City and promote a more livable community.

Friday Harbor Ferry Terminal Pedestrian Access and Safety Improvements
Washington State Department of Transportation
310 Maple Park Avenue SE
Olympia, WA

$230,000 to improve pedestrian safety and circulation, ferry loading and offloading efficiency and schedule reliability at the Friday Harbor Ferry Terminal.  Currently pedestrians crossing Front Street and Spring Street in an uncontrolled manner create conflicts with vehicle loading and offloading operations near the ferry terminal.   

Gold Bar Pedestrian Access Project
City of Gold Bar
107 5th Street
Gold Bar, WA

$520,000 to construct a safe walkway and bicycle route to connect a 100 residence area of Gold Bar to the city center.  This project provides a safe walk/bike route for citizens without car transportation and will benefit commercial retail development that creates jobs.

Senior Services of Snohomish County Service Delivery Facility
Senior Services of Snohomish County
8225 4th Ave W Suite O
Mukilteo, WA

$500,000 to help Senior Services of Snohomish County build a 35,000 square foot Service Delivery Facility to accommodate all of its service programs including nutrition, transportation, housing, and social services under one roof.

SR 20 Corridor Freight Mobility and Revitalization Project
City of Sedro Woolley
325 Metcalf
Sedro Woolley, WA

$820,000 to design and acquire right-of-way for a project that will extend and reconstruct existing roads in the City of Sedro Woolley, providing the transportation infrastructure necessary to support local commercial development and long-term job creation.