Advanced Digital Hydraulic Hybrid Drive Systems
$4 million from the Army RDT&E account

This request is to continue funding for Advanced Digital Hydraulic Hybrid Drive Systems in the FY09 Defense Appropriations bill.  The objective of this project is to develop and demonstrate a hybrid hydraulic drive system on military 4x4 vehicles. This compact drive system will enable vehicles to be operated more safely and effectively on even the harshest terrains, and also save a substantial amount of fuel. Having seen firsthand the challenges vehicles currently face with respect to immobilization, roll-over or forced-slow speeds due to weight, the value of such a system is very apparent. The additional weight of important armor results in increased problems with maneuverability, so the reduced weight of the new hybrid system. In addition to reducing the weight of the drive system, this project will also increase fuel efficiency by roughly 60%.  The increased fuel efficiency will provide clear logistical benefits by increasing vehicle range and decreasing vehicle re-fueling requirements. This is not at the expense of vehicle performance, however, as the reduced weight will actually add to vehicle traction and performance. This year’s funding will go to Phase III of the project, which will provide a prototype retrofit kit for demonstration on a vehicle.

Aerospace Fuel Cell Development
$1 million from the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Account

Parker Hannifin is developing an aerospace fuel cell emergency power system for commercial and military aircraft. The fuel cell to be developed would replace the ram air turbine which is the existing emergency power generation technology on all commercial and military aircraft. The fuel cell to be developed by Parker will address and correct the ram air turbine’s disadvantages. First, it will be much lighter than the ram air turbine, reducing overall aircraft weight and fuel usage. Second, while the ram air turbine will require monthly maintenance, it will be considerably less costly to maintain. Third, the ram air turbine will be deployable instantaneously, providing immediate power to an aircraft in need. This project will make airplanes lighter, safer and more fuel efficient. Work will be done at the Parker facility in Kalamazoo, adding high-paying jobs to the district.

Allegan County Facility Improvement and Bus Replacements
$382,400 from the FTA Bus and Bus Facilities Account

Allegan County Transportation is seeking to replace eight vehicles, six busses and two ADA vans, that are eligible for replacement. Dollars spent on public transit in Michigan are put back into our communities. We need investment into the transit program that acknowledges and rewards such activities as keeping people healthy and avoiding emergencies, helping seniors stay out of institutions and remaining independent, connecting employers with employees, lowering harmful carbon emissions, mitigating congestion and more.

Benton Harbor Workforce Development Project
$1.3 million from the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration Account

Michigan Works, a state-supported job recruitment and training organization, is starting a job-training program designed to work in tandem with the upcoming $500 million Harbor Shores mixed-use economic development project being undertaken by Benton Harbor. The basic workforce transformation program, which would be funded by the monies requested here, includes at least three core elements: basic skills training, including workforce literacy remediation; skills training for in-demand, high-growth occupations; and transitional job services. All activities will be based on proven programs administered by workforce training professionals as part of the region’s existing and ongoing workforce development activities. All programs will be designed to reduce the unemployment rate, increase the local labor participation rate, increase job readiness, place people into jobs, and increase per capita income. Benton Harbor, Michigan is the poorest city in one of the most economically challenged States in America. The magnitude of Benton Harbor’s problems is stunning – a workforce with an average 6th grade literacy level and an 80% high school dropout rate by young males. In Benton Harbor 42% of the available workers are out of the workforce, a fact exacerbated by the lack of basic skills needed to maintain employment which has only served as a barrier to attract new employers into the area. The new $500 million project will attract thousands of jobs, and this workforce development project will ensure that the local potential workforce is well-trained and well-equipped to take them. This project is a continuation of a project funded in the FY09 Appropriations Omnibus Bill.

Borgess Health System Electronic Health Records Computerized Provider Order Entry
$3.3 million from the Department of Health and Human Services HRSA Facilities and Grants Account

The Electronic Health Record (EHR) system will be implemented across Borgess Health, including 3 hospitals and 21 Ambulatory Care facilities located in Kalamazoo, MI and the surrounding Southwest Michigan area. The CPOE project, a smaller component of this project, provides evidence-based order sets to clinicians through the EHR. These types of systems have documented evidence of improving overall care by encouraging physicians to treat according to evidence-based clinical research, providing alerts and reminders throughout the care process, ensuring that clinical documentation is legible and available to all caregivers, and providing clear treatment history for the patient that can be accessed at any future encounter. The broader EHR program will enable all care givers to access a patient’s consolidated medical record from any Borgess Health and Borgess Ambulatory Care location including acute care facilities, urgent care centers, physician offices, ambulatory centers, and home care professionals. Electronic medical records was a priority of the Bush Administration and is a continuing priority of the current Administration. Implementation of Borgess Health’s planned EHR project will help the hospital system to meet national goals for implementation of health information technology.

Kalamazoo Community Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services Nursing Distance Learning Initiative

$400,000 from the Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Education Southwest Michigan is a medically underserved area, with a shortage of nurses, and a particularly acute shortage of nurses with advanced training to meet community mental health needs. The Kalamazoo Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Nursing Distance Learning proposal promises to be an innovative and successful way to address this pressing need. The Kalamazoo Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services agency will partner with Wayne State University’s School of Nursing, the only nursing school in Michigan offering an Advanced Psychiatric and Community Public Health Nurse Practitioner degree program, to bring the opportunity through the use of distance learning technology for nurses in Kalamazoo and surrounding communities to participate in this three-year program right in their home communities, rather than have to travel all the way across the State to Detroit. The plan would provide scholarships to local nurses who wish to participate in exchange for a commitment to remain in and serve their Southwest Michigan communities. This project is a continuation of a project funded in the FY09 Appropriations Omnibus bill.

Kalamazoo Valley Community College Wind Technician Academy
$2.5 million from the Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Education

KVCC Wind Energy Center will launch a Wind Turbine Technician Academy in the fall of 2009. The competency based program will provide graduates with multi craft credentials which are highly sought after by the wind power industry for the construction, operation and maintenance of utility size wind turbines. The training uses established curriculum based on globally recognized BZEE utility grade turbine technician standards. The KVCC program will be the first BZEE certification program in the US, and will include training on a decommissioned utility grade turbine in a lab at KVCC. The Wind Turbine Technician Academy can be completed in less than 6 months, making the program viable for retraining of workers and for the training of the next generation workforce. The Wind Turbine Technician Academy will consist of three integrated segments: Pre-Employment Electrical Apprenticeship, Wind Turbine Technology Education, and Field Experience. Michigan ranks 14th in terms of wind energy potential, but is currently well behind other states in terms of installed wind generating capacity. The Academy will promote Michigan’s potential through their ability to produce highly qualified workers in 6 months and through their plan to create an advisory panel made up of national wind energy employers.

Lake Michigan College Energy Job Training Program
$1.2 million from the Fund for Improvement of Post Secondary Education

This funding will go toward equipment purchases and curriculum development for an energy production job training program at Lake Michigan College. According to Nuclear Energy Institute research, the nuclear power production industry and their community college partners need to establish forty-four new programs for training non-licensed operators, twelve for radiation protection technicians, and sixty-five to train maintenance workers. To address the projected shortage of energy industry professionals for the region it serves, Lake Michigan College, in collaboration with D.C. Cook Nuclear Plant in Bridgman and Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Covert, has developed the Energy Production Technology degree to give local residents the opportunity to prepare for one of these high-skill, high-wage jobs. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, about thirty percent of the nuclear energy workforce will retire within the next five years. Locally, that percentage is as high as 35%. Consumers Energy, over the next five years, expects 120 - 130 retirements among generating plant operations and maintenance personnel. That translates into over four hundred anticipated job openings in this region in just the next few years. This project will help train a local workforce to fill those openings.

New Buffalo Federal Channel O&M Dredging
$500,000 from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Operations and Maintenance Account

This request is to secure funds for the dredging of the Federal Channel in New Buffalo Harbor, from the Whittaker Street Bridge to Lake Michigan. The floodwaters from the September 14, 2008 storm event discharged an immense amount of sediment into the federal channel which has restricted the access to Lake Michigan. The project would dredge the federal channel to remove the shoals (much worse then what normal dredging handles) which prevent boats from accessing Lake Michigan. Dredged material would be used to supplement a beach nourishment area established by the ACOE. The federal channel serves boat traffic for the south Lake Michigan area, including residents of Chicagoland and Northern Indiana. New Buffalo is a boating community with an economy that relies entirely on its harbor’s access to Lake Michigan via the Galien River. Without the dredging, the City and surrounding area will see a significant decline in tourism and related jobs. This project is authorized through the River and Harbor Act of 1962.

St. Joseph Harbor O&M Dredging
$3.5 million from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Operations and Maintenance Account

This request is for securing funds for dredging both the inner and outer harbor of St. Joseph, Michigan, as well as performing much-needed structural repairs. The inner harbor is a key port for raw materials such as limestone, sand and gravel for state highways. Road and building construction projects in the area receive a majority of their aggregate materials through the three commercial docks located in this harbor. Additionally, it is a major hub for recreational boaters, with over 1,600 boat slips. This project has been authorized through many WRDA acts, is vital to the economic viability of Southwest Michigan, and has the support of the entire community.

The St. Joseph Harbor is an integral cog in the region's economic engine. A recent study by Purdue University gauged the harbor's economic impact at more than $5.5 million dollars more than 35 local jobs. The St. Joseph Harbor is among the top 50 in commercial activity among Great Lakes Harbors.

Western Michigan University Green Manufacturing and Energy Conscious Design Program
$3 million from the Department of Energy’s Office of Science Biological and Educational Research Account

This project will assist companies (small companies in particular) to take advantage of environmentally benign and energy conscious materials in their design and manufacturing processes. The proposal is a collaborative project involving WMU College of Engineering, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, industry partners and community participants and seeks to enhance economic and workforce development and technology transfer through the advancement and use of environmentally friendly materials, designs, products and manufacturing processes and systems. Building upon the already successful manufacturing, environment and energy research centers and programs at WMU.

Apple Fire Blight Research
$500,000 from the Department of Agriculture research Budget

Fire Blight is a major threat to Michigan’s apple trees and has reduced apple acreage in Michigan by an astounding 24%. Michigan and New York researchers are taking aggressive measures against fire blight including development of blight-resistant varieties and new, environmentally responsible control strategies. This disease has had a devastating impact on apple growers in my district. Finding ways to control and curb fire blight is of critical importance to apple growers in my district and elsewhere. This research is very promising, and its results will help apple growers significantly increase their yields.

Phytophora Research
$500,000 from the Department of Agriculture Research Budget

Researchers at Michigan State University are leaders in the fight to control Phytophthora capsici, a fungal-like pathogen that lives in the soil and causes numerous plants to rot. Phytophthora management has been complicated by its longevity in soils (10 or more years), its ability to spread in water, its resistance to a key fungicides and lack of disease resistant varieties. Michigan State University has developed new techniques for control and resistant varieties. However, losses caused by Phytophthora have become so large throughout the nation in recent years that the economic viability of the vegetable industries in many states is at risk, and more research is necessary. Since 1996, researchers have leveraged private, state and federal funds to significantly advance disease management.

University of Michigan Cancer Center, Center for the Genetic Origins of Cancer
$5.8 million from the Army RDT&E account

I am supporting Rep. John Dingell’s request for funding for the University of Michigan’s Center for the Genetic Origins of Cancer. The goal of the Center for Genetic Origins of Cancer is to accelerate the discovery of molecular signatures of cancers and rapidly develop personalized treatments for cancer patients. This initiative’s purpose is to deliver the right treatment, to the right patient at the right time. Specifically, the funding will be going to three things integrative oncogenomics, which would identify novel gene fusions in tumors of the breast, prostate, lung, and colon; unique animal models, which would use recent breakthroughs in gene fusion research in animals to mimic tumors in humans; and lastly, to study the functional genomics of cancer stem cells, which are believed to be the cells that actually start the growth of tumors. This is very exciting research, and it could very soon benefit thousands of my constituents, and millions of folks across the country.