WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today Congressman David Wu announced that numerous vital projects across Oregon have received federal funding as part of H.R. 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2009, which passed the House today and will soon be considered in the Senate.

“I am pleased that so many worthy causes, from Vernonia’s schools, to the Washington County Drug Court, to the new Columbia River Community Hospital, have received much-needed funds from this legislation,” said Congressman Wu.  “These funds will be used to improve education, reduce traffic congestion, and make our communities safer all across the 1st District.  I look forward to seeing the results of these important projects improve Oregonian’s lives.”
 
The following projects were requested by Congressman Wu and funded through the Omnibus Appropriations Act:

Vernonia School District Equipment Replacement ($381,000)
Supports the purchase of replacements for essential school equipment that was damaged during storm flooding in December 2007.  Due to the location of the city sewage ponds, water that flooded the school during the storm was contaminated, making most of the equipment and furniture unsalvageable.  Funds will purchase equipment such as computers, telephones, laboratory equipment, chairs and desks, cafeteria equipment, and chalkboards.

PSU Science Research and Teaching Center ($333,000)
Supports a Portland State University center that focuses on innovative ways to improve science education at the university level and in K-12 schools; also serves as a site for continuing education for K-12 science teachers.  The center provides students with a state-of-the-art research and teaching space for biology, chemistry, environmental science, and physics, as well as for a master's degree in science teaching.  

U of O Science Research Facility ($1,000,000)
Supports University of Oregon research by providing for the technological aspects of ongoing construction of the Integrative Science Complex.  This funding will support American competitiveness in the 21st century knowledge-based economy by helping to catalyze cutting-edge scientific research at the University of Oregon's leading education and research programs, while continuing the university's existing role as a high-tech extension service for Oregon industry.

Start Making a Reader Today (SMART) Program ($95,000)
Supports a Portland program to provide weekly one-on-one reading support and new books for thousands of high-need children in kindergarten through third grade.  One in three Oregon fourth graders reads below a basic level, and research shows that children who do not learn to read by third grade are more likely to struggle with reading as adults, drop out of school, be less successfully employed, and be incarcerated.  This early intervention program has been proven help students be 60 percent more likely to reach state reading benchmarks.  

OIT Health Informatics Simulation Lab ($285,000)
Supports the Oregon Institute of Technology health simulation lab in providing learning and research opportunities using virtual patient data for all of the allied health, computer science, engineering, and information disciplines at OIT’s campuses in Portland and Klamath Falls.  A first-of-a-kind program in Oregon, the lab gives students the hands-on experience with groundbreaking technology that will form the basis for future careers in the health professions.  Funding will be used to purchase the software and equipment necessary to administer real-life training.

Highway 217 Improvements ($475,000)
Supports preliminary engineering for a project on Highway 217, the principal north-south highway serving the commercial and employment centers in suburban Portland as well as the industrial areas of Tualatin and Wilsonville.  The targeted segment of Highway 217 is one of the busiest sections of the larger thoroughfare, with an average weekly traffic volume of 124,800 vehicles.  These funds will be used to relieve traffic congestion, which is expected to triple by the year 2025.

Newberg-Dundee Bypass ($237,500)
Supports safety and traffic flow improvements on Oregon State Highway 99W in Yamhill County.  Over the past decade, traffic on Highway 99W in downtown Newberg and Dundee has increased by 40 percent.  The goal of this funding will be to improve public safety, relieve traffic congestion, reduce air pollution, restore the "livability" of Newberg and Dundee, and facilitate economic development in the region.

Washington County Water Supply Development ($194,000)
Supports ongoing efforts to develop water resources in the Tualatin River Basin, which are essential to the region's future economic development.  Washington County's water supply is currently inadequate, and demand for water in the Tualatin River Basin, including all of urban Washington County, is expected to double by the year 2050.  This funding will help identify necessary improvements to water resource infrastructure, including the Scoggins Dam and Willamette River Treatment Plant, which will facilitate the continued economic development of Washington County and the surrounding areas.

Interstate 5 to Highway 99W Connector ($1,852,500)
Supports safety and traffic flow improvements on the Interstate 5 to Oregon State Highway 99W Connector in south Washington County.  The existing three-lane arterial road experiences extreme traffic congestion for several hours a day.  This goal of this funding is to address the needs of regional and intrastate travel and goods movement by providing a new limited-access expressway facility between I-5 and Highway 99W.

Columbia River Channel Deepening ($34,451,000)
Supports Army Corps of Engineers efforts to maintain the shipping channel between Portland and the mouth of the Columbia River.  This funding will help support the nearly 40,000 jobs that rely on the Columbia River maritime industry.  Deepening the navigation channel from 40 to 43 feet will also allow ships calling on Columbia River ports to transport more cargo, yielding transportation cost savings for Oregon industries that rely on the river to export their goods.

Portland Streetcar Loop Extension ($45,000,000)
Supports City of Portland efforts to improve public transportation in the Portland metropolitan area.  The goal of this funding will be to connect streetcar service to the east side of Portland by supporting final engineering and construction of a 3.35 mile extension of the system, connecting the Lloyd District, the Central Eastside, and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.  This project will also include the purchase of new streetcar vehicles from a U.S.-based and -owned company.

Interstate 205-Portland Mall Light Rail Extension ($81,600,000)
Supports the further development of public transportation services in the Portland metropolitan area by improving transportation in the South Corridor.  This funding will support an 8.3 mile light rail extension connecting downtown Portland with Clackamas Regional Center and points in between. 

Hillsboro/Pacific University Intermodal Transit ($1,852,500)
Supports transit-oriented development, a key strategy of Metro’s integrated land use and transportation plan, around the Pacific University Health Professions Campus, which is co-located with Tuality Community Hospital and an operating TriMet MAX light-rail station.  Planned regional growth is designed to occur in medium- to high-density, mixed-use, walkable urban centers linked by high-quality transit service.  This project is in Phase II, with funds to be used for site acquisition and preparation, walkways, a community plaza, high-capacity bus-related improvements, and streetscape and landscape improvements. 

Columbia River Crossing ($3,325,000)
Supports Oregon Department of Transportation efforts to relieve traffic congestion in the Portland/Vancouver metro region.  This funding will help improve traffic flow on Interstate 5 bridges over the Columbia River, an area that currently experiences the worst traffic congestion in the Portland/Vancouver region.

Columbia and Lower Willamette Rivers Dredging ($19,662,000)
Supports ongoing Army Corps of Engineers efforts to maintain navigation channels on the Columbia and Lower Willamette Rivers.  This funding will help ensure the safe transit of commercial and recreational vessels on regional river systems.

Astoria Public Safety Communications ($325,000)
Supports the enhancement of first responder communication in Astoria, Oregon, and provides additional benefits to police and fire agencies across Clatsop County.  The funds will establish additional radio transmitter locations; add public safety radio frequencies; add satellite and radio capabilities for internal and external communication; and create a fiber-optic link between city buildings, the county sheriff’s office, and the existing county Emergency Operations Center to allow for secure audio and video transmissions.

Sherwood Public Safety Communications ($250,000)
Supports the enhancement of first responder communication in Sherwood, Oregon, and to emergency responders across Washington County.  The funds will be used to build wireless and other infrastructure to increase the interoperability of communications in the Washington County region and supply real-time images, photos, video mapping, and other data in a timely and functional format not currently available to our emergency responders.

Wave Energy Development ($2,331,175)
Supports Oregon State University researchers to develop renewable and sustainable energy resources.  Oregon's coastline is well-suited for producing wave energy, and this funding will help OSU researchers further their efforts to develop wave energy production technology.

West Oregon Electric Cooperative Reconstruction ($475,000)
Supports the reconstruction efforts of the West Oregon Electric Cooperative, a nonprofit electric cooperative that serves Vernonia and other small communities in rural western Oregon.  WOEC's distribution substation was completely inundated during the December 2007 flood that hit the Vernonia area and resulted in a federal disaster declaration for Columbia County and many surrounding counties.  The funding will be used by WOEC to construct a distribution substation outside the floodplain, providing energy security to the region.

Geothermal Energy Production ($1,522,400)
Supports Oregon Institute of Technology researchers who are developing low-cost, environmentally friendly energy sources for the OIT campus.  Once this project is complete, OIT will be the only campus in the world to satisfy all of its electricity needs from a geothermal energy source.

Solar Energy Technology ($951,500)
Supports Oregon Department of Transportation efforts to develop solar technology to supply the more than 45 million kilowatt-hours of electricity the state's highway system consumes annually.  The initiative seeks to demonstrate the technical and financial feasibility of deploying solar technology along Oregon highways and across the nation.

Research on Bioremediation of Munitions ($111,000)
Supports Oregon State University researchers who are developing an economically and environmentally friendly method of cleaning up munitions residue in soil using plants and animals.  Current contamination on U.S. military ranges and bases will cost more than $30 billion to clean using conventional methods.  Bioremediation will reduce costs by using special grasses to absorb soil contaminants produced by explosives; the grasses are then eaten by sheep, which digest the contaminants into innocuous compounds.

Columbia River Gorge Land Acquisition ($2,000,000)
Supports continuing Forest Service efforts to conserve key areas in the Columbia River Gorge.  This funding will help protect natural resources, preserve the Gorge for future generations, and build on existing efforts to ensure that the George remains a good place to live, work, and visit.

Columbia River Community Hospital ($476,000)
Supports the transition of an urgent care center into Columbia County’s only hospital, which will provide modern diagnostic equipment and a 24-7 emergency room to meet the health needs of area residents.  The hospital will save time and lives by treating injuries and illnesses quickly, strengthen the region’s health infrastructure, and link emergency hospital services to existing emergency response and public health services.  Funds will be used for hospital planning, construction, and infrastructure.

OHSU Institute for Neuropsychiatric Diagnosis ($200,000)
Supports the creation of a new institute at Oregon Health & Science University to develop criteria for diagnosing and classifying psychiatric disorders that may underlie or result from methamphetamine abuse.  There is a high prevalence of mental illness among individuals with methamphetamine dependence, but the direct and indirect effects of meth addiction make it difficult to recognize these psychiatric disorders.  The funds will support research to design targeted treatments that will be evaluated with rigorous clinical trials.  

Washington County Drug Court ($100,000)
Supports the Washington County Drug Court, which identifies high-risk drug offenders and places them in a program of intensive court monitoring, drug treatment, and counseling.  This comprehensive, individualized approach addresses the criminal action as well as the root causes of the behavior, and can result in substantial savings to local, state, and federal government through the reduction of recidivism and jail time.

Family Justice Center ($300,000)
Supports the purchase of equipment and technology for a new Family Justice Center in Portland, Oregon, that will assist families affected by domestic violence.  The Family Justice Center is expected to increase the number of women and children receiving domestic violence services; increase the number of domestic violence perpetrators held accountable for their actions; reduce domestic-violence-related and non-domestic-violence-related crime; and reduce the number of domestic violence fatalities.  

Affordable Housing ($370,500)
Supports City of Portland efforts to construct a 210-unit project of low-income housing called "The Tamarack," which will include street-level commercial space.  The goal of this funding is to improve access to affordable housing to low-income, disabled, and homeless individuals, particularly veterans.  The project will be located on the streetcar line, providing an easy link to the VA hospital and outpatient services.

Multnomah County Elder Abuse Prosecution Project ($150,000)
Supports the expansion of Multnomah County’s Elder Abuse Protection Program to better investigate and prosecute cases involving the victimization and exploitation of the elderly.  Funds will also support community outreach, which has been shown to increase the identification of criminal acts perpetrated against the elderly, aid in the investigation of those acts, and contribute to an improved criminal justice response.  

OHSU One Sky National Resource Center for American Indian/Alaskan Native Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services ($190,000)
Supports the One Sky Center at Oregon Health & Science University in providing effective and culturally appropriate substance abuse prevention and treatment services for native populations.  The funds would provide training, technical assistance, and products to expand the capacity and quality of substance abuse prevention and treatment practitioners serving this population.  

Multnomah County Gatekeeper Project ($48,000)
Supports a project to train recent retirees from participating businesses who volunteer to identify and assist vulnerable adults.  These skilled volunteers will work within their specialized industry to build a network of trained Gatekeepers.

Research to Protect Weak Salmon Stock ($200,000)
Supports combined at-sea and laboratory research to develop ways to significantly reduce by-catch of weak salmon stocks and avoid long-term salmon fishery closures.  Combining data on the locations and times salmon samples are taken with oceanographic information could allow salmon fishing managers to reduce large-area closures by directing fishing activity onto healthy stocks and away from weak stocks.

Research on Organic Crops ($140,000)
Supports Oregon’s growing organic agricultural industry in addressing problems and enhancing market competitiveness.  Due to Oregon’s strong agricultural infrastructure and unique climate, the agricultural industry is uniquely positioned to dramatically grow its market share of organic dairy and meat, tree fruits, specialty seed, berry crops, wine grapes, and processed and fresh market vegetables, which would benefit both producers and consumers.   

Research on Small Fruit Industry ($307,000)
Supports a coordinated research program on the high-value specialty crops that yield fresh and processed berries and grapes (including wine) and make up a large component of agricultural product sales in the Pacific Northwest.  Funding supports the Northwest Center for Small Fruit Research, which is acclaimed for improving industry outcomes and supporting cooperation between industry, state, and federal research.  A portion of the funds will be awarded competitively to support on-the-ground research and extension activities that create jobs and yields valuable industry insights.

Molluscan Shellfish Industry Improvements ($253,000)
Supports Oregon State University program to improve and increase the production of Pacific oysters on the West Coast.  Research has already proven successful in increasing oyster yield; funds will continue the existing program and help identify and improve other desirable traits, such as taste, for the half-shell oyster market.

Research on Oil-Producing Plant (Meadowfoam) ($180,000)
Supports research on meadowfoam, a newer crop grown in the Pacific Northwest, with the goal of increasing the supply of renewable industrial oils.  Meadowfoam produces oil with unique chemical properties that are used by American manufacturers of personal care products, and can potentially be used for fuel additives, plastics for medical applicators, and pharmaceutical products.

Research on High-Quality, Value-Added Agricultural Products ($244,000)
Supports the production and marketing of high-quality, value-added agricultural products from the Pacific Northwest to help them compete effectively in the marketplace so that companies can create new jobs and help grow the economy.  Study results will inform food processing and food product development and help small- and medium-sized companies better meet consumer demand.

Research on Potato Industry ($1,037,000)
Supports Pacific Northwest state universities working in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to grow the potato industry by developing and commercializing new potato varieties, as well as other potato industry projects.  Funds used in the northwest will help identify varieties that have a high yield, improved nutritional value, and a higher level of resistance to stresses.  These improved varieties also provide environmental benefits by reducing the use of pesticides, water, and fertilizers.

Research on Environmental and Economic Agricultural Problems ($444,000)
Supports a research and extension partnership that addresses production and environmental issues in Pacific Northwest agriculture.  Funds will help build on previous accomplishments to determine the impact of farming practices on soil, water, and air quality; facilitate the production of biofuels; increase carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gasses; and accelerate the adoption of profitable conservation farming systems, among other environmentally focused goals.

Grass Seed Cropping Industry Sustainability ($313,000)
Supports Pacific Northwest grass seed production industry in overcoming critical environmental and economic challenges.  Since the recent introduction of limits and bans on burning harvested grass seed fields, diseases and pests have caused harvest yields to decrease and straw removal costs to increase; funds will support research to maintain a sustainable grass seed cropping industry.