A total of four items involving water and energy research projects are included in the bill that was approved Oct. 15.
Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., is chairman of the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee and helped write the legislation that ultimately passed.
"The bill is passed and currently is sitting on the president's desk, waiting to be signed," said Dorgan.
The four items in the appropriations bill are continuing a five-year Missouri River Basin study, funds for North Dakota energy workforce development, mosquito control funds for the Williston and Trenton Indian Service Area and funds for the Williams Rural Water District. Dorgan said $4,483,000 was approved toward continuing the five-year Missouri River Basin Study. He said the U.S. Corps of Engineers is to continue to work on the study, determining whether changes are needed in regulating the activities authorized in the river basin.
"This was brought forward to look at how the water is being distributed upstream," said Dorgan.
Dorgan feels changes are needed as to how the water is shared along the Missouri River. He said it seems unfair that, "a relatively small industry involving barge traffic" primarily located down in more southern states has priority to the river's water at the expense of locations in states such as North Dakota that provide it.
Another major project Dorgan helped include in the package is $1.9 million for energy workforce development.
"This money will go to a consortium of colleges in the state collaborating on workforce training," said Dorgan.
The $1.9 million is to be split between Williston State College, Dickinson State University, Minot State University and Bismarck State College.
Dorgan said the state already is becoming a leader in oil activity and energy production and has high demand for more jobs of the future.
He said this funding should further help to expand efforts to train and provide those jobs.
A project set to impact local residents is the $750,000 approved for the Williams Rural Water District. The money is to build a new storage reservoir and pipeline to expand service around rural Williston to provide services to another 200 customers.
"This is an opportunity to provide people with needed infrastructure," said Dorgan.
The final project is $200,000 to assist Williston and the Trenton Indian Service Area in its mosquito control efforts.
Dorgan said this project helps to alleviate an obvious pest problem and is included due to it being a problem that could pose a danger to public health.
Dorgan said these projects should help address various water and energy research needs.
"They were included after being reviewed as to whether they have merit and advance the overall public good," said Dorgan.
The bill is titled HR 3183: Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. It passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Oct. 1 by a 308-114 vote and the Senate on Oct. 15 by a vote of 80-17.
A total of 26 items with over $131 million in funds were approved for projects statewide in the legislation.
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