WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today Congressman David Wu obtained nearly $113 million for Oregon projects ranging from school equipment for Vernonia students to a 24-hour crisis line for Oregon soldiers.  Transportation projects that received funds include the Newberg-Dundee Bypass, a multi-modal transit facility for Columbia County, and the quiet zone that Tualatin hopes to establish to mitigate commuter train horn noise.

“The projects I secured funding for today will benefit people across the 1st District, from community college students who want to train for new green jobs to the many commuters who use our roads and rails every day,” said Congressman Wu.  “We must continue to invest in our communities during this economic downturn in order to provide new jobs and the foundation for sustained economic growth.  In addition to helping strengthen our economy, these funds will be used to educate our future workforce, protect our environment, and care for those in need.”   

These projects are included in a partial omnibus that combines multiple appropriations bills, including Transportation and Housing and Urban Development; Commerce, Justice and Science; Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; and State and Foreign Operations.  The House of Representatives today passed a final version of the legislation that represents House-Senate agreement on the projects to be funded.  The Senate is expected to pass the same final version and send the bill to President Barack Obama to sign into law shortly.

Education

$350,000 for Portland Community College Training for Sustainable Careers
Supports the Sustainable Careers for Green Economic Recovery program that trains renewable energy technicians, building commissioners, green building technicians, and alternative fuel auto service technicians and efforts to develop new training options for emerging industry needs.  Funds would be used to develop curriculum, offer classes, purchase critical equipment, and install specialized lab facilities for hands-on training in green building.  These green training initiatives aim to help industry meet demands for sustainable “green” energy and energy-efficient buildings and vehicles.  

$150,000 for Vernonia School Equipment
Supports efforts to obtain necessary supplies and equipment for Vernonia School District, which must replace Vernonia’s elementary, middle, and high schools at a location outside the community’s floodplain, due to the damaged caused by a severe storm in December 2007.

$250,000 for Oregon Institute of Technology Clinical Laboratory Science Equipment
Supports the procurement of equipment for Oregon’s only clinical laboratory science program.  Funds would be used to purchase equipment for both the existing clinical lab science program in Portland and a new program in Klamath Falls, enabling OIT to serve 50 to 75 graduates per year in the clinical lab science and natural science departments.

$100,000 for Oregon Institute of Technology Medical Imaging Software for Health Professional Training
Supports the procurement of computers or networks dedicated to the storage, retrieval, distribution, and presentation of medical images.  These picture archiving and communication systems replace hard-copy-based means of managing medical images and provide the capability for off-site viewing and reporting.  Funds would be used to incorporate this high-tech medical imaging system into the Oregon Institute of Technology’s educational plan for medical imaging technology, dental hygiene, clinical laboratory science, respiratory care, and health sciences students, as well as to provide a needed service to the community, state, and other educational institutions.


Energy and Environment

$500,000 for the West Coast Governors’ Agreement on Ocean Health
Supports a proactive, regional collaboration to protect and manage ocean and coastal resources along the entire West Coast.  Launched in 2006, the West Coast Governors’ Agreement on Ocean Health advances regional ocean governance by addressing critical ocean and coastal protection and management issues.  By coordinating with other levels of government and providing direct resources to address the unique needs of the region, regional approaches to governance can advance federal interests in ocean management and ensure integrated, efficient, and effective management of ocean resources. Funds would support efforts to address the priorities of the action plan, including climate change, polluted runoff, marine debris, spartina eradication, integrated ecosystem assessments, sustainable ocean energy development, ocean education, sustainable communities, and regional sediment management.


Fishing and Agriculture

$600,000 for Disease Reduction in Klamath River Salmon
Supports a five-year research project to address salmon loses in the Klamath basin, which has had a devastating effect on tribal communities along the river and the coastal communities of Oregon and California.  Funds would support research management actions to reduce disease (ceratomyxosis) in natural juvenile salmon of the Klamath River.  Research would be conducted through controlled laboratory and field experiments administered by collaborations between OSU, Humboldt State University, the University of California--Davis, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Yurok and Karuk Tribes, and California and Oregon governmental agencies.


Health Care and Social Services

$300,000 for the Helping Our Heroes Crisis Line
Supports the development of a dedicated 24-hour crisis line in Oregon for returning soldiers and their families who are dealing with mental health, suicide, and alcohol and drug problems.  The crisis line would be a collaboration between Oregon Partnership and the Oregon National Guard and Veterans Administration, and would recruit and train Iraq veterans to serve as crisis line staff who answer calls from military members and their families.  Funds would provide cutting-edge software and technology upgrades to improve response, data gathering, and training for the Crisis Line Call Center.  Funds would also be used to partner with the Oregon military to give teens from military families a voice in their community by helping them use cutting-edge media and film to produce short documentaries, public service announcements, and/or video presentations using Oregon Partnership’s Youth Voices/Youth Choices curriculum.

$500,000 for Multnomah County Re-Entry Services
Supports services and strategies designed to break cycles of addiction, criminality, and homelessness among offenders who have completed their prison and jail term and are returning to their community, a particularly high-risk time period.  Funds would increase the number of offenders receiving substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, housing, and other services as they leave prison and jail by a third; double the number of transitional housing beds available for returning offenders; increase the outpatient treatment slots; and retain mentors and employ specialists.

$200,000 for Neuropsychiatric Research at Oregon Health & Science University
Supports the Multidisciplinary Institute for Neuropsychiatric Diagnosis, a three-year project to create definitive medical diagnostic tests for psychiatric disorders that may underlie or result from methamphetamine abuse, including schizophrenia, depression, post-traumatic stress-disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or bipolar disorder (mania), and to advance treatment for the addicted and mentally ill.  Funds would be used to establish this new institute, as well as to attract investigators to develop objective psychiatric diagnostic criteria.  Funds would also be used to defray the cost of laboratory and clinical operations and administrative costs.  The goal of this project is to gain an enhanced understanding of these disorders that can be used to design targeted treatments.

$470,000 for Rx for Saving Oregon Teens' Lives
Supports efforts to address the escalating occurrence of prescription drug abuse among Oregonians, particularly among young people.  Funds would provide a statewide public education campaign to educate the public about the dangers of nonmedical prescription drug use; education for youth organizations serving high-risk teens; use of social networking and blogs to reach high school and college students; targeted education for coaches, parents, youth leaders, and pastors; and strategic partnerships with local prevention organizations to ensure that prescription drug abuse is addressed in a sustainable manner.

$300,000 for the Washington County Drug Court
Supports the Washington County Drug Court, which seeks to identify the root causes of criminal behavior by identifying high-risk drug offenders and placing them in a program of intensive court monitoring, drug treatment, and counseling.  Funds would be combined with state and local resources to increase the treatment capacity for methamphetamine abuse, which is responsible for 80 percent of Drug Court cases, and for efforts to increase engagement, retention, and success rates.  Thus far, the Drug Court has saved an estimated $2.7 million by having participants successfully complete its program instead of being sent to prison.

$350,000 for Washington County Mental Health Clinic Technology
Supports the procurement of an integrated technology network, including electronic clinical record and claims submission software, computers, and clinic furnishings for a new mental health clinic that will serve 500 low-income, disabled, and homeless individuals who have severe and disabling mental illness and chemical dependency issues each year..  Funds would be used by Washington County, in partnership with Sequoia Mental Health Services, Inc., a nonprofit mental health provider agency.  The proposed project will provide clinical services and affordable housing in Aloha and will feature an adjoining 15-unit apartment that will house some of these same individuals.  It is estimated that the clinic will create 15 new full-time equivalent positions to provide treatment services, maintenance and residential services, and administrative staffing.  In addition, the project is expected to generate 35 full-time positions during the 18-month construction phase.


National Security

$3,737,000 for the Camp Rilea Water Supply System
Supports Camp Rilea’s effort to develop emergency operations capabilities for the benefit of surrounding communities by establishing an independent water supply.  The water system would provide potable drinking water and fire suppression water for Camp Rilea's resident and emergency populations.  The project includes construction of three 200-feet groundwater supply wells, a water treatment plant, a 400,000 gallon storage reservoir, well pump stations, water transmission main lines, and a 12-inch finished water transmission main line.

$386,000 for the Washington County Readiness Center
Supports the replacement of the existing armory in Hillsboro to accommodate recently realigned units and meet essential safety standards.  The current armory, built in 1955, does not provide adequate anti-terrorism/force protection measures; meet current construction or occupancy codes for ADA, seismic, fire, and life safety systems; or provide adequate parking, offices, or utilities, nor is it energy efficient.  Because restoration costs are substantial, replacement is the option that best supports the military mission.  If the armory is not replaced, the lack of adequate space and infrastructure will continue to hamper the unit's mission readiness.  


Transportation and Infrastructure

$389,600 for the Newberg-Dundee Bypass
Supports efforts to improve regional and local transportation by routing traffic away from downtown Newberg and Dundee, thereby reducing congestion, improving the mobility of people and goods, and improving air quality and community livability.  Over the past decade, traffic on Oregon 99W has increased by about 40 percent, severely impacting the cities of Newberg and Dundee.  The bypass will be a new 11-mile highway that will depart from Highway 99W north and east of Newberg and roughly parallel 99W to the south of Newberg and Dundee, rejoining 99W at its intersection with Highway 18.  Funds would be used to implement the next stages of the Newberg-Dundee Transportation Improvement Project.  

$800,000 for the Columbia County Multi-Modal Transit Facility
Supports the improvement of low-cost, efficient transportation options for Columbia County, which currently has inadequate transit services for commuters, residents, veterans, and elderly and disabled individuals.  Public transit ridership in Columbia County grew 85 percent in 2008, the largest growth of all transit agencies in Oregon.  Funds would be used to purchase land and construct a multi-modal public transit facility, including an administration office, vehicle maintenance and storage facility, and park-n-ride/pool facility, which would be based in St. Helens.  The facility would serve as a major public transit hub in Columbia County for all users, including commuters, demand-response, and dial-a-ride coordination and administration, as well as the maintenance of vehicles provided county-wide.

$250,000 for the Tualatin Quiet Zone
Supports the mitigation of commuter train horn noise, which has become a significant issue for the residential neighborhoods and business owners in Tualatin.  Thirty-two commuter rail trains make the trip through Tualatin each weekday, blowing their horn four times at each of the ten crossings in the community for a total of 1,280 horn blasts per day.  Funds would be used for safety improvements to four of the rail crossings that impact Tualatin, consistent with the requirements for pursuing a quiet zone.  Specifically, funds would be used to construct four quadrant gates at three of the crossings and a raised median at a fourth crossing.

$74,230,000 for Portland Mall Light Rail
Supports the improvement of public transportation in the downtown Portland central business district and in the south/north corridor by adding an 8.3 mile light rail extension connecting downtown Portland with Clackamas Regional Center and points in-between.  Funds would be used to construct 15 new stations, including real property acquisition, central control, fare collection, and 22 low-floor light rail vehicles.  This project is scheduled to open for revenue service in September 2009.

$1,266,000 for the Multnomah County Sellwood Bridge Replacement Project
Supports efforts to reduce congestion and enhance safety at the current 80-year old Sellwood Bridge, also reducing the hazard of head-on collisions between vehicles on the narrow lanes.  Funds would be used to replace the Sellwood Bridge, which links two state highways, is the only crossing of the Willamette River in a 12-mile reach, and is both functionally and structurally obsolete.  The new bridge will include state-of-the-art stormwater treatment facilities to capture and treat run-off before it is released to the Willamette River.