Energy

Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development

Project Title: Advanced Close-Cycle Turbine Generator
Recipient: Stellar Photonics
Amount: $4,000,000
Location: Redmond, Washington and Las Vegas, Nevada

Purpose: With this funding, Stellar Photonics will continue the development of an advanced close-cycle turbine generator, which would help electric turbines run more efficiently and be used to fill gaps between renewable energy outputs and the energy demand curve.

Importance: Renewable energy technologies, such as wind and solar power, often do not produce energy during the peak demand hours when consumers use the most electricity. Using advanced close-cycle turbine generators will provide a more reliable, steady energy source while still utilizing low-carbon energy sources.

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Project Title: Algae Biofuels Research
Recipient: Washington State University
Amount: $2,500,000
Location: Pullman, Washington

Purpose: Washington State University would utilize this funding to develop a process to harvest algae biomass resources for the production of biofuel.

Importance: This project would explore the potential to diversify our country’s energy portfolio, slow global warming by decreasing carbon emissions, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil sources.

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Project Title: Baker Bay Channel Dredging at Ilwaco
Recipient: Portland District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount: $899,000
Location: Baker Bay, Pacific County, Washington

Purpose: The Army Corps of Engineers would use these funds to dredge the channel to the Port of Ilwaco to the authorized depth to maintain safe navigation in and out of the port.

Importance: The Baker Bay Channel provides marina access for the US Coast Guard and the commercial, charter, and sport fishing industries which are vital to the economy of the City of Ilwaco and the region.

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Project Title: Centralia Flood Control
Recipient:  Seattle District, Army Corp of Engineers
Amount:  $1,000,000
Location:  Lewis County, Washington

Purpose:  The Centralia Flood Control investigation would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to continue a feasibility study for a project to reduce flooding in urban areas, including the cities of Centralia and Chehalis, and to reduce the risk of flooding to the I-5 corridor.

Importance:  Significant flooding in 2007 and 2009 resulted in heavy damages to the urban and rural areas of the Chehalis Basin and closed the I-5 corridor for a total of six days.  This project is needed to protect citizens, commerce, communities and the interstate from further flooding.

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Project Title: Chehalis River Basin
Recipient:  Seattle District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount:  $1,020,000
Location:  Grays Harbor County and surrounding areas, Washington

Purpose:  Funding would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to continue studying measures to reduce flood risks and restore the ecosystem throughout the Chehalis River Basin.

Importance:  Significant flooding in 2007 and 2009 caused heavy damages to urban and rural areas of the river basin. This project is needed to protect citizens, commerce, and communities from further flooding.

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Project Title: Columbia River at the Mouth
Recipient:  Portland District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount:  $21,000,000
Location:  Pacific County, Washington

Purpose:  This project provides annual funding for dredging of the mouth of the Columbia River where it meets the Pacific Ocean. Additional funds will be used to study the major rehabilitation of the jetties and conduct interim repairs.

Importance:  $16 billion in exports and imports are transported via the Columbia River annually.  Maintaining a safe navigation channel for transit of commercial and recreational vessels is critical to the economic vitality of the region.

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Project Title: Columbia River between Chinook and Sand Island
Recipient:  Portland District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount:  $1,028,000
Location:  Chinook, Washington

Purpose: The Army Corps of Engineers would use this funding to dredge the federal navigation channel to the authorized depth, maintaining a safe navigation channel to the Port of Chinook.

Importance: The one-mile channel from the port basin to the Columbia River needs to be dredged to ensure access to  the commercial and recreational boats that rely on the Port of Chinook’s seafood processing facilities, stores, campgrounds, and boat-repair shops that are critical to the region’s economy.

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Project Title: Columbia River Fish Mitigation
Recipient:  Walla Walla District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount:  $137,615,000
Location: Columbia River, Washington

Purpose: The Army Corps of Engineers would use this funding to provide fish passage improvements for salmon and steelhead in the Lower Snake and Lower Columbia River and estuary system.

Importance: These fish passage improvements are a part of a holistic recovery effort to return endangered and threatened fish to sustainable levels and could lead to an increased abundance of endangered species as well as increased economic development opportunities for the region.

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Project Title: Duwamish/Green River Ecosystem Restoration Program
Recipient: Seattle District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount: $13,120,000
Location: Duwamish/Green Watershed, King County, Washington

Purpose: This funding would provide critical habitat restoration improvements to help offset significant loss of fish and wildlife habitat in the region.

Importance: This project would assist in the recovery of fish and wildlife species, including the Endangered Species Act federally-listed chinook salmon that are integral to the economic growth and well-being of the region.

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Project Title: Elliott Bay (Alaskan Way) Seawall Feasibility Study
Recipient: Seattle District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount: $1,400,000
Location: Seattle, Washington

Purpose: The Army Corps of Engineers would utilize this funding to investigate and document damages to the infrastructure of the 75-year-old Elliott Bay Seawall. 

Importance: The aging seawall provides protection to the city of Seattle and the public utility, telecommunications and transportation network along Elliott Bay. Failure of the seawall would disrupt these activities as well as rail operations along a significant national freight corridor.

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Project Title: Energy Recovery and Ash Recycling Pilot Project
Recipient: City of Vancouver
Amount: $2,000,000
Location: Vancouver, Washington

Purpose: The City of Vancouver would utilize this funding to purchase equipment that allows for the removal of heat from sludge incineration at a wastewater facility.

Importance: This cutting-edge equipment would allow the City of Vancouver to produce energy, produce a marketable by-product, eliminate ash disposal in landfills, and reduce the temperature of the wastewater treatment plant’s effluent that is discharged to the Columbia River.

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Project Title: Farm-Based Renewable Energy
Recipient: Foster Creek Conservation District
Amount: $429,000
Location: Douglas County, Washington

Purpose: The Foster Creek Conservation District would utilize this funding procure a mobile unit that will allow farmers to process biofuels on their own farms.

Importance: This project provides a model for farms around the country to generate rural economic development, increased energy independence, and environmental sustainability.

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Project Title: Geothermal Energy Development 
Recipient: Snohomish County Public Utility District
Amount: $1,000,000
Location: Snohomish County, Washington

Purpose: This funding would allow Snohomish County Public Utility District to facilitate the development of the potential geothermal energy resources that are available in the Cascade Mountain Range.

Importance: In addition to contributing to the region's energy security and independence, this project could increase the region's ability to generate reliable, family-wage jobs in the renewable energy field.

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Project Title: Howard Hanson Dam Interim Risk Reduction Measures
Recipient: Seattle District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount: $44,000,000
Location: King County, Washington

Purpose: Because of damage to the adjacent abutment to the Howard Hanson Dam from winter storms, the flood protection the dam provides is drastically reduced. The Army Corps of Engineers would use these funds to undertake temporary emergency repair measures to greatly reduce the interim risk of flooding until the full capability of the dam is restored.

Importance: This funding is critical to protect the Green River valley communities that are home to over over 350,000 people and include industrial, warehouse, distribution, and aerospace manufacturing facilities that are essential components of Washington state’s economy.

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Project Title: John Day Lock and Dam
Recipient: Portland District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount:  $7,217,000
Location:  Klickitat County, Washington

Purpose: The Army Corps of Engineers would utilize this funding to repair a fish ladder turbine pump. Currently, only one of three fish ladder turbine pumps is operational.

Importance:  These repairs are critical because if the remaining pump fails, no salmon will be able to pass through the dam.  In addition to violating the Endangered Species Act, this could severely damage the viability of the region’s salmon population.

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Project Title: Kulzer BioEnergy Park
Recipient: Borgsford BioEnergy
Amount: $3,000,000
Location: Stevens County, Washington

Purpose:  This funding would allow Borgsford BioEnergy to continue progress on a biomass conversion plant that will produce steam for electrical power generation as well as marketable by-products such as biofuels.

Importance: Construction of this biomass conversion facility will provide accelerated opportunities for job growth in the region while producing clean renewable energy from local waste materials.

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Project Title: Lake Washington Ship Canal
Recipient: Seattle District, Army Corp of Engineers
Amount: $13,376,000
Location: Seattle, Washington

Purpose:  This funding would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to provide critical structural, electrical, and mechanical updates to the Lake Washington Ship Canal navigation lock.

Importance: Annually, over 1.5 million tons of cargo and about 50,000 vessels pass through the locks, making Lake Washington Ship Canal the busiest navigation lock in the United States. This project is critical to maintaining the economic vitality of the Pacific Northwest and will aid in salmon restoration through the canal’s fish ladder.

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Project Title: Little Goose Lock and Dam
Recipient: Walla Walla District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount:  $3,407,000
Location:  Columbia and Whitman Counties, Washington

Purpose: Little Goose Lock and Dam, located in Eastern Washington, on the Snake River is a key part of the Columbia River Power System.  This funding would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to replace aging expansion joints that allow the dam’s concrete to expand and contract.

Importance:  Little Goose Lock and Dam provides critical navigation, hydroelectric generation, recreation, and irrigation to southeast Washington, and regular maintenance is important to ensure the dam can continue to provide these benefits to the economy and quality of life of the region.

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Project Title: Lower Monumental Lock and Dam
Recipient: Walla Walla District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount:  $6,048,000
Location:  Walla Walla and Franklin Counties, Washington

Purpose: This funding would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to design, construct, and install a new downstream lock gate to replace Lower Monumental Lock and Dam’s current failing gate.

Importance:   This project is critical to the continued movement of the over 2.8 million tons of cargo valued at $750 million that travels on the Columbia Snake River System annually. The failure of this lock would cut off shipments of imports and exports and poses a high risk to salmon recovery efforts in the region.

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Project Title: McNary Lock and Dam
Recipient: Walla Walla District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount:  $6,960,000
Location:  Benton County, Washington

Purpose: McNary Lock and Dam, located in Eastern Washington, on the Snake River is a key part of the Columbia River Power System.  This funding would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to replace aging expansion joints that allow the dam’s concrete to expand and contract.

Importance:  McNary Lock and Dam provides critical navigation, hydroelectric generation, recreation, and irrigation, and regular maintenance is important to ensure the dam can continue to provide these benefits to the economy and quality of life of the region.

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Project Title: Mt. St. Helens Sediment Control
Recipient:  Portland District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount:  $14,600,000
Location: Cowlitz County, Washington

Purpose:  The Army Corps of Engineers would use this funding to continue monitoring and analysis of sediment resulting from the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens and to continue analysis of levee modification and dredging for a long-term solution.   

Importance:  Sediment and debris runoff from the Mt. St. Helens eruption continues to flow downstream which causes potential flooding concerns and navigation problems for the economically-important recreational watercraft that utilize the Cowlitz and Toutle Rivers.

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Project Title: Mud Mountain Dam
Recipient: Seattle District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount:  $3,441,000
Location:  Pierce and King Counties, Washington

Purpose: The Army Corps of Engineers would utilize this funding to maintain the existing diversion dam and trap and haul facilities, which ensure threatened Puget Sound Chinook salmon are able to be passed to spawning habitat above the dam.

Importance:  Proper maintenance of the diversion dam and trap and haul facilities is necessary to prevent Mud Mountain Dam from becoming an impassible barrier to salmon and other species, which would violate the Endangered Species Act and put the sustainability of the dam at risk.

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Project Title: Odessa Subarea Special Study
Recipient: US Bureau of Reclamation
Amount: $1,250,000
Location: Adams, Franklin, Grant, and Lincoln Counties, Washington

Purpose: This funding would be used by the US Bureau of Reclamation to continue a feasibility study that will result in options for utilizing surface water resources for use in agricultural irrigation in place of deep wells, which deplete the underlying aquifer.

Importance: In addition to avoiding ecological ramifications by preserving aquifer resources, this project will support the region’s irrigated crops and in turn, the thousands of jobs throughout the region generated by the agricultural industry.

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Project Title: Ocean-Based Energy Generation
Recipient: Oscilla Power
Amount: $600,000
Location: Seattle, Washington

Purpose: This funding would be used to further the development of wave energy generation.

Importance: In addition to furthering the development of a clean energy technology that could increase our region’s energy independence and reduce carbon emissions, this project provides significant economic development opportunities for Washington’s coastal communities.

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Project Title: Potholes Reservoir Supplemental Feed Route
Recipient: US Bureau of Reclamation
Amount: $1,000,000
Location: Grant and Adams Counties, Washington

Purpose: This funding would allow the US Bureau of Reclamation to purchase a right-of-way to develop the Potholes Reservoir Supplemental Feed Route along the natural Crab Creek channel to utilize it as a water conveyance.

Importance: The Columbia Basin Project is a significant driver for the economy in Central Washington and this investment in the Potholes Supplemental Feed Route infrastructure will provide increased water use efficiency and water security for South Columbia Basin Irrigation District lands.

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Project Title: Puyallup River
Recipient: Seattle District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount:  $600,000
Location:  Pierce County, Washington

Purpose: The Army Corps of Engineers would utilize this funding to study and determine alternatives for addressing flood and related habitat issues of the Puyallup River.

Importance:  Mitigation efforts stemming from this study would protect the safety of local communities and minimize damage to the area’s businesses and infrastructure in the event of a flood on the river. The potentially-affected area is economically important to the region as it is heavily industrialized and also includes Interstate 5 and two active rail lines transporting cargo and passengers across the state and nation. 

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Project Title: Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters Restoration Construction General Program
Recipient: Seattle District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount: $4,000,000
Location: Whatcom, Clallam, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, Island, King, Pierce, Thurston, Kitsap, Mason, and Jefferson Counties, Washington

Purpose:  This funding would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to identify and construct critical ecosystem restoration projects on the locally- and federally-owned lands bordering the Puget Sound.

Importance: In addition to restoring habitats for many threatened, endangered, or candidates for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act, this funding would invest in the natural assets that are important to the region’s the shipping, fishing and shellfish production, outdoor recreation and tourism industries.

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Project Title: Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration
Recipient: Seattle District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount: $1,000,000
Location: Whatcom, Clallam, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, Island, King, Pierce, Thurston, Kitsap, Mason, and Jefferson Counties, Washington

Purpose: This funding would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to identify, design and construct riparian habitat restoration sites in the nearshore, estuarine and marine areas of Puget Sound. 

Importance: In addition to protecting public health, water quality and the aesthetics of the nearshore areas and supporting numerous threatened and endangered species, this funding would invest in the natural assets that are important to the region’s the shipping, fishing and shellfish production, outdoor recreation and tourism industries.

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Project Title:  Shoalwater Bay Shoreline Erosion
Recipient:  Seattle District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount:  $7,321,000
Location:  Pacific County, Washingto

Purpose:  This construction project will allow the Army Corps of Engineers to provide flood protection and severe coastal storm damage reduction to the Shoalwater Tribe’s reservation.

Importance:  The Shoalwater Tribe’s reservation is experiencing an alarming rate of shoreline erosion which has caused flooding of tribal lands and facilities.  This construction project will help protect the reservation and prevent further loss of tidal areas including shellfish beds which provide a major portion of the tribe’s livelihood. 

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Project Title: Skagit River General Investigation Study
Recipient: Seattle District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount: $1,137,000
Location: Skagit County, Washington

Purpose: This funding would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to analyze possible flood control projects to protect citizens and infrastructure that would be impacted by a flood event on the Skagit River.

Importance: This project would investigate options to protect local commercial infrastructure, the sole north-south interstate and railroad corridor west of the Cascades, state and local roads, and fuel pipelines from nearby refineries to Seattle and SeaTac Airport from a major flood event.

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Project Title: Southwest Washington Tidal Energy Project
Recipient: Grays Harbor Public Utility District and Pacific County Public Utility District
Amount: $1,500,000
Location: Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties, Washington

Purpose: Grays Harbor Public Utility District and Pacific County Public Utility District would use this funding to study the feasibility of a tidal power demonstration project.

Importance: In addition to the creation of family-wage jobs in the renewable energy field, tidal power has the potential to lessen the country’s dependence on foreign oil by providing a carbon-neutral, predictable, domestic energy source.

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Project Title: Straw to Energy Project
Recipient: Farm Power
Amount: $250,000
Location: Rockford, Washington

Purpose: This funding would allow Farm Power to commercialize a renewable energy demonstration project that creates biofuel from unprocessed straw that would otherwise be considered a waste product.

Importance: In addition to assisting in the disposal of waste straw, this project would expand opportunities for economic growth by allowing farmers and ranchers throughout the Northwest to provide energy back to the electrical grid.

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Project Title: Swinomish Channel Maintenance Dredging
Recipient: Seattle District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount: $850,000
Location: Skagit County, Washington

Purpose: This funding would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the Swinomish Channel, which is necessary to maintain navigable depths for the vessels that travel the channel.

Importance: The revenue generated by moorage slips, marine-related businesses, and the commercial and recreational boats that use the Swinomish Channel are vital to the economic well-being of the region.

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Project Title: Walla Walla Watershed
Recipient: Walla Walla District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount: $2,000,000
Location: Walla Walla and Columbia Counties, Washington and Umatilla, Wallowa, and Union Counties, Oregon

Purpose:  Using this funding, the Army Corps of Engineers would focus on the restoration and management of a viable ecosystem in the Walla Walla River Basin by evaluating and recommending plans to boost biological resources and natural ecosystem functions and processes.

Importance: In addition to restoring instream flows for chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and other fish, this project would provide a stable water source that provides water for the region’s economically-important agriculture industry.

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Project Title: Willapa Harbor
Recipient: Seattle District, Army Corps of Engineers
Amount:  $75,000
Location:  Pacific County, Washington

Purpose: The Army Corps of Engineers would utilize this funding to conduct pre-dredging environmental work in Willapa Harbor.

Importance:  Dredging of Willapa Harbor is crucial to ensure vessel navigation into the Bay Center Marina, which supports much of the Oyster industry in Willapa Bay.

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Project Title: Wind Energy Technology Training Program
Recipient: Walla Walla Community College
Amount: $500,000
Location: Walla Walla, Washington

Purpose:  Using this funding, Walla Walla Community College will establish a certificate and degree training program to meet urgent industry workforce demand.

Importance: The rapid development and expansion of wind energy development has outpaced the available labor pool. Along with preparing workers for family-wage jobs, this training program will further the economic development of the region by increasing the available trained workforce.

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Project Title:  Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project
Recipient:  Bureau of Reclamation
Amount:  $16,400,000
Location:  Benton, Kittitas, and Yakima Counties, Washington

Purpose:  In the Yakima River Basin, water shortages during the cyclical droughts pose an ongoing challenge.  With this funding, the Bureau of Reclamation would be able to continue a water conservation project with Sunnyside Valley Irrigation

Importance:  In addition to providing increased water conservation in the region, this funding would ensure continued economic opportunities for the region’s farmers and fishermen.