Senator Thad Cochran issued the following press release:
COCHRAN OUTLINES FY2016 OMNIBUS FUNDING HIGHLIGHTS FOR MISSISSIPPI
Appropriations Bill Promotes State’s National Defense Role, Economic Development
WASHINGTON,
D.C. – U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) today highlighted provisions
in a FY2016 omnibus appropriations bill that will benefit Mississippi
and its role in supporting the nation’s security.
The
Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 combines the 12 annual
appropriations bills to fund government programs through September
2016. The
Senate passed the measure on a 65 to 32 vote, and the legislation now
goes to the White House for review.
Cochran,
as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, played a pivotal
role in the development of this legislation, following his successful
shepherding of all 12 appropriations bills through the Senate committee
markup process—a first since 2009.
“This
legislation funds our national security needs, makes thoughtful
investments in infrastructure, and promotes innovation that will grow
our
economy,” Cochran said.
“I look forward to an improved appropriations process next year.”
Items
of interest to the Jackson area and southwest Mississippi are included
in the appropriations bills included in the omnibus measure, including
increased funding to support high performance computing at the Army
Corps of Engineers’ Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in
Vicksburg, flood control and port improvements, and high-tech
manufacturing that support national defense. It also continues
investments in Mississippi’s universities, including Jackson State
University.
“I’m
pleased the omnibus bill supports projects that benefit the economy and
wellbeing of the Mississippi,” Cochran said. “This bill reflects the
many activities in Mississippi that contribute to the safety and
security of our nation. It also supports those programs and projects
that help improve our state, whether through flood control, economic
development, or education.”
The
bill will provide the highest level of funding since 2011 to the Army
Corps of Engineers for the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project
(MR&T),
with new funding designated specifically for flood control improvement
on hundreds of miles of levees and dredging that will support commerce
at Mississippi’s inland ports. The bill provides $345 million for the
MR&T, $120 million above the President’s budget
request.
The bill includes $222 million, $45 million above the President’s
budget, for the Department of Defense’s high performance computing
modernization program headquartered
at ERDC and with a Navy footprint at Stennis Space Center. Army Corps
of Engineers research and development will receive $22 million in
FY2016, with a majority of this work expected to be conducted at ERDC.
Cochran
supported a $25 million appropriation for the Delta Regional Authority
(DRA) in FY2016 to continue to promote economic and community
development
in the Mississippi Delta region. Within this funding, not less than
$10 million is set aside for flood control, infrastructure development
and transportation improvements to help address the basic needs of rural
and underserved communities in Mississippi.
The bill also provides $146 million for the Appalachian Regional
Commission.
Mississippi’s
senior U.S. Senator also secured $8 million within the National Park
Service (NPS) Historic Preservation Fund to focus greater federal
efforts to document, interpret, and preserve sites and stories
associated with the Civil Rights Movement, many of which are in
Mississippi, that have yet to be adequately addressed. The Mississippi
Delta is also one of three National Heritage Areas that will
benefit from the $19.8 million provided for the NPS Heritage
Partnership Program.
In
a bid to try to ensure better use of federal taxpayer funding and
provide ratepayer relief for South Mississippi, Cochran secured approval
for
a provision in the omnibus to allow Department of Energy demonstration
funding to be used to support the clean coal power plant in Kemper
County.
The
provision would redirect as much as $160 million from failing
alternative energy projects to Clean Coal Power Initiative Demonstration
Projects
that are more likely to be successful. The Kemper County power plant
is a project that would be eligible to receive reallocated funding.
This transfer could mitigate the financial burden on Mississippi
ratepayers and industry, who are otherwise paying for
research and development that will benefit the entire nation.
The following is a review of some of the funding and policy highlights
from the 12 appropriations bills included in the omnibus for
Mississippi:
AGRICULTURE
Farm Service Agency (FSA): A provision is included prohibiting the FSA from closing county
offices.
ARS Forest Products Research: $3.5 million in ARS funding to support forest products research,
a field in which Mississippi State University is a national leader.
Food Safety and Inspection Service:
$1.014 billion for food safety and inspection programs.
An increase of $2.5 million is provided to continue implementation of
the new Catfish Inspection Program. The USDA final rule implementing
the Catfish Inspection Program was published in November of this year.
Natural Products Research:
$1.8 million in Food and Drug Administration funding for dietary
supplements research. The National Center for Natural Product Research
Center for Excellence at the University of Mississippi is the only
center in the nation capable of adequately conducting this research.
Conservation Operations:
$5 million for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service,
working in cooperation with local soil and conservation districts, to
install watershed improvement measures to reduce flood, sedimentation,
and erosion damage on approximately 8.6 million authorized acres in the
Yazoo and Little Tallahatchie River watersheds.
Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program: $364.3 million for water and waste disposal
grants, which provides
funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage
disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage to
households
and businesses in eligible rural areas.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE
Fisheries Management:
A provision is included to extend the state seaward fishery boundaries
for fisheries management in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana from
three miles to nine miles. This would give these states greater
influence in regulating Gulf state fisheries. Currently, only Texas and
Florida enjoy nine-mile limits, and this provision
would ensure parity among all Gulf Coast states.
Space Launch System:
$1.9
billion for the Space Launch System, which would allow the program to
maintain its schedule to launch in the near future. Main engine testing
for the Space Launch System are
ongoing at the A-1 test stand and eventually will utilize the
refurbished B-2 test stand at the Stennis Space Center.
Drug Courts:
$41 million in Department of Justice funding for grants to
support the administration of state and local drug court systems.
Mississippi has 51 drug courts that could potentially benefit from this
funding.
DEFENSE
155th Armored Brigade Combat Team:
Full
funding is included for an Army National Guard end strength of 342,000
soldiers, which will ensure the Mississippi’s 155th Armored Brigade
Combat Team is not divested in FY2016.
Hurricane Hunters: Language is included to ensure that the U.S. Air Force does not retire
or divest the C-130 Hurricane Hunter fleet based at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi.
Navy Shipbuilding:
$18.7 billion for Navy shipbuilding programs, an increase of $2.1
billion
over the President’s budget request. Highlights include: two DDG-51
destroyers, three Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), two Virginia class
submarines, one Joint High Speed Vessel, one T-AO Fleet Replenishment
Oiler, and full funding for the LPD 28 amphibious transport
dock, which will be built in Pascagoula. Cochran supported $1 billion
in additional funds in FY2015, which set the stage for full funding of
LPD 28 in FY2016.
The
bill includes $477 million in advanced procurement, $199 million above
the President’s budget request, for the construction of the LHA-8
amphibious assault ship. In
addition, $250 million is provided for advanced procurement was
approved to accelerate delivery of the LX(R) class warship. The Navy
and U.S. Marine Corps last year signed a memorandum of understanding to
base the LX(R) design on the existing San Antonio-class
LPD amphibious warship built at Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula.
Advanced procurement was also secured for one T-ATS(X) Fleet Tug and the
Landing Craft Utility (LCU) replacement program.
AESA Radars for F-15s and F-16s:
$634 million, $170 million above the President’s budget,
for upgrading F-15 aircraft with the Active Electronically Scanned
Array (AESA) radar systems built in Forest. An additional $40 million
is provided for F-16 AESA radar improvements.
Next-Gen Jammer:
$401 million in development funds for the Navy’s Next Generation
Jammer,
which is an Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) system needed to meet
current and emerging Electronic Warfare gaps. This AEA pod will replace
the ageing ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming system and will be integrated into
the EA-18G Growler Aircraft and could be built
in Forest.
High Performance Computing Modernization:
$222 million, $45 million above the President’s
budget, for the Department of Defense’s high performance computing
modernization program headquartered at the Engineer Research and
Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg and with a Navy footprint at
Stennis Space Center. This program provides the Department
with cutting edge modeling capabilities that accelerate new technology
development, saving lives and money.
Regional Counterdrug Training Academy:
$192.9 million, $130 million above the President’s
budget, for the National Guard Counter-Drug Program and the National
Guard Counterdrug Schools. This funding would support the Regional
Counterdrug Training Academy (RCTA) at Naval Air Station Meridian
through a newly created funding line dedicated to National
Guard Training Centers.
Lakota Light Utility Helicopters: $187 million for 28 Army UH-72 Lakota Light Utility Helicopter
aircraft built in Columbus at Golden Triangle Regional Airport.
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT
Mississippi River and Tributaries Project (MR&T): $345 million for
the MR&T project, which is $120 million above the President’s
FY2016 budget request and the highest level of funding for MR&T
since the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act in 2011. Of this additional
funding:
·
$72
million is set aside for flood control to ensure the integrity of
hundreds of miles of levees and advance construction on important
features
such as the Delta Headwaters and Upper Yazoo Projects.
·
$8
million is set aside for dredging to sustain the flow of commerce in
and out of Mississippi’s inland ports, which sustain thousands of jobs
and remain critical to the state and national economy.
·
$40
million is set aside for other authorized purposes to assist the Corps
of Engineers in carrying out other important functions under federal
responsibility, including operation and maintenance of the Jesse Brent
Lower Mississippi River Museum in Vicksburg and management of mitigation
lands that serve as popular Wildlife Management Areas.
Environmental Infrastructure Funding:
$55 million for water and wastewater infrastructure
projects nationwide, the highest level since FY2011. Environmental
Infrastructure funding was not requested in the President’s FY2016
budget. Mississippi has 22 ongoing, and many more pending, projects
that could benefit from this funding.
Ports and Inland Waterways:
$2.6 billion for navigation projects and studies, including
$1.2 billion in funding from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund and full
use of estimated annual revenues from the Inland Waterways Trust Fund,
to advance American competitiveness and export capabilities. The other
$1.7 billion is provided to support flood
and storm damage reduction activities, including $310 million to
improve the nation’s most critical dams, many of which are in
Mississippi.
Corps of Engineers Research and Development:
$22 million, nearly $4 million above the budget
request, for research and development performed by the Army Corps of
Engineers. The majority of this research takes place at the Corps’
Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg,
Mississippi.
Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC):
$146 million for the ARC, an economic development
agency focusing on business development, education, and job training in
thirteen states from Northeast Mississippi to western New York. This
funding includes $16 million to support workforce training programs in
south central Appalachia, which includes Mississippi.
East Mississippi Community College received $6.1 million in ARC funding
in September for a workforce training center at the Golden Triangle
Regional Global Industrial Aerospace Park that is focused on increasing
Mississippi’s advanced manufacturing and engineering
capabilities.
Delta Regional Authority (DRA):
$25 million for the DRA, which works to promote economic
and community development in the Mississippi Delta region. This is the
highest funding level for the DRA since its authorization in 2000. Of
the $25 million for DRA, not less than $10 million is set aside for
flood control, infrastructure development and
transportation improvements to help address the basic needs of rural
and underserved communities in Mississippi and throughout the region.
Ratepayer Relief for South Mississippi:
The
bill includes a provision that would redirect as much as $160 million
from failing alternative energy projects to Clean Coal Power Initiative
Demonstration Projects that are
more likely to be successful. The Kemper County power plant is a
project that would be eligible to receive reallocated funding. This
transfer could mitigate the financial burden on Mississippi ratepayers
and industry, who are otherwise paying for research
and development that will benefit the entire nation.
FINANCIAL SERVICES, GENERAL GOVERNMENT
Greenville Courthouse:
$52
million in GSA construction and acquisition funding for joint United
States courthouses, federal buildings, including U.S. post offices. Of
the $52 million, not less than $46
million is set aside for a new Greenville Federal Building.
Rural Wireless Broadband:
A provision is included to ensure that additional cuts of approximately
$50 million are not made to programs that provide wireless broadband
access in poor and rural areas. This benefits Mississippi’s effort to
expand telehealth services, education programs, precision agriculture,
and weather monitoring.
Federal Flood Risk Management Standard:
A provision is included that prohibits the executive
branch from imposing a new Federal Flood Risk Management Standard on
the Department of Defense, the Corps of Engineers, or the National Flood
Insurance Program.
Community Development Financial Institute (CDFI):
$21 million in CDFI funding for the Bank
Enterprise Award program, which supports FDIC-insured institutions that
make significant investments in distressed communities. The measure
includes language that encourages the CDFI to fund projects in
non-metropolitan and rural areas, as well as those serving
persistent poverty counties. A significant number of CDFIs are in
Mississippi
HOMELAND SECURITY
FEMA Disaster Relief Fund:
$7.37
billion for the Disaster Relief Fund, which is the primary resource for
rebuilding public infrastructure after disasters. The bill provides
$165 million above the FY2015 level
for hazard mitigation activities. For every $1 invested in mitigation,
$4 can be saved in disaster recovery.
Coast Guard National Security Cutter:
$640 million in U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) acquisition
funding, not included in the President’s request, for procurement of a
ninth National Security Cutter (NSC). The NSC, built in Pascagoula, is
the
largest
and most technologically-advanced ship ever deployed by the USCG.
Recent studies and reports by the Government Accountability Office and
Congressional Research Service
have explored the difficulties facing the USCG as it relies more on the
new NSCs while retiring older, less-advanced cutters that are nearly 50
years old.
INTERIOR AND ENVIRONMENT
BP Agreement/North American Wetlands Conservation Fund:
A provision is included directing
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to give priority to
conservation projects in Gulf States when distributing funds from the
North American Wetlands Conservation Fund that originate from the $100
million paid as part of the BP Guilty Plea Agreement (Count
13). This BP penalty funding is designated for migratory bird habitat
and other conservation initiatives in Gulf States affected by the
spill. The bill also requires the FWS to report to the Senate and House
appropriations committees its evaluation rating
system used to award funding, a summary of selected projects, and
rationale for denying other projects.
U.S. Geological Survey Groundwater Resource Study:
$2 million for the U.S. Geological Survey
to conduct enhanced groundwater resource studies to assess declining
aquifers in regions within the Mississippi River Alluvial Plain that are
experiencing variability in groundwater systems. These resources will
help address significant aquifer declines in
the Mississippi Delta as a result of agriculture irrigation.
Civil Rights Site Preservation:
$8 million within the National Park Service Historic Preservation
Fund to document, interpret, and preserve sites and stories associated
with the Civil Rights Movement, many of which are in Mississippi, that
have yet to be adequately addressed.
Vicksburg National Military Park: $1.5 million within the National Park Service for construction
project(s) at Vicksburg National Military Park.
Heritage Partnership Program:
$19.8 million, $9.9 million above the President’s budget,
for this National Park Service program. It provides resources for
three National Heritage Areas in Mississippi: Mississippi Hills,
Mississippi Gulf Coast, and Mississippi Delta.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): The
bill holds the EPA at the FY2015 enacted level
of $8.139 billion, rejecting $451 million in increases requested by the
President in his 2016 budget. By keeping the operating programs at the
enacted level, the bill reduces the amounts available to the Agency
because it does not account for inflation.
The bill also continues to prohibit the EPA from regulating certain
types of ammunition and fishing tackle and from regulating livestock
emissions.
LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION
Job Corps:
$1.7 billion for Job Corps, which will support the Mississippi Job
Corps centers
in Batesville, Gulfport, and Crystal Springs. The Joint Explanatory
Statement also re-emphasizes language from the Senate report urging the
Department of Labor to move forward without delay with the
reconstruction of the Gulfport facility, which was destroyed
during Hurricane Katrina.
YouthBuild: $84.5 million for YouthBuild, a program providing education and job training
to unemployed teens and young adults. Mississippi has YouthBuild programs in Gulfport, Jackson, and Greenville.
Telehealth: $17 million for telehealth programs, an increase of $2.1 million from the FY2015
levels. The University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson is a national telehealth leader.
Delta States Rural Development Network:
$10 million, an increase of $4.5 million, for the
Delta States Rural Development Network, which funds organizations in
the eight Delta States (Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee,
Louisiana, Kentucky, Missouri, and Illinois) to address unmet local
health care needs and prevalent health disparities through
the development of new and innovative projects in rural Delta
communities.
National Institutes of Health’s Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Program:
$320.8
million, a $47.5 million increase over the FY2015 level, for the
National Institutes of Health’s IDeA program, which supports biomedical
research in states that are historically underutilized. Mississippi is
among 23 states currently eligible for IDeA grant
awards.
Mississippi Delta Health Collaborative:
The Joint Explanatory Statement re-emphasizes language
in the Senate report providing continued funding for the Mississippi
Delta Health Collaborative for FY2016. This collaborative provides
leadership in the Delta region to implement heart disease and stroke
prevention interventions to reduce morbidity, mortality,
and related health disparities.
Indianola Promise Neighborhood:
Necessary funding is included to support the continued
operation of the Promise Neighborhood program in Indianola. This
program is designed to mitigate the effects of poverty and to improve
education and life outcomes, from birth through college to career, for
children and youth within distressed geographic areas.
The work of the Indianola Promise Neighborhood has led to impressive
educational outcomes and could be a model for rural education
nationwide.
Obamacare:
The bill blocks many of Obamacare’s most egregious provisions. It
would stop
any taxpayer bailout of insurance companies through the risk corridor
program, cuts funding to the Independent Payment Advisory Board, delays
the Obamacare “Cadillac tax” and medical device tax for two years,
blocks the Administration from using the Prevention
and Public Health Fund as a slush fund, and directs the Inspectors
General at the Department of Health and Human Services and the Treasury
to investigate fraudulent Obamacare payments.
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS
Guy II & Will Jones U.S. Army Reserve Center (USARC):
$9.3 million to construct a new USARC
in Starkville, reflecting the Senate’s position on this project. The
appropriations bill initially passed by the House of Representatives did
not recommend funding for this project.
Gulf Coast Veterans Care:
The Joint Explanatory Statement re-emphasizes language Senator
Cochran worked to include in the Senate Committee Report directing the
VA to continue reporting to Congress the details of its actions to
resolve administration and care concerns at the Gulf Coast Veterans
Health Care System in Biloxi. The Joint Explanatory
Statement also includes new language to address concerns regarding the
recent removal of senior-level staff within the Armed Forces Retirement
Home in Gulfport.
Gulfport Aviation Classification Repair Depot:
$40 million for a comprehensive upgrade
of the National Guard’s Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Group
(TASMG) facility in Gulfport, which is critical to repairing and
maintaining Army aviation assets in the Southeast region.
TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Unmanned Aircraft Systems Research:
$5.5 million for the FAA Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
Center of Excellence. In May, the FAA designated the Mississippi State
University-led consortium of universities from across the country–the
Alliance for System Safety of UAS Through Research Excellence (ASSURE)
–as the FAA UAS Center of Excellence. The
Center will work to identify issues critical to the safe integration of
UAS into the nation’s airspace and engage in research and policy
development on the expanding use of unmanned aircraft.
Essential Air Service (EAS):
$175
million for the EAS program, which provides certainty to air carriers
serving small communities. Four Mississippi airports currently
participate in the program: Greenville,
Hattiesburg/Laurel, Meridian, and Tupelo.
FAA Contract Towers:
Full
funding is included for all existing contract towers, including
facilities at the Golden Triangle Regional, Greenville Municipal,
Hawkins Field (Jackson), Meridian/Key Field,
Olive Branch, Stennis International Airport, Tupelo Regional airports.
University Transportation Centers: Full funding is included for University Transportation
Centers. Jackson State currently receives $235,000 per year for research on waterborne multimodal freight transportation.
###
20 comments:
More pork here than the Pig and Pint could serve in a decade!
But not enough to make even one pig ear sammich, apparently.
Another bailout and another step closer to our national insolvency.
Ole Thad has mortgaged our kids, grandkids, & great grandkids future.
Lord help the future generations. Evil lives on after we die but, good is buried with us. (Julius Caesar Shakespears)
Thank God the Republicans banned earmarks!
Simple BS sold us all down the river. These nut jobs still don't understand how mad and angry the citizens are.
Read today's WSJ editorial. The second one.
We should all be very afraid of any bill or mews release which includes the words CONSOLIDATED and OMNIBUS. How soon we seem to forget the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) and the problems visited upon the American public by that debacle. It all started as a budget bill but, thanks to hoodoo artists like Cochran's handlers, turned into more of an insurance bill and a bill that whacks the knuckles of both employers and employees.
What a mess. Most of this should have never been added. Thad should have never been reelected but those pigs at the trough needed their corporate subsidies and K Street wanted their millions. Our Mississippi delegation, particularly Greg Harper is at the heart of the problem. We need a conservative to run against him.
Who is really making the decisions for Thad? He usually don't even know where hi lives and couldn't find his way home without help.
looks to be just a list of a portion everything that is wrong with America.....and we keep letting them get elected, and with all of the current polls they still don't get it. Like someone eluded to earlier, it's no longer really about republicans and democrats......
KF- For those of us who don't get the WSJ, please give us the topic line so we can google it. Their site lists opinions but no way of knowing what you're referring to.
That bill was written in the same office as Go Zone. Thanks Haley.
Though I think some of these are necessary expenditures, not all of these are bad.
It never ceases to amaze me that some of you don't realize that we are a State with a small population and not wealthy.
It would be impossible for us to deal with infrastructure issues without federal help or even modernized law enforcement .
We are already and would become even more of a weak link in national security when it comes to terrorism without federal support.
Try looking at a bigger picture.
There are a lot of people profiting off crony capitalism in this State and u sound like one of them. Big picture? How about 18 trillion in debt while lobbyist are flying private jets to their third home.
talk about a return on investment!
I subscribe to the WSJ and couldn't decide which editorial you referenced either. Author, title and date prevents all confusion.
The Republicans work so hard to make sure that single mothers and unemployed people don't get a dime of tax payer money. We all know that feeding hungry children is a waste of money.
Of course, when it is political donors and their friends and family the Republicans don't mind opening up the public wallet. Corporate welfare yes! Public Welfare NO.
Hey KF did you see the article in Scientific American about carbon capture? Lots of information and discussion on Kemper.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/carbon-capture-may-be-too-expensive-to-combat-climate-change/
Tim Pinkston has built a massive chemistry set in the middle of a longleaf pine forest in eastern Mississippi. “I'm so happy to see it come to fruition,” says Pinkston, a rangy engineer with owlish eyes, during a tour of the Kemper County Energy Facility on a warm summer morning.
He built it? Or the Mississippi Power ratepayers did?
Two things I found interesting about the Scientific American article:
1. Apparently there is still hope for selling the CO2 for oil production and making baking soda. If not, apparently someone forgot to tell Scientific American.
2. The alternate sources and types of fuel evaluated for Kemper did not include Powder River Basin (PRB) coal? That's the way the Scientific American article has it. Certainly someone did the cost evaluation on PRB coal? Didn't they? Why wouldn't Mississippi Power want to know the costs of producing electricity with PRB coal? That's the source and type (cheap + relatively low emissions) most US utilities have been using lately. Perhaps because Mississippi Power had sunk costs in Mississippi lignite fields? Or because Mississippi Power had sunk costs in the lignite suitable gasifier and emissions control equipment? Or both?
Diversifying from natural gas to lignite coupled with carbon capture, is the jury still out on this one?
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