Durbin's earmarks, Illinois lands $230 million

Here is a look at Illinois earmarks in the $410 billion spending measure approved by the Senate late Tuesday.

From the public relations staff of Sen. Dick Durbin, a Springfield Democrat:

CONGRESS GIVES APPROVAL TO NEARLY $230 MILLION IN FUNDING FOR ILLINOIS PROJECTS

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced the Omnibus Appropriations Act that was approved today by Congress includes $229,727,154 in funding for Illinois projects.

SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS:

CHICAGO TRANSIT ($36 MILLION): Today’s legislation includes over $36 million in funding to create a new transit line, the Circle line, in Chicago and expand transit service along the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Ravenswood Brown Line. As Americans are driving less and riding more – a recent study found that American’s made 10.7 billion trips on public transit in 2008, a 4 percent increase over 2007 – our public transportation systems must improve service and expand capacity to meet demand.

The proposed Circle Line will not only reduce travel times and enhance access between the growing city center and the entire region but it is also a key component of the City's transportation strategy for the 2016 Olympics.

DES PLAINES FLOOD CONTROL ($8 MILLION): Heavy rain and severe flooding continues to draw attention to the need for improvements in flood control measures that will protect Illinois homes and businesses. In September, massive storms in Northern Illinois affected thousands of residents causing evacuations, two deaths, sewer backup, road closures and damage to over 2500 residences and nearly 200 businesses. In today’s legislation, nearly $8 million has been included for flood damage reduction along the Des Plaines River. The Upper Des Plaines River Watershed project is considered one of the most important flood control initiatives in the State of Illinois.

CENTER FOR ONE MEDICINE IN CHAMPAIGN-URBANA ($235 THOUSAND) Since 9/11 and the anthrax attacks of late 2001, there has been heightened attention on developing adequate countermeasures against potential biological and chemical agents. The legislation includes $235,000 for research, education and outreach efforts at the University of Illinois to improve our nation’s preparedness and response to natural and intentional exposure to biological, chemical, and physical threats to public health.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER LOCKS & DAMS ($58 MILLION): The Mississippi River transports $12 billion worth of products every year, affecting agriculture, commercial, and labor interests across our state. Updating and modernizing the waterway will help Illinois remain competitive for years to come. Today’s legislation includes over $58 million in funding to upgrade, maintain and repair locks and dams along the Mississippi River.

CARLYLE LAKE IN CLINTON, FAYETTE, BOND AND MARION COUNTIES ($3.8 MILLION): The bill provides $3,857,000 for operations and maintenance at Carlyle Lake, the largest man-made lake in Illinois, with over 26,000 acres of water and 11,000 acres of public land. Funding is needed to provide flood control, water quality control, and water supply to nearby communities; recreation; fish and wildlife conservation; and is authorized to augment navigation flows downstream on the Kaskaskia River. The lake offers 3 marinas, 18 public boat ramps, a sailboat harbor, 4 beaches, 5 campgrounds, and a visitor center; numerous outlaying areas provide a variety of opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts.

The following Illinois related projects and provisions are included:

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development

Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration:

• CTA Circle Line, Chicago. $6,000,000 for new transit service extending from North Riverside Park Mall to Chicago central business district. The Circle Line's goal of connecting existing lines with commuter lines is particularly important to serving the entire region. The Circle Line is a key component of the City's transportation strategy for the 2016 Olympics. It provides improved access to venues throughout the entire Chicago region by greatly facilitating transfer connections between all Metra and CTA rail lines.

• CTA Ravenswood Brown Line, Chicago. $30,474,404 to expand capacity on the Ravenswood Brown Line which serves 66,000 passengers each weekday from the inner Loop to the northwest part of the city. Since 1998, ridership on the Brown Line has increased by 21%. This expansion project will modernize the line by increasing the length of Brown Line platforms to accommodate more cars, and enable CTA to meet growing ridership demands. This year's funding is consistent with a 2003 Full Funding Grant Agreement.
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• CTA Yellow Line, Chicago. $237,000 to extend CTA’s Yellow Line 1.75 miles north from its current terminus, at Dempster Street in Skokie, to Old Orchard Road and provide an infill station at Oakton.

• CTA Red Line, Chicago. $285,000 to extend the red line from its current terminus, at 95th Street, to 130th Street. This long-term project envisions four new rail stations and a new rail yard.

• Buses and Bus Facilities, Statewide. $4,750,000 to the Illinois Department of Transportation for downstate buses and bus facilities.

• Metra Connects, Northeastern. $24,000,000 to expand four major Metra extensions (STAR line, Union Pacific West Extension, Union Pacific Northwest Line, Southeast Service Line). The Metra Connects program is a coordinated plan to address transportation issues and meet the population growth within Northeast Illinois.

Department of Transportation, the Transportation Community and System Preservation Program:

• Illinois Pedestrian and Bicycling Road and Trail Improvements, Statewide. $2,850,000 statewide for bike and pedestrian trail enhancements and improvements.

Department of Transportation, Surface Transportation Program:

• Intersection Safety Improvements, Olympia Fields. $475,000 for intersection safety upgrades and improvements at 203rd Street and Crawford Avenue.

• US Highway 30, Whiteside County. $475,000 for completion of Phase I Engineering and start of Phase II Engineering of the project to construct a four-lane U.S. Highway 30 between Fulton and Rock Falls, Illinois.

Department of Transportation, Railroad Research and Development:

• Rail-Grade Crossing Safety, Statewide. $475,000 for improving rail-grade crossing safety through education and enforcement initiatives under the Illinois Department of Commerce Commission’s Public Education and Enforcement Research (PEERS) program.

• Grand Crossing passenger rail CREATE project, Chicago. $1,900,000 to separate passenger rail from freight to allow additional Amtrak trains and better on-time performance of Amtrak trains from Champaign and Carbondale. The Grand Crossing Project is part of the Chicago Regional Environmental and Transportation Efficiency program (CREATE).

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Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration:

• Airport Improvements, Peoria. $950,000 to construct a new terminal facility at Peoria Regional Airport.

• Airport Improvements, DeKalb. $1,235,000 to acquire land for the expansion of DeKalb Airport.

Department of Housing and Urban Development, Economic Development Initiatives:

• Christopher House, Chicago. $237,000 to construct Logan Family Resource Center, a state-of-art family resource center that is designed to help low-income children and families.

• City of Kankakee, Kankakee. $237,500 to support a project to purchase, renovate and convert houses that are in foreclosure, abandoned or in serious disrepair to affordable use properties.

• Downtown Development, East Moline. $237,500 for capital improvements to infrastructure and development projects in downtown East Moline including acquisition and renovation of dilapidated structures.

• Springfield Park District, Springfield. $665,000 for capital costs associated with the Edwin Watts Southwind Park.

Energy and Water

Army Corps of Engineers:

• Keith Creek (Alpine Dam), Rockford. $526,000 to continue and complete a feasibility study of the work needed to provide reliable flood protection along Keith Creek. Alpine Dam is at risk of failure and spillway repairs are needed. This will complete the feasibility study on the Keith Creek watershed in Rockford.

• Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal Aquatic Nuisance Species Barrier System, Chicago:

o $6,250,000 to make permanent a system to eliminate potential bypasses of aquatic nuisance species such as the Asian Carp. Funding would also keep the current demonstration barrier operational and begin construction to make permanent the first demonstration barrier.

o $287,000 to initiate a study, including consultations with appropriate Federal, State, local and non-governmental agencies on the range of options and technologies to prevent the inter-basin transfer of aquatic nuisance species.

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• Chicago Shoreline, Chicago: $4,000,000 for reconstruction of the crumbling Chicago Lake Michigan Shoreline consistent with a Project Cooperation Agreement.

• Mississippi River between Missouri River and Minneapolis. $58,670,000 for operations and maintenance of locks and dams along the Mississippi River between Missouri River and Minneapolis. This funding will be used for maintenance and repairs of existing locks and dams.

• Thornton & McCook Reservoirs, Chicago: $28,709,000 million for continued construction of the McCook Reservoir in the Chicago Underflow Plan.

• South Fork of the South Branch of the Chicago River (Bubbly Creek), Chicago: $411,000 to continue work on the hydraulic and hydrologic analysis and the Detailed Project Report (DPR).

• Des Plaines River Flood Damage Reduction Phase I, Northern Illinois: $7,500,000 to continue construction work on Levee 37 and continue design work on Big Bend Reservoir Expansion and Buffalo Creek Reservoir Expansion to control flooding.

• Des Plaines River Flood Damage Reduction Study Phase II, Lake County: $478,000 for hydrology, hydraulic studies, and formulation for the remaining tributaries and the mainstem Des Plaines River.

• Lake Shelbyville, Shelbyville: $4,419,000 to provide flood control, water supply, recreation, conservation of fish and wildlife, and water quality control at Lake Shelbyville. It also augments navigation flows downstream on the Kaskaskia River.

• Carlyle Lake, Clinton, Fayette, Bond and Marion Counties. $3,857,000 for operations and maintenance at Carlyle Lake, the largest man-made lake in Illinois, with over 26,000 acres of water and 11,000 acres of public land. Funding is needed to provide flood control, water quality control, and water supply to nearby communities; recreation; fish and wildlife conservation; and is authorized to augment navigation flows downstream on the Kaskaskia River. The lake offers 3 marinas, 18 public boat ramps, a sailboat harbor, 4 beaches, 5 campgrounds, and a visitor center; numerous outlaying areas provide a variety of opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts.

• Rend Lake, Southern Illinois. $4,242,000 to provide flood control, water supply, recreation, conservation of fish and wildlife, and area redevelopment. This project is located near Benton, Illinois, in Franklin and Jefferson Counties.

• Nutwood Drainage and Levee District, Greene and Jersey Counties: $144,000 to continue activities related to levee improvements and expansion.

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• East St. Louis and Vicinity. $191,000 to restore bottom land forest habitat; flood plain prairie habitat; marsh and shrub swamp habitat; lake habitat; and upland riparian forest. The project is located in Madison and St. Clair Counties.

• Locks No. 27, Mississippi River: $2,486,000 for the major rehabilitation of Locks 27 on the Chain of Rocks Canal. Work would include replacement of a main lock lift gate, culvert valves for both locks, lock lighting, and the main lock miter gate.

• Wood River Levee, Wood River. $2,632,000 for the reconstruction/replacement of various components of 26 closure structures, 38 gravity drains, and 7 pump stations. These actions are required to maintain the system’s authorized level of protection. The project is located in the Mississippi River flood plain of Madison County, upstream of the city of East St. Louis.

• East St. Louis, St. Clair and Madison Counties. $718,000 for the replacement/rehabilitation a flood control project that provides flood protection to 200,000 residents and over $1 billion in economic value. The project is located along the bank of the Mississippi River.

• Chain of Rocks, Madison County. $2,392,000 for a deficiency correction includes the installation of relief wells, construction of levee berms, a pump station, relocations, and mitigation. The levee protects a major urban area and is located in Madison County.

• Prairie du Pont Sanitary District and Fish Lake Drainage and Levee District, St. Clair and Monroe Counties. $502,000 to assess the potential for reconstruction of deteriorated features at a levee plagued with underseepage problems. The study area is located on the east bank of the Mississippi River.

• Peoria River Front Development, Peoria: $48,000 to begin design efforts on lower islands.

• Upper Mississippi River Comprehensive Plan, Western Illinois: $163,000 to complete a study into flood damage prevention, stream bank caving and erosion, and other ecosystem restoration activities.

• Illinois River Basin Restoration, Statewide: $382,000 to continue evaluation and begin construction.

• Emiquon Preserve & Squaw Creek, Lake and Fulton Counties: Special language directing the Army Corps of Engineers to give priority funding consideration to restore aquatic ecosystems in Lake County’s Squaw Creek Watershed and Emiquon Preserve in Fulton County.

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Department of Energy:

• City of Quincy. $475,750 for the studies and pre-construction work associated with Quincy’s efforts to install 3 hydroelectric plants at three existing Mississippi River locks and dams.

• Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science, North Chicago. $475,750 for research and development of therapeutic strategies to address brain injury, stroke, diabetes, and wound healing through regenerative medicine.

• Dominican University, River Forest. $475,750 for continued neuroscience research related to Alzheimer’s and other memory dysfunctions.

Financial Services and General Government

• Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center, East St. Louis, IL. $294,500 to allow the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center to expand their job training and placement services for youth in the Metro East region. The program teaches skills for entry level employment and/or advanced occupational training in specific competency areas.

• Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. $475,000 to further develop and expand the Southern Illinois Research Park, located on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

• Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago. $475,000 to expand the Illinois Institute of Technology’s University Technology Park on the South Side of Chicago.

• Benedictine University, Lisle. $475,000 to expand an education initiative for first responders and OEF/OIF veterans.

• St. Leo’s Catholic Charities Veterans Home, Chicago. $475,000 for the job training and placement services for veterans provided, including the homeless veterans housed at the St. Leo facility.

• Safer Foundation, Chicago. $475,000 for a transitional employment program that aims to better meet the needs of Chicago’s small business community while also meeting the immediate employment needs of former offenders and help set them on the path to a successful reentry.

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Labor, Health and Human Services, Education

• Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge. $285,000 to support medical and psychosocial services through the Advocate’s Adult Down Syndrome Center

• Chicago Public Schools, Chicago: $190,000 to support educational activities at Chicago Public Schools, including alternate pathways to graduation, such as evening school, summer school and special achievement academies.

• Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago. $951,000 to help build a new children’s comprehensive cardiac unit at Children’s Memorial Hospital

• College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn. $381,000 to support the development of a Veteran Counseling Degree and Certificate Program

• Crusader Clinic, Rockford. $238,000 to assist Crusader to implement an electronic health records system at their health clinics.

• DePaul University, Chicago. $714,000 to increase the number of Chicago Public Schools teachers trained in math and science.

• Goodwill Industries Inc., Chicago. $238,000 to expand the “Goodwill Works” training and employment initiatives.

• Illinois Primary Health Care Association, Springfield. $190,000 to help develop and deploy a state-wide electronic health records systems for community health centers.

• Access Community Health Network/ Holy Cross Hospital, Chicago. $476,000 to build a health center on the Holy Cross campus. Access Community Health Network is the largest community-based health care provider for the underserved in the greater Chicago area.

• Lawndale Christian Health Center. Chicago, Illinois. $381,000 for a new facility to expand dental service capacity.

• Memorial Hospital, Carthage. $381,000 for vascular diagnostic screening equipment.

• Millikin University, Decatur. $476,000 for an accelerated, second-degree nursing program.

• Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago. $190,000 for facilities and equipment for disease treatment including comprehensive diabetic care.

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• Olivet Nazarene University, Bourbonnais. $381,000 to purchase equipment to provide nursing students with state-of-the-art training methods.

• Prairie Center Health Systems. Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. $476,000 for outpatient and inpatient detoxification services for meth-addicted patients.

• Provena Covenant Medical Center, Urbana. $190,000 for the expansion and renovation of operating rooms.

• Resurrection Health Care, Oak Park. $285,000 to expand existing nursing programs and increase student admittance at Resurrection’s West Suburban College of Nursing.

• Riverside Healthcare, Kankakee. $523,000 for facilities and equipment at the hospital, including implementing a computerized physician ordering system to prevent medical errors.

• Rockford College, Rockford. $238,000 to upgrade technology in classrooms and laboratories.

• Sinai Health System, Chicago, Illinois. $476,000 to purchase digital mammography machine.

• University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria. $381,000 to construct a new cancer research facility.

Agriculture

Agriculture Research Service (ARS):

• Biotechnology Research and Development Corporation (BRDC), Peoria. $3,323,000 to facilitate the development of technologies in the areas of livestock productivity, crop yields and veterinary medicine.

Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service:

• Center for One Medicine, Champaign-Urbana. $235,000 for research, education and outreach efforts at the University of Illinois to improve our nation’s preparedness to respond to natural and intentional exposure to biological, chemical, and physical threats to public health.

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• Future Foods, Champaign-Urbana. $461,000 for research and outreach efforts at the University of Illinois to improve public health by identifying and utilizing healthy attributes in food products. The federal funds will support research on the relationship between these attributes and human health and nutrition, as well as how to process, store and package these compounds.

• Soybean Research, Champaign-Urbana. $745,000 for soybean research at the University of Illinois using genomics and genetic engineering to improve drought resistance, disease tolerance and resistance to soybean cyst nematode and soybean rust.

• Livestock Genome Sequencing, Champaign-Urbana. $564,000 for livestock research at the University of Illinois to identify every gene of the cattle and swine species, and to establish a database to identify the function of these genes.

• Urban Horticulture and Marketing, Chicago. $104,000 for technical and financial assistance for an urban horticultural marketing initiative in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago.

Natural Resources Conservation Service:

• Wildlife Habitat Improvement, Southern Illinois. $188,000 to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for a statewide wildlife management/education/technical assistance program for private landowners and natural resource professionals. The project will restore prairie and shrub/scrub habitats in Illinois important to species such as the bobwhite quail, grassland birds and wild turkeys. It will also support conservation education efforts.

• Illinois River Agricultural Water Conservation Project, Central Illinois. $188,000 to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to restore wetlands and wildlife habitat and control and manage the spread of invasive species in the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers.

• Churchill Woods Dam Removal Project, DuPage County. $764,000 to revive natural river functions and stabilize and restore the flood plain. The project will improve the water quality of the East Branch of the DuPage River and the Illinois River Watershed.

Animal Plant Health Inspection Service:

• Emerald Ash Borer, Chicago. Language directing the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to work collaboratively with the City of Chicago to manage the Emerald Ash Borer infestation and provide appropriate resources.

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Food and Drug Administration:

• National Center for Food Safety and Technology, Summit-Argo. $2,077,000 to continue FDA food safety and security research, including advanced detection technologies and preventive control research at the National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST) at the Illinois Institute of Technology. NCFST has received federal funding annually through a cooperative agreement with FDA.

Commerce – Justice – Science

Department of Justice

• John A. Logan College, Carterville. $100,000 to expand the Williamson County Pilot Program in coordination with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. The Williamson County Pilot Program electronically tracks the purchases of methamphetamine precursors.

• Illinois Sheriff’s Association, Statewide. $250,000 for public awareness around methamphetamine and to equip sheriffs around the state with technical and logistical assistance specific to controlling methamphetamine.

• Ceasefire at the University of Illinois, Chicago. $500,000 for the Chicago Project for Violence Prevention to expand Ceasefire, an accelerated community-based prevention, intervention, treatment and advocacy initiative.

• Youth Service Bureau of Illinois Valley, LaSalle, Bureau and Grundy Counties. $250,000 to help establish a functional family therapy program in the multi-county area. This organization serves troubled youth and their families who come in contact with the juvenile justice system.

• Village of Richton Park, Illinois. $300,000 to allow the Village to develop and implement a youth intervention program, including outreach services to community youth, mediating conflicts between parties, and stronger truancy and curfew enforcement.

• Our Children’s Homestead, Rockford. $200,000 to provide tutoring and assistance for at-risk youth within the foster system to pursue postsecondary education and methods to find employment.

• Haymarket Center, Chicago. $250,000 for the Ann F. Baum Family Enrichment Center, a workforce development program with a recovery plan for those clients with extensive histories of criminal justice involvement, substance abuse, and economic and employment instability.

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• Will County, Illinois. $300,000 for an Integrated Criminal Justice Information System to allow for a multi jurisdictional project to facilitate the integration of information systems along Will County’s criminal justice departments.

• Uhlich Children’s Advantage Network (UCAN), Chicago. $300,000 to expand a violence prevention service network operated by UCAN and YouthBuild Lake County. UCAN’s violence prevention, parent support and planning, and youth development programs will operate as a part of YBLC’s eight-month training program to promote greater numbers of youth success.

NASA

• Discovery Center Museum, Rockford. $300,000 for improved science education for rural and underserved children through space and astronomy programming

Interior

Department of Interior, National Park Service (Historic Preservation):

• Loyola University, Mundelein. $200,000 for renovation and restoration of the 78-year old landmark building to allow a better use of the building by students and community residents. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic places.

Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service:

• Chicago GreenStreets Program, Chicago. $300,000 to improve urban forestry in the City of Chicago and help mitigate emerald ash borer disease. The GreenStreets program focuses on improving the quality of urban life through tree planting and care, recycling and open space revitalization. This fifteen year old initiative serves as a successful model of how an investment in urban natural resources conservation can restore deteriorated neighborhoods and enhance public open space.

Department of Interior, State and Tribal Assistance Grants (Water Infrastructure):

• Village of Crestwood. $400,000 to the Village of Crestwood to upgrade and repair water tanks.

• City of Lexington. $400,000 to implement a wastewater treatment system.

• Long Creek Township. $400,000 for a new water storage tank and well.

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