WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a member of the Appropriations Committee, announced that the Senate approved legislation including $6.8 million in funding for Rhode Island alternative energy, flood prevention, and water restoration initiatives he requested as part of the 2010 Energy and Water Development spending bill. This kind of research holds the potential for Rhode Island to begin creating new "green" jobs.

"Reliable, affordable energy is critical to the economic well-being of our nation and central to our national security. This bill contains $1.5 million in federal funding to help researchers at URI develop smart energy solutions that could eventually provide consumers with greater access to cheaper, cleaner, renewable energy solutions as well as $1.5 million for clean fuel research," said Reed, a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. "I am also pleased that this bill will help restore Rhode Island's coastal habitats and clean up our waterways. It will help ensure that our communities have infrastructure in place to protect local business and homes from flooding."

Reed secured funding in the 2010 Energy and Water Development spending bill for several key Rhode Island projects, including:

$1,500,000
Genetic Improvement of Switchgrass
University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island

This federal funding will enable the University of Rhode Island's Department of Energy to continue researching the genetic improvement of switchgrass.

$1,500,000
Fuel Cell Research
Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island

This federal funding will enable Brown University's Department of Energy and Science to partner with Draper Laboratories of Cambridge, Massachusetts to develop a prototype fuel cell that does not contain expensive or potentially toxic heavy metals. Senator Reed worked with Senator Whitehouse to secure this funding.

$1,250,000
Block Island Harbor of Refuge
New Shoreham, RI

This federal funding will enable the Army Corps of Engineers to complete repairs to the bulkhead within the Block Island Harbor of Refuge, the subsistence harbor for Block Island, which is located about 13 miles offshore. The Harbor's 260-foot long east bulkhead located within the inner basin of the harbor was last repaired in 1970 and is currently in disrepair, jeopardizing the stability of the adjacent bank.

$750,000
South Coastal Rhode Island Regional Sediment Management
Wakefield, Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council requested this funding for the Army Corp of Engineers to study and map the sediment management system. This will allow for hazard reduction planning along the South Coast of Rhode Island.

$500,000
Fox Point Hurricane Barrier
Providence, Rhode Island

This federal funding will enable the Army Corps of Engineers to operate and maintain the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier, which protects tens of thousands of people and approximately $5 billion worth of property.

$300,000
Great Salt Pond
New Shoreham, Rhode Island

This federal funding will enable the Army Corps of Engineers to assess and plan for the removal of 150,000 cubic yards of sediment from the federally-maintained navigation channel at Great Salt Pond on Block Island, Rhode Island. Funding provided in Fiscal Year 2009 is being used to address the immediate shoaling, but more extensive dredging will be needed in the near future to provide a longer-term solution.

$300,000
Point Judith Harbor of Refuge
Point Judith, Rhode Island

This federal funding will allow the Army Corp of Engineers to develop a plan to restore and repair the breakwater as part of the Point Judith Harbor of Refuge Federal Navigation Project. The breakwater protects navigation, provides critical shoreline protection, and is important to protecting the fishing fleet and surrounding area from the open ocean. Portions of the breakwater have eroded and fallen into the ocean. Parts of the center breakwater are submerged at high tide, making navigation perilous.

$300,000
Providence Harbor Shipping Channel
Providence, Rhode Island

This federal funding will enable the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct maintenance dredging of the Upper Providence River, part of the federally-maintained navigation channel. This project will dredge and restore the navigability of one mile of the river in downtown Providence and provide a permanent infrastructure to manage future siltation that currently flows into the Woonasquatucket River, the Moshassuck River, and the Providence River. Senator Reed worked with Senator Whitehouse to secure this funding.

$200,000
Pawcatuck River and Little Narragansett Bay
Westerly, Rhode Island

This federal funding will enable the Army Corp of Engineers to complete an environmental assessment and prepare plans and specifications for maintenance dredging. Once completed, the channel will support significant commercial and recreational vessel traffic, benefitting several marinas, boatyards, and commercial fishing vessels along the Pawcatuck River.

$200,000
Woonsocket Local Protection Project
Woonsocket, Rhode Island

This federal funding will enable the Army Corp of Engineers to operate and maintain the federal flood protection project in Woonsocket. The project provides protection to approximately half of the city's industrial properties as well as homes, commercial establishments, extensive transportation facilities, and public utilities.

The bill must now be passed by the U.S. House of Representatives before it can go to President Obama's desk to be signed into law.