8th Congressional District of Texas
Local Project Requests for the 2009 Federal Budget
OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE OF EAST TEXAS RIVERS & LAKES - $1.7 million
The U.S. Corps of Engineers requires congressional requests for Corps projects, even routine maintenance
This is the second year Congressman Brady requested funding to repair the Twin Dikes Park marine launching complex since its collapse due to Hurricane Rita, erosion, and excessive wave action. Unfortunately, the Corps has a backlog of maintenance on some of the most widely used recreational facilities at Lake Sam Rayburn. In addition to this project, Congressman Brady continues to support the U.S. Corps of Engineers annual request for funding to operate and maintain the lakes, and other water resources of East and Southeast Texas.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—Forth Worth District (http://www.swf.usace.army.mil/)
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—Lake Sam Rayburn (http://www.swf-wc.usace.army.mil/samray/)
Lower Neches Valley Authority (http://www.lnva.dst.tx.us/)
RESEARCH: MEDICAL & NATIONAL SECURITY - $6.9 million
CDC Primary Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Program- $250,000
Congressman Brady has supported strengthening Pulmonary Hypertension education for over ten years; and for this reason, for the second year in a row, he has requested funding to strengthen and continue a successful partnership between the non-profit Hypertension Association and the Centers for Disease Control. PH is a serious and often fatal condition where the blood pressure in the lungs rises to dangerously high levels. In PH patients the walls of the arteries that take blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs thicken and constrict. As a result, the right side of the heart has to pump harder to move blood into the lungs, causing it to enlarge and ultimately fail.
This request would allow the partners to continue to develop a pulmonary hypertension awareness program to better educate the medical community and the public about the disease, and lead to earlier diagnosis and longer life spans.
Pulmonary Hypertension Association (http://www.phassociation.org/)
No-idle Climate Control for Military Vehicles - $3.2 million
For the final year of a two year project, Congressman Brady has requested funding aimed at completing a project that will allow military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan to stay cool in their tanks during the day or at night without running the engine. Today vehicles must run their engine to keep crew members cool, this results in a heat-signature for deadly enemy weapons and wasting precious fuel.
The request funds completion of the No-Idle Complex Compound (“NICC”) project, which is developing technology powered by diesel fuel to cool or heat the crew cabin in military vehicles when the vehicle engine is not operating. Without this system, the vehicle engine must be idled to provide cooling or heating thus wasting significant amounts of fuel, polluting the environment and creating a thermal and acoustic signature. The proposed development will design and build prototypes of the NICC system for military combat vehicles, address critical manufacturing and quality control processes and manufacturing technology. In combat (“stealth”) mode, use of the NICC will cool personnel and electronics with minimal thermal or noise signature, enhancing both the comfort and safety of our troops.
Texas Research Institute for Environmental Studies—TRIES - $3.5 million
With one more year to go before completion, this is the second year of funding Congressman Brady has secured for TRIES. The project has received funding for a total of seven non-consecutive years. This request will provide funds to Sam Houston State University and Texas State University System to finalize research of a technology for the treatment of contaminated water to make it usable for our troops in the field or during natural disasters.
TRIES (http://www.shsu.edu/~tries_www/)
TRANSPORTATION, INFRASTRUCTURE & CRIMINAL JUSTICE – $ 11.4 million
Regional Crime Laboratory - $1.4 million
Established last year with Congressman Brady’s support, fiscal year 2009 funding for the Regional Crime Lab at Sam Houston State University will allow it to become operational. Law enforcement agencies in rural communities experience long waits and backlogs when requesting services from major cities like Houston. This request allows Sam Houston State University -- one of the nation’s foremost criminal justice universities -- to use its expertise in forensic science to begin operations of the Rural Crime Laboratory started with funding I secured last year. This lab will provide services to local law enforcement such as identification of controlled substances, toxicology screening and finger print matching. The lab will be able to service communities in a 75-mile wide area.
Sam Houston State University (http://www.shsu.edu/)
Walker County (http://www.co.walker.tx.us/)
Interstate 69 Improvements - $10 million
This requested funding will allow for additional required environmental studies needed to upgrade several US highways in the region. This request – which is not part of the Trans Texas Corridor - provides funding for the continuation of the long-planned project involving segments of US 59, 77 and 281. Since 1991, efforts have been made to improve these routes to Interstate standards to meet the higher demand of increased traffic. These highway segments have been identified by Congress as a high priority; by upgrading the existing highways to Interstate standards we will increase motorist safety and regional mobility in the increasingly busy Houston and East Texas region.
BIG THICKET NATIONAL PRESERVE ENHANCEMENT – $4.7 million
The Big Thicket National Preserve is one of America’s ecological treasures. It is an unusually shaped preserve whose boundaries include land once owned by major timber companies.
Big Thicket National Preserve Land Acquisition - $4.7 million
When funded in full, this represents the final year in a seven year land acquisition program. This request enables the National Park Service to acquire critical land within the congressionally authorized boundary of the Big Thicket National Preserve to diversify the economic potential of southeast Texas through increased tourism opportunities. This project works only with voluntary, “willing-seller” landowners.
Big Thicket National Preserve (http://www.nps.gov/bith/)
National Parks Service (http://www.nps.gov)
The Conservation Fund (http://www.conservationfund.org/)
Big Thicket Association (http://www.btatx.org/)
Note: In addition to the above listed projects, Congressman Brady has also signed letters in support of other regional and Texas projects sponsored by other members of the Texas delegation.
2008 Local Project Requests
2007 Local Project Requests
