Omnibus package includes funding for projects throughout the state including major water projects

March 11, 2009

Washington, D.C. – Communities throughout rural Nevada will receive millions of dollars in federal funding through the work of Nevada Senator Harry Reid in passing Tuesday the omnibus appropriations bill.
 
More than $29 million will go to water-related projects alone, by far the largest amount dedicated to one issue for rural Nevada in this legislation. It will be used for projects to improve rural water infrastructure and water quality, as well as storm water treatment and protection and restoration work at Lake Tahoe and Walker Lake.
 
Jobs throughout Nevada will be created through the coming clean energy revolution and Senator Reid secured more than $2 million to spur its development. This funding is in addition to billions of dollars in renewable energy funding Reid acquired through the economic recovery package.  Reid also recently introduced legislation to overhaul how renewable energy is transmitted and delivered in our country.
 
“Protecting and properly managing our water is of utmost importance to me, which is why I funded these important projects throughout rural Nevada,” Reid said. “While our water resources are not limitless, our clean energy potential is, and I believe we are going to create thousands of good-paying jobs that cannot be outsourced through both clean energy and energy efficiency.”
 
Among notable projects for rural Nevada in the bill are:

• $18,000,000 for Rural Nevada water infrastructure and water quality projects
• $2,612,500 for the Nevada Department of Transportation to widen SR-160 Blue Diamond Highway to Pahrump (With Sen. Ensign)
• $2,500,000 for Truckee Canal Reconstruction to perform a comprehensive analysis on repairs to the canal or other options. The canal was breached last year, causing extensive flooding and damage in Fernley.
• $608,000 for the City of Wells to provide assistance after their earthquake last year.  Funds will help pay for downtown redevelopment.
• $571,000 for the Access to Healthcare Network, a comprehensive network of hospitals, clinics, primary and specialty care physicians, and ancillary health care professionals offering their services to uninsured Nevadans at vastly reduced rates. AHN has successfully implemented a program to assist the needs of the uninsured and underinsured in Washoe County and these funds would allow AHN to expand its program to address the needs of the uninsured and underinsured in a number of rural communities in Nevada.

Below is a list of projects requested that affect rural Nevada by Senator Reid for FY09:

Agriculture

$376,000 for the University of Nevada, Reno for the Nevada Arid Rangeland Program (With Sen. Ensign)
 
$275,000 for the University of Nevada, Reno research initiative on Western crops and livestock through the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI)
 
$211,000 for the University of Nevada, Reno for the Great Basin Environmental Initiative
 
$269,000 for Carson City Erosion Control as the City continues its rehabilitation of land destroyed by the Waterfall Fire of 2004
 
$235,000 for the Nevada Department of Agriculture for the Cooperative Weed Management Program to fight invasive weeds
 
Funding for Nevada Dairy Producers through the national Dairy Indemnity Program.  This funding will help compensate farmers in the Lahontan Valley for milk that was contaminated by toxins in well-water.
 
 
Commerce, Justice, Science

$600,000 to the Boulder City Police Department for a Regional Law Enforcement Training Facility
 
$400,000 for the Carson City Anti-Meth Initiative to combat meth and related drug crimes in Northern Nevada.  (With Sen. Ensign) Last year, Senators Reid and Ensign secured $312,550 for this effort.
 
$300,000 for the law enforcement equipment for the City of Fernley. (With Sen. Ensign)
 
 
Energy and Water Development

Energy Projects

$682,778 for the Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy for advanced work on assessment and development of geothermal energy, and for workforce training.
 
$475,750 for the Department of Energy to perform renewable energy planning at the Nevada Test Site.
 
$1,066,841 for the Desert Research Institute’s Nevada Water Resources Data, Modeling and Visualization Center to conduct research on Nevada’s water resources.
 
$713,625 for the Desert Research Institute to demonstrate the feasibility of producing algal-based biodiesel using carbon dioxide emissions as a feedstock
 
$475,750 for the Nevada Institute for Renewable Energy Commercialization to accelerate bringing renewable energy research and technologies to the marketplace.
 
Water Projects

$4,780,000 for the Truckee Meadows Flood Control Project, which will provide flood damage reduction, ecosystem restoration and recreation along the Truckee River.
 
$2,500,000 for Truckee Canal Reconstruction to perform an analysis to determine the extent of rehabilitation needed.
 
$500,000 for coordination of Lake Tahoe restoration activities.
 
$3,000,000 for Lake Tahoe restoration, including urban storm water treatment, environmental research and water resource protection.
 
$18,000,000 for Rural Nevada water infrastructure and water quality projects.
 
$300,000 for the Desert Research Institute to utilize Light Detection and Ranging technology to supplement water rights research for the Walker River Basin.
 
$300,000 for the US Fish and Wildlife Service to assess and monitor habitats in west central Nevada lakes.
 
$92,000 for Lake Tahoe regional wetlands development and restoration.
 
 
Financial Services Appropriations

$608,000 for the City of Wells, Nevada to provide assistance after their earthquake last year.  Funds will help pay for downtown redevelopment.
 
 
Interior Appropriations

$1,500,000 for the California Trail Interpretive Center through the Bureau of Land Management in Elko, Nevada.
 
$650,000 for a mineral assessment of northern Nye County conducted jointly by UNLV, NV Bureau of Mines and Geology and the US Geological Survey.  
 
$150,000 to restore St. Augustine’s church, in the Austin Historical District, through the Save America’s Treasure’s program.
 
$250,000 to continue Lahontan Cutthroat Trout restoration and habitat work in the Lake Tahoe Basin and the Truckee, Carson, and Walker River Basins.
 
$263,000 for the Western Shoshone Claims Distribution Act Implementation to hire staff and distribute the $160 million settlement fund.
 
$500,000 for the Third Water Intake at Lake Mead, to protect Boulder City and Southern Nevada's access to this vital water source.  
 
$300,000 for the City of Goldfield to improve their wastewater treatment facility.
 
$300,000 for improvements to and maintenance of the Reno-to-Tahoe Trail  
 
 
Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations

Health

$571,000 for the Access to Healthcare Network, a comprehensive network of hospitals, clinics, primary and specialty care physicians, and ancillary health care professionals offering their services to uninsured Nevadans at vastly reduced rates.  AHN has successfully implemented a program to assist the needs of the uninsured and underinsured in Washoe County, NV and these funds would allow AHN to expand its program to address the needs of the uninsured and underinsured in a number of rural communities in Nevada.
 
$571,000 for the Boulder City Hospital to support the construction of a new, updated, higher capacity emergency department that would improve both access and quality of emergency care in the area.
 
$381,000 for the Nevada Cancer Institute to fund NVCI’s Hope Coach “mammovan” that provides cancer screening services to women living in rural and frontier communities where access to health care is limited.
 
$571,000 for the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute in Las Vegas to purchase equipment for a pilot program dedicated to detecting and assisting with mental health problems in the rural elderly via tele-health technologies.  (Joint with Sen. Ensign)
 
 
Education

$618,000 for the Elko County School District for technology upgrades to enhance distance education capabilities.
 
$285,000 for Nevada State College for distance education teacher preparation programs targeted toward Nevada’s rural counties.
 
$143,000 for the Nye County School District to expand career and technical education programs.
 
$24,000 for the Lincoln County School District to expand early education services for low-income students.
 
$95,000 for the Western Folklife Center in Elko to provide cultural and educational programming for rural communities in Nevada.
 
 
Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations

Southern NV Transportation

$2,612,500 for the Nevada Department of Transportation to widen SR-160 Blue Diamond Highway to Pahrump (With Sen. Ensign)
 
$855,000 for the Boulder City Bypass Improvements in Boulder City
 
$475,000 for the I-15 Sloan to Apex Interchange in Southern Nevada
 
Northern NV Transportation

$475,000 for Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization for Lake Tahoe Bus Facilities
 
$475,000 for the City of Carson City for additional construction on the V&T Railroad
 
Statewide Transportation

$1,425,000 for the Nevada Department of Transportation for Statewide Bus Facilities (With Sen. Ensign)
 
Housing Projects

$190,000 for Nye County for the Amargosa Valley Community Center