Durbin's delivery: $350 million and counting

By Jim Tankersley

Want proof that it pays for a state to snag a seat on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee? Look no further than Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who has already tagged about $350 million for Illinois projects in spending bills approved by the committee.
Durbin, who has extra juice as the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate, has issued a steady stream of press releases this month -- like he does every year -- to tout so-called "earmarks" in funding bills for homeland security, energy, military construction, health and education and the environment.
He figures to ring up more money for the state next month, when the appropriations process resumes after a week-long July 4 recess. Of course, any money depends on final approval from the full Senate, the House and ultimately President Bush.
Among the projects Durbin has already pushed through committee: a bridge over the Illinois River near Morris, a new child development center at Scott Air Force Base, an outpatient veterans' medical clinic in North Chicago, math and science education in East St. Louis, barriers to keep Asian Carp and other invasive species out of the Great Lakes and a variety of flood-control efforts.
Here's Durbin's full list of earmarks secured so far, according to his office:

The Fiscal Year 2008 appropriations bill for the Energy and Water Appropriations bill includes funding for the following projects:

Army Corps of Engineers:

Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal Aquatic Nuisance Species Barrier System, Chicago:
Authorizing language has been included in the bill to construct the barrier at full federal cost – this is the same language included in this year’s WRDA
$500,000 to maintain a consistent flow of electricity in order to keep the current demonstration barrier operational.
$3.25 million to make permanent a system to eliminate potential bypasses of non-indigenous aquatic nuisance species such as the Asian Carp. Senator Durbin work with Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) on this provision.

Chicago Shoreline, Chicago: $9 million to complete reconstruction of the crumbling Chicago Lake Michigan Shoreline consistent with a Project Cooperation Agreement.

Thornton & McCook Reservoirs, Chicago: $31.5 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), Illinois: $500,000 million to continue work on the hydraulic and hydrologic analysis and the Detailed Project Report (DPR).

Des Plaines River Flood Damage Reduction Study Phase II, Lake County: $500,000 million for hydrology, hydraulic studies, and formulation for the remaining tributaries and the mainstem Des Plaines River.

Des Plaines River Flood Damage Reduction Phase I, Illinois: $6.62 million to continue construction work on Levee 37 and continue design work on Big Bend Reservoir Expansion and Buffalo Creek Reservoir Expansion.

Locks No. 27, Mississippi River, IL: $7.542 million for the major rehabilitation of Locks 27 on the Chain of Rocks Canal including the lock lighting contract, drilling and testing for the design of the lock wall tie downs, design of the culver valves, and the planning, specifications, and construction of the sill anchors.

Nutwood Drainage and Levee District, Greene/Jersey Counties: $300,000 to continue activities related to levee improvements and expansion.

Peoria River Front Development, Peoria: $250,000 to begin design efforts on lower islands.

Upper Mississippi River Comprehensive Plan, Western Illinois: $30.386 million to complete a study into flood damage prevention, stream bank caving and erosion, and other ecosystem restoration activities. Of the total funding recommended, $12 million will be used for preconstruction engineering and development, $386,000 for recon and $18 million for costs associated with general construction.

Illinois River Basin Restoration, Statewide: $1 million to continue evaluation and begin construction.

Lake Shelbyville, Shelbyville, Illinois: $5.072 million for repairs associated with flooding in January 2005. The lake experienced the second highest flood level in its 35 years of operation. Facilities sustained substantial damage which will result in the closure of several recreation areas. The recreation economic benefit is $69 million in visitor spending within 30 miles of Lake Shelbyville. Current budget levels do not allow for the repairs of these facilities.

Emiquon & Squaw Creek: 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.

Construction, Statewide: The following projects were also included in the conference report under U.S. Army Corps on Engineers, Construction: Illinois Waterway, Lockport Lock and Dam Replacement ($20.445 million); East St. Louis ($2.5 million) and Lock and Dam 24 ($340,000).

Operations and Maintenance, Statewide: The following projects were also included in the conference report under U.S. Army Corps on Engineers, Operations and Maintenance: Calumet Harbor and River ($3.852 million); Carlyle Lake ($4.443 million); Chicago Harbor ($1.875 million); Chicago River ($450,000); Farm Creek Reservoirs ($396,000); Illinois Waterway, MVR Portion ($33.308 million); Kaskaskia River Navigation ($3.175 million); Lake Michigan Diversion ($624,000 ); Project Condition Surveys ($99,000); Rend Lake ($4.424 million); Waukegan Harbor ($718,000); Surveillance of Northern Boundary Waters ($123,000) and Inspection of Completed Works ($857,000).

Flood Control, Statewide: The following project was also included in the conference report under U.S. Army Corps on Engineers, Flood Control: Inspection of Completed Works, Mississippi River and Tributaries ($170,000)

Department of Energy:

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale: $300,000 for biofuels research at Southern Illinois University.

University of Chicago Hospitals, Chicago, IL: $300,000 to research and develop better detection of breast cancer in African-American women.

Dominican University in River Forest, IL $300,000 to research the role of transglutaminases - enzymes that are found in abnormally high numbers in certain diseases - in Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease.

The Fiscal Year 2008 appropriations bill for the U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Forest Service and Environmental Protection Agency includes funding for the following projects:

Department of Interior

National Park Service:

Alumni Hall at Knox College, Galesburg. $300,000 to develop permanent exhibits of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates and the Underground Railroad. The exhibits will include a Knox College Lincoln Studies Center, a Lincoln-Douglas Debates & Underground Railroad Information and Education Center, and an art gallery. Alumni Hall is on the National Register of Historic Places. Galesburg was the site of the fifth Lincoln-Douglas debate in 1858.

Department of Agriculture

U.S. Forest Service:

Shawnee National Forest, Southern Illinois. $850,000 to complete acquisition of land tracts from willing sellers within the boundaries of the Shawnee National Forest. These funds are to allow the Forest Service to acquire land and consolidate holdings for the purposes of environmentally responsible forest management.

Chicago GreenStreets Program, Chicago. $350,000 to improve urban forestry in the City of Chicago. 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.

State and Tribal Assistance Grants:

Monmouth Wastewater Improvements, City of Monmouth. $300,000, to the City of Monmouth for repairs and upgrades of wastewater facilities.
Riverdale Wastewater Improvements, Village of Riverdale. $300,000, to the Village of Riverdale to upgrade drinking water and sewer systems.
Chatham Water Treatment Upgrade, Village of Chatham. $300,000, to the Village of Chatham to upgrade its drinking water treatment and water supply infrastructure.

Other National Projects

Small Public Water System Technology Centers, Nationwide. $4,000,000 to fund centers across the country, including the Midwest Technology Assistance Center (MTAC) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. MTAC is a consortium led by the University of Illinois and the Illinois State Water Survey. MTAC provides technical and other assistance to small public water systems and public systems serving Indian Tribes throughout the Midwest.

National Rural Water Association, Nationwide -- $11,000,000 for rural water system technical assistance programs across the country including the Illinois Rural Water Association (IRWA). IRWA is the state’s largest rural utility association that provides training and technical assistance to water and wastewater systems.

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 appropriations bill for the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education and Related Agencies Appropriations includes funding for the following projects:

Access Community Health Network, Chicago: $500,000 to integrate behavioral health services in a community health setting.

Catholic Charities, Chicago: $550,000 for vocational training and support programs at the St. Leo Residence for Veterans.

Cristo Rey High School, Chicago: $400,000 for the Cristo Rey High School library and technology center.

East St. Louis High School: $600,000 to improve math and sciences programs at East St. Louis High School.

Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago: $650,000 for a therapeutic School and Center for Autism Research.

Golden Apple Foundation, Chicago: $500,000 for a teacher training initiative for undergraduate math and science programs.

Heartland Partnership, Peoria: $500,000 for construction of a cancer research laboratory.

Holy Cross Hospital, Chicago: $1,200,000 for information system and technology improvements.

Illinois Primary Health Care Association, Statewide: $550,000 for information system and technology improvements for community health centers.

Nicasa, Lake County: $350,000 for evening outpatient substance abuse treatment program for women.

St. Leonard’s Ministries, Chicago: $350,000 for job training and placement for ex-offenders.

St. Mary’s Good Samaritan, Inc., Mt. Vernon: $500,000 for medical equipment.

The Fiscal Year 2008 appropriations bill for military construction and veterans affairs includes funding for the following Illinois projects:

Child Development Center, Scott Air Force Base: $8.2 million to construct a new Child Development Center that will replace the existing facility that currently serves children aged 6 weeks through 12 years. The current facility provides only 35% of the total space and care requirements for children of working parents. In addition, the rapidly deteriorating facility requires constant maintenance for plumbing, heating and cooling systems, roof leaks, flooding and damage to flooring, and inadequate wiring. The new Child Development Center will provide over 200 children at Scott Air Force Base with a comfortable and clean educational environment.

Combined Fire/Police Facility, Rock Island Arsenal: $3.35 million to finish remodeling the existing Rock Island Arsenal Fire and Police Station and complete the remaining 4,000 square feet of the new addition. The original facility, constructed in 1874, did not allow the entire police force to be located in the same building; fire department equipment had to be housed in a location separate from department personnel. The improved facility will allow the police and fire departments to operate in a more efficient manner and better serve Rock Island Arsenal through safety and security. Senator Durbin secured $7.4 million for this project in FY06.

Scott Air Force Base: The bill also includes $16.7 million for a Security Forces Squadron Operations Facility at Scott Air Force Base. This facility will support the base’s joint security forces to include air base defense, crime prevention, investigation, training, information and personnel security, resource protection, confinement operations, weapons vault and armory. The facility will create synergy between the active and guard security forces units as well as provide adequate storage and training areas necessary to keep these troops combat-ready.

Army National Guard Readiness Center, St. Clair County: $8.1 million to redesign the Readiness Center in St. Clair County. This Center is required to provide adequate administrative, supply, classroom, locker, latrine, and kitchen space in support of peacetime missions. The facility will help the unit meet readiness, recruiting and retention, and training objectives.

Great Lakes Naval Training Center, North Chicago: $26.871 million for infrastructure upgrades ($16.65 million) and a weapons training facility ($10.221 million) at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center.

Federal Healthcare Facility, North Chicago: $99 million to construct a TRICARE outpatient medical clinic addition and alter existing space within the North Chicago VA Medical Center to fully integrate Navy and VA Federal Health Care missions in North Chicago. The facility will provide sufficient ambulatory capability and support space to fully integrate the healthcare activities of the existing Naval Hospital within the current VA Medical Center. This will deliver cost effective healthcare to eligible DOD beneficiaries in the North Chicago area, including sailors at Great Lakes Naval Training Center.

The 2008 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill includes funding for the following project:

U.S. Coast Guard:

· EJ&E Railroad Bridge, Morris. $2 million to improve the EJ&E Bridge on the Illinois River, near Morris, IL. To date, $13 million has been appropriated for the EJ&E Bridge, which is hit by marine vessels more often than any other bridge in America. Repair of the bridge is a priority for the United States Coast Guard.

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 appropriations bill for the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Justice and State includes funding for the following projects in Illinois:

· Adler Planetarium, Chicago: $300,000 for improved science education through programming for teachers and students. These programs are in partnership with Chicago Public Schools.

· Ceasefire at the University of Illinois, Chicago: $450,000 for the Chicago Project for Violence Prevention to expand Ceasefire, an accelerated community-based prevention, intervention, treatment and advocacy initiative.

· Des Plaines Teen Center, Des Plaines: $300,000 for gang, alcohol and drug education and prevention programming for adolescents at the Des Plaines Teen Center. Since the Teen Center opened in fall 2004, police records indicate a significant decrease in delinquent disturbances in the surrounding community between 3 pm and 6 pm.

· GoGirlGo!, Chicago: $650,000 to the Women’s Sports Foundation for the GoGirlGo! Chicago initiative, a mentoring, education and development program targeting at-risk teens to prevent drop-outs, truancy, crime, violence and drug abuse by promoting participation in sports and physical activity after school. These school programs are held throughout the Chicago metropolitan area through partnerships between the Women’s Sport Foundation and community based groups. Durbin worked with Senator Obama to fund this project.

· Illinois Sheriffs Association: $200,000 for law enforcement and clean-up of methamphetamine production and abuse. This builds on FY06 COPS Methamphetamine funding the Sheriffs Association used for public awareness around methamphetamine and equips sheriffs around the state with technical and logistical assistance specific to controlling methamphetamine.

· Kids Hope United, Illinois: $100,000 for family preservation services for methamphetamine-affected families. Kids Hope United serves families in a rural area of east central Illinois, where methamphetamine has hit hard and is destroying families involved with it. The services offered include counseling, case management, child welfare care and strong coordination with other agencies offering substance abuse treatment, housing assistance, job training and legal services. Kids Hope United’s family preservation program was recently evaluated and scored very high on effectiveness.

· McLean County Drug Court, Illinois: $450,000 for a drug court. Funding would allow the coalition of social service, law enforcement and corrections officials in McLean County to move forward with plans to establish a drug court that would emphasize close supervision, treatment and rehabilitation for the drug-dependent.

· Macon County Justice Council, Illinois: $150,000 for gun violence prevention. The Justice Council represents law enforcement, judiciary, domestic violence, and public health interests in Macon County who are working together to reduce chronically overcrowded jails. Macon County is looking to Ceasefire in Chicago as a model for implementing gun violence prevention strategies to help reduce the volume of people in the system.

· Shedd Aquarium Center for the Great Lakes, Chicago: $300,000 for Great Lakes conservation education. The Great Lakes initiative will target eight states and two Canadian provinces with awareness and education messages about the value and vulnerability of the Great Lakes and the need to protect against habitat loss, shoreline degradation, water diversion, invasive species and declining water quality.

· Substance Abuse Treatment Program, Paris: $200,000 to the Human Resources Center of Clark and Edgar Counties to combat substance abuse among high-risk youth in east central Illinois. Schools in these counties have recently experienced an influx of drugs and increased truancy rates. The Human Resources Center works to reduce substance abuse and subsequently reduce crime and truancy.

· The Women’s Treatment Center, Chicago: $250,000 for services for incarcerated mothers and their children. The Women’s Treatment Center provides addiction and mental health services to women and their children. The Parents and Children Together (PACT) program uses weekly video conferences to facilitate visits, records tapes of mothers reading books to their children, and other tools as part of family preservation services for incarcerated mothers and their children. Funding would expand the number of families participating in the program.

· Will County, Illinois: $550,000 for interoperability upgrades for the County’s communications infrastructure. Specifically, funding will replace in-squad car computers to allow the use of 911 voiceless dispatching and access to national and regional networks. Durbin worked with Senator Obama to fund this project.