WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a member of the Appropriations Committee, today announced that the Conference Committee has approved legislation including $2.5 million in federal funding for Rhode Island flood prevention and water restoration and research programs he requested as part of the 2010 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration spending bill.

"This bill will allow USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service to continue to work with Cranston and Johnston on plans to combat recurrent flooding along the Pocasset River." said Reed, a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture. "The bill also provides federal funds to prevent pollution and study the health of underwater habitats, helping scientists determine how coastal areas can best be managed and protected."

This spending package contains $300,000 that Senator Reed requested for the Agricultural Research Service to coordinate research on shellfish and shellfish disease.

"This funding is designed to help aquaculture growers on the East Coast breed healthier, more marketable, disease-resistant varieties of shellfish," concluded Reed.

The bill also includes language sought by Reed and Senator Whitehouse to restore the eligibility of the Harrisville and North Tiverton fire districts to compete for federal funding for water infrastructure improvements through USDA. Recent USDA guidance would have prevented USDA from awarding rural development grants or loans to these communities. Reed recently led Senator Whitehouse and their Senate colleagues from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey in writing to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to request that USDA change its policy to restore eligibility to communities in the northeast.

In addition, this legislation provides $350 million, which Reed sought, to assist the nation's dairy farmers who are struggling due to historically low prices, including $290 million to help struggling dairy producers and $60 million to allow for the purchase of cheese and other dairy products for food banks.

The Conference Committee that approved this spending bill was comprised of Senate and House members who were selected to reconcile the differences in legislation that had passed both chambers. Reed helped shepherd this bill's passage first through the Senate Appropriations subcommittee, followed by the full Senate Appropriations Committee, and then through Conference as an appointed conferee to the Conference Committee. The reconciled bill must now pass both the Senate and the House before going to President Obama's desk to be signed into law.

Reed secured funding in the 2010 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration spending bill for several key Rhode Island projects, including:

$2,000,000
Pocasset River Watershed Plan
Cranston and Johnston

This federal funding will help address flooding within the Pocasset River Watershed in Cranston and Johnston. The area has been has been prone to serious flood damage, particularly in the last decade. Subject to the completion of a watershed management plan by NRCS and cost-sharing agreements with the city and town, funding would be available to begin implementation of the plan.

$280,000
Tick Borne Disease Research

The bill also includes funding for tick-borne disease research at the University of Rhode Island (URI). Reed worked with Rhode Island's congressional delegation worked to secure this funding.

$155,000
Nitrate Pollution Reduction

NRCS and URI will use this funding to determine the sources of nitrate pollution and to develop strategies to mitigate the impact on Rhode Island's drinking water supplies and waterways, including its coastal ponds. Rhode Island's drinking water and aquatic habitats are under stress due to increasing concentrations of nitrates, which lead to depleted oxygen levels and in extreme cases fish-kills and "dead zones."

$134,00
Soil Surveys

NRCS and URI will use this federal funding to continue efforts to map subaqueous soils in Narragansett Bay. Subaqueous soils (underwater areas capable of supporting rooted plant growth such as eelgrass) are important to maintaining coastal water quality and improving the productivity of U.S. coastal aquaculture and fisheries. A lack of definitive information on the properties and spatial distribution of subaqueous soils places major limitations on science-based management of activities like dredging, fishing, and conservation in critical shallow water habitats.