Legislation :: April 3, 2009

2009 Appropriations Requests


Appropriations Requests April 3, 2009

1) Office of the Mayor & Board of Douglas County Commissioners: Public Works – Combined Sewer Overflow Projects Design and construction of Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Controls  $33.8M Million for the design and construction of the overflow sewer improvements to reduce overflows of raw sewage into area streams and rivers that will improve public health, the environment and comply with the Clean Water Act
          RECEIVED: $500,000 in the Interior and Environment Appropriations bill.

2) Creighton University: Alternative Energy Project  $2.5M
Establishing a research center for solar energy at CU and expansion of solar panels used in conjunction with OPPD.
          RECEIVED: $1.2 million in the Energy & Water Appropriations bill.

3) Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District- Glacier Creek Prairie Demonstration Project   $1.8M   The Glacier Creek Prairie Demonstration Project is a partnership of the PMPNRD and the University of Nebraska- Omaha.  Its purposes are to protect natural resources and the environment and to demonstrate the scientific and education value of ecosystem transition from stream-to-wetlands-to high prairie zones.   This demonstration project includes two elements:  (A) the Glacier Creek (”GC”) Prairie Expansion which will adjoin the Allwine Prairie Preserve located in north-western Douglas County on the outskirts of Omaha; and (B) the developing PMRNRD wetlands bank that will join the Glacier Creek Prairie element to the west and the Big Papillion Creek to the east. These two elements with the existing Allwine Prairie Preserve, a long-term high prairie preserve owned by the University, will form a distinctive transitional ecosystem from stream-to-wetlands-to-high prairie to demonstrate ecosystem protection and water quality enhancement, and to provide scientific research and educational opportunities.
The request for the (B) Glacier Creek Prairie Expansion element is $1.8 million in federal funding.  The wetlands element of the total project is estimated at $600,000 in PMRNRD funding and will be available to fulfill any local matching share requirement for the overall demonstration project. 
          RECEIVED: none

4)  UNO: Information Technology Development for Nebraska’s Micro-enterprises Center at UNO’s College of Information Science and Technology  $2.8M  The Information Technology Development for Nebraska’s Micro-enterprises Center at UNO’s College of Information Science and Technology will establish the technical and knowledge infrastructure needed to foster growth of microenterprises through effective application of information technologies. The Center includes facilities in a central lab to develop and maintain a repository of technology-based solutions to business problems encountered by micro-enterprises.   These base solutions, ranging from simple how-to tutorials to fully configured "business in a box" servers hosted on a cloud computing infrastructure, can be customized to meet the needs of individual microenterprises. Funds will also develop a UNO program in Information Technology for Development that will develop a workforce to further support the micro-enterprise owner’s needs and sustain the communities of micro-enterprises needed for economic development in Nebraska.
          RECEIVED: $250,000 in the Financial Services Appropriations bill for FY 2010

5) Creighton University: Core Facilities Research Equipment  $1.2M
Core research facilities for shared use among research faculty, including basic scientists and clinical researchers.
          RECEIVED: $500,000 in the Energy & Water Appropriations bill

6) Boy’s Town- $1.25M
To help fund the construction of a new comprehensive child and family services facility with increased campacity to serve more than double the population of children and families currently served of approx. 1,000

7) UNO: Research Cybersecurity of Critical Control Networks  $1.7M  Will be used for research Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems in order to enhance their security by encryption, communications authentication, system monitoring, and software integrity. These systems control critical national and defense infrastructure such as gas pipelines, utilities, and railroads.  Based on project outcomes, researchers will develop supplementary communications equipment for the legacy SCADA systems to provide commensurate results to the desired SCADA systems technology.
         RECEIVED: $1.7 million

8) Offutt Air Force Base - $10M
Construction and security upgrades at the STRATCOM Gate on the base. 

9) Offutt Air Force Base - $10.8M
Construction and security upgrades at the Bellevue and Kenney Gates on the base. 

10) 38th Reconnaissance Squadron/ALERT Facility - $14.5M
New facility for squadron operations.

11) Creighton University: Dental Sciences Building  $5M
A new dental sciences building
          RECEIVED: $1 million in Labor, Health & Human Services Appropriations bill.


In addition, Congressman Terry has requested the following transportation appropriation requests:

1.      $1 million for the City of Omaha Streetcar Project alternative analysis and environmental review.

2.      Language authorizing the Omaha Streetcar Project as a federal transit project pursuant to Chapter 53 of Title 49 of the United States Code;

3.      $44.415 million for widening Nebraska Highway 133 between Omaha and Blair;

4.      $10.968 million for reconstruction of US Highway 75 near Bellevue to accommodate the Nebraska approach to the new Missouri River Bridge that will link Bellevue, Nebraska with I-29 in Iowa;

5.      26.659 million for construction of the Missouri River Bridge and approach near Bellevue, Nebraska;

6.      $1 million for to construct a pedestrian overpass at the Union Pacific Railroad mainline and Reichmuth Road in Valley, Nebraska.