Senators: Montana slated to receive more than $77 mil.

Baucus, Tester Say Funds Will Go To Water Projects, Roads, Hospitals, Agriculture, And  More

(WASHINGTON D.C.) Montana's U.S. Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester announced today that Montana is in line to receive more than $77 million in an upcoming appropriations bill.

The FY2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill will combine several spending bills that were not completed last year. The bill will bring millions of dollars in funding to Montana for projects ranging from highway construction to wastewater treatment to housing assistance. 

"Jon and I were proud to help secure these dollars because they will help build roads, protect Montana’s great outdoors, provide better health care and keep the public safe," said Baucus. "But most importantly, these dollars will create and protect jobs, and that is our top priority: to keep our economy moving forward."

"There are dozens of worthy Montana projects that will receive much needed and much deserved funds in this bill," said Tester, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. "Working with Max, we were able to make sure this bill will create good jobs now in Montana, and take the next step toward rebuilding the economy from the ground up for the long haul."

The bill will be voted on in the House of Representatives this week, and then be voted on in the Senate early next week. The bill is expected to pass both the House and the Senate.

Montana projects funded by this bill include:

Agriculture –

• MSU Animal Bioscience Facility – $2,192,000
• Greater Yellowstone Interagency Brucellosis Committee – $650,000
• Tri-State Predator Control – $926,000
• Barley for Rural Development – $514,000
• Brucellosis Vaccine – $305,000
• Montana Sheep Institute – $254,000
• Sustainable Beef Supply – $682,000
• Appropriate Technology Transfer to Rural Areas – National Center for Appropriate Technology – $2,582,000

Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies –

• Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation for a 911 call center – $100,000
• City of Billings for Police Equipment – $269,000
• City of Kalispell for a Public Safety Training Center – $750,000
• City of Missoula for a new Police Headquarters – $300,000
• Gallatin County for a new 911 Center – $500,000
• Missoula County for a Public Safety and Operations Training Center – $750,000
• Montana Meth Project – $1,000,000
• Fort Belknap for additional staff, updated electronic data systems, equipment and training to ensure quality judicial services in the tribal court- $300,000
• Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association for the Montana Offender Notification Tracking System – $200,000
• MSU-Billings Academic Development at the Montana Women’s Prison – $350,000
• Rocky Boy's for juvenile detention facility – $250,000
• UM – Safe Schools program to provide teacher training, curriculum development, and awareness initiatives to prevent school violence – $400,000
• Great Falls Police Department for a Regional Firearms Training Facility – $282,000
• Montana State University for a collaborative distance science and technology education program (Tester only) $200,000
• Last Best Place bill language: SEC. 105. "Hereafter, notwithstanding any other provision of law, no funds appropriated under this Act or any other Act shall be used to register, issue, transfer, or enforce any trademark of the phrase 'Last Best Place'."

Energy and Water Development –

• Corps of Engineers for work on Yellowstone River Corridor – $430,000
• Corps of Engineers for Fort Peck Cabin Conveyances – $1,500,000
• Corps of Engineers, for construction on the following projects – $4,785,000
• • County Water District of Billings Heights, Phase II Upgrade
  • Seeley Lake Water System Upgrade
  • Gildford Wastewater System Improvements
  • Daly Ditches Water
  • City of Shelby, Wastewater System Improvements
  • Muddy Cluster Water Line
  • Manhattan Water Project
  • Ten Mile Estates/Pleasant Valley Wastewater Improvements
  • Town of Stevensville Water Improvement Project
  • Eureka Water Expansion
  • City of Troy, Water Project Phase II
  • Fort Belknap Water Treatment Plant
  • Crow Agency Wastewater Collection System Improvement Project
  • Columbia Falls Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements
  • City of Hamilton, Wastewater Facility Critical Upgrades
  • Bigfork County Water and Sewer District Wastewater Treatment Facilities Improvements
  • Bozeman Water Reclamation Facility Reconstruction
  • City of Helena, Missouri River Water Treatment Plant Reconstruction
  • City of Butte, Big Hole Drinking Water Supply Diversion Dam Replacement
  • City of Billings, Water Treatment Plant Improvements
  • Greater Woods Bay Wastewater Collection System
  • Homestead Acres Water and Sewer Well Acquisition
  • Manhattan Water Improvements
  • Great Falls Upper/Lower River Road Water and Sewer District Improvements
  • Judith Gap Wastewater Improvements
  • Loma County Water district Improvement Project
  • Carter County Water District Improvement Project

• Bureau of Reclamation for the Fort Peck-Dry Prairie Rural Water System – $10,000,000
• Bureau of Reclamation for the Rocky Boy's/North Central Montana Regional Water System – $7,000,000
• Bureau of Reclamation for the St. Mary’s Diversion and Conveyance Works Rehabilitation – $500,000
• Department of Energy for the MSU Center for Zero Emissions Research and Technology program – $5,709,000
• Department of Energy for Non-Defense Environmental Cleanup by the Western Environmental Technology Office (WETO) – $1,903,000       

Financial Services-

• Montana Dept of Commerce for the technical assistance and operating expenses of the Native American and WIRED program – $494,000
• Montana State University's Manufacturing Extension Center – $100,000
• Montana World Trade Center – $300,000
• Technology Venture Center at Montana State University- $100,000

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies –

• Environmental Protection Agency State and Tribal Assistance Grant – City of Hamilton, Wasterwater Treatment Plant Upgrades, Phase I – $500,000
• Environmental Protection Agency State and Tribal Assistance Grant – City of Helena for water treatment and plant reconstruction – $300,000
• Environmental Protection Agency State and Tribal Assistance Grant – Crow Tribe in Crow Agency for a wastewater lagoon replacement – $300,000
• US Forest Service Land Acquisition, North Swan River Valley, MT – $2,000,000
• US Forest Service Land Acquisition, Gallatin National Forest, MT – $4,000,000
• Bureau of Land Management Land Acquisition, Meeteetse Spires – $1,000,000
• Fish and Wildlife Service Land Acquisition, Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Area – $1,000,000 
• National Park Service Save America's Treasures – Historic Havre US Post Office and Federal Courthouse – $100,000
• Small Public Water System Technology Assistance Centers (to be split evenly among 8 existing centers nationwide, one of which is at MSU) – $2,000,000

Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies-

• Glacier County Schools in Browning – $381,000
• Libby School District – $381,000
• Salish Kootenai College, Pablo, for curriculum development – $238,000
• UM to establish the Institute for Leadership and Public Service – $238,000
• Beartooth Hospital center for facilities and equipment – $333,000
• Benefis Hospital for HIT (Baucus only) – $143,000
• Benefis Hospital for facilities and equipment – $761,000
• Billings Clinic for facilities and equipment – $285,000
• Center for Asbestos Related Disease (CARD) Clinic in Libby – $190,000
• Community Medical Center in Missoula for facilities and equipment – $476,000
• Healthshare Montana health information technology expansion project – $714,000
• Miles Community College for their Healthcare Education program – $95,000
• North Valley Hospital Foundation for facilities and equipment – $404,000
• Roundup Memorial Healthcare-Clinic for facilities and equipment – $333,000
• Sidney Health Center for facilities and equipment – $95,000
• St Patrick's Hospital in Missoula for facilities and equipment – $285,000
• St. Vincent's in Billings for facilities and equipment – $95,000
• St. Vincent's in Billings for the Montana Pediatric Project – $143,000
• Montana AFL-CIO for workforce development and training activities- $190,000

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies –

• MT Secondary 323 from Ekalaka to Alzada – $2,850,000
• Highway 93 bypass in Kalispell – $2,850,000
• Livingston Railroad Undercrossing – $332,500
• Shiloh Road in Billings – $4,750,000
• Big Sky Economic Development Authority in Billings for East Billings Redevelopment – $308,750
• Chippewa Cree Tribe for transportation and rehab of Malmstrom Housing Units – $712,500
• City of Billings for environmental remediation at the old Naval Reserve Center – $475,000
• ExplorationWorks project in Helena – $950,000
• Great Falls Development Authority for Black Eagle Road Infrastructure – $950,000
• Sunlight Business Park in Whitehall – $142,500
• North Missoula Community Development Corporation for the Burns Street Square project – $950,000
• Paratransit System Bus Replacement in Billings – $247,700
• Poverello Center in Missoula – $285,000
• Billings Public Bus and Medical Transfer Facility is an Federal Transit Administration priority consideration for any unobligated Bus and Bus Facility funding
• Funding provided in the FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act for the "Bridge Over Broadway" project may be used for a pedestrian friendly at-grade crossing.