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The following information about pork projects passed by the U.S. Congress was released by Senator Dick Durbin.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced the final omnibus spending bill which was approved today by the Senate includes $448,455,800 in funding for several Illinois projects.

The bill could be sent to the President for his signature as early as this weekend. The following projects and provisions are included in the bill:

Agriculture

Agriculture Research Service (ARS):

* Biotechnology Research and Development Corporation (BRDC), Peoria: $3,564,000 to support research and development work. BRDC is a unique biotechnology consortium that allows private companies to enter into research and development agreements with federal labs in areas such as agriculture, biotechnology and healthcare. BRDC does not conduct research or employ its own scientific staff - instead they seek out and fund research programs of commercial/scientific interest.

* Cost Efficient Ethanol Production, Edwardsville: $386,000 for USDA/ARS research at the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Pilot Plant. The plant, which is fully operational, has the near term potential to improve the efficiency and decrease the cost of corn conversion for ethanol production.

Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service:

* Future Foods, Champaign-Urbana: $494,000 for the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign to support interdisciplinary research on improving food and food systems in developing countries. The project will then disseminate that information to aid organizations and other entities in developing countries to promote health, nutrition, disease, and sustainable development.

* Soybean Disease Biotechnology Research Center, Champaign-Urbana: $799,000 to continue a research partnership with the National Soybean Research Lab, which includes soybean rust research, at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

* Agricultural Marketing, Champaign-Urbana: $188,000 for the University of Illinois Extension to extend its Market Maker information technology platform to a national level. Market Maker is an interactive marketing tool that connects farmers and small processors to buyers interested in locally produced items. It advances the viability of local food systems and diversified agricultural production by giving farmers and local processors a set of marketing tools previously available only to large food companies and helps retailers and others find specialty products.

* Urban Horticulture and Marketing, Chicago: $75,000 to Windy City Harvest for the development of an urban horticulture and marketing program, with an emphasis on raising organic crops and the wholesale/retail sale of crops. This program will provide job training and jobs to residents of the North Lawndale neighborhood.

Natural Resources Conservation Service:

* Wildlife Habitat, Southern Illinois: $108,000 to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for a statewide wildlife management/education/technical assistance program for private landowners and natural resource professionals, in cooperation with the National Wild Turkey Federation.

* Illinois River Agricultural Water Conservation Project, Central Illinois: $108,000 to the Illinois Department of Natural Resource to implement water quality and quantity enhancement projects on agricultural lands within the Illinois River Basin, in cooperation with Ducks Unlimited.

* McDowell Grove Dam Flood Plain/Wetlands Restoration Project, DuPage County: Language was included that grants the National Resources Conservation Service the authority to help DuPage County revive natural river functions and stabilize and restore the flood plain. This language will help the County obtain up to $1.658 million in federal funding for this component of the West Branch DuPage River Watershed Plan.

Animal Plant Health Inspection Service:

* Asian Longhorn Beetle: $353,000 to the City of Chicago and State of Illinois for continued work on removal of the Asian Longhorn Beetle.

* Emerald Ash Borer, Statewide: $1.5 million for the State of Illinois to conduct field research and to mobilize efforts to identify, remove, and dispose of infested trees.

* Sustainable Zoo Populations, Chicago, Illinois: $37,000 for the Conservation Science Department at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Illinois, to collaborate with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to improve and monitor the techniques, processes, and systems to prevent disease transfer and ensure sustainability and maintenance of health in zoo populations nationwide.

Food and Drug Administration:

* National Center for Food Safety and Technology, Summit-Argo: $2.228 million to continue FDA food safety and security research at the National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST) at the Illinois Institute of Technology. NCFST has received funding annually through a cooperative agreement with FDA.

Commerce - Justice - Science

* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: $260,000 for improved science education through programming for teachers and students. These programs are in partnership with Chicago Public Schools.

* Ceasefire at the University of Illinois, Chicago: $427,000 for the Chicago Project for Violence Prevention to expand Ceasefire, an accelerated community-based prevention, intervention, treatment and advocacy initiative.

* Des Plaines Teen Center, Des Plaines: $300,000 for gang, alcohol and drug education and prevention programming for adolescents at the Des Plaines Teen Center. Since the Teen Center opened in fall 2004, police records indicate a significant decrease in delinquent disturbances in the surrounding community between 3 pm and 6 pm.

* GoGirlGo!, Chicago: $526,900 to the Women's Sports Foundation for the GoGirlGo! Chicago initiative, a mentoring, education and development program targeting at-risk teens to prevent drop-outs, truancy, crime, violence and drug abuse by promoting participation in sports and physical activity after school. These school programs are held throughout the Chicago metropolitan area through partnerships between the Women's Sport Foundation and community based groups. Durbin worked with Senator Obama to fund this project.

* Illinois Sheriffs Association: $200,000 for law enforcement and clean-up of methamphetamine production and abuse. This builds on FY06 COPS Methamphetamine funding the Sheriffs Association used for public awareness around methamphetamine and equips sheriffs around the state with technical and logistical assistance specific to controlling methamphetamine.

* Kids Hope United, Illinois: $100,000 for family preservation services for methamphetamine-affected families. Kids Hope United serves families in a rural area of east central Illinois, where methamphetamine has hit hard and is destroying families involved with it. The services offered include counseling, case management, child welfare care and strong coordination with other agencies offering substance abuse treatment, housing assistance, job training and legal services. Kids Hope United's family preservation program was recently evaluated and scored very high on effectiveness.

* McLean County Drug Court, Illinois: $350,000 for a drug court. Funding would allow the coalition of social service, law enforcement and corrections officials in McLean County to move forward with plans to establish a drug court that would emphasize close supervision, treatment and rehabilitation for the drug-dependent.

* Macon County Justice Council, Illinois: $150,000 for gun violence prevention. The Justice Council represents law enforcement, judiciary, domestic violence, and public health interests in Macon County who are working together to reduce chronically overcrowded jails. Macon County is looking to Ceasefire in Chicago as a model for implementing gun violence prevention strategies to help reduce the volume of people in the system.

* Shedd Aquarium Center for the Great Lakes, Chicago: $260,000 for Great Lakes conservation education. The Great Lakes initiative will target eight states and two Canadian provinces with awareness and education messages about the value and vulnerability of the Great Lakes and the need to protect against habitat loss, shoreline degradation, water diversion, invasive species and declining water quality.

* Substance Abuse Treatment Program, Paris: $200,000 to the Human Resources Center of Clark and Edgar Counties to combat substance abuse among high-risk youth in east central Illinois. Schools in these counties have recently experienced an influx of drugs and increased truancy rates. The Human Resources Center works to reduce substance abuse and subsequently reduce crime and truancy.

* The Women's Treatment Center, Chicago: $230,000 for services for incarcerated mothers and their children. The Women's Treatment Center provides addiction and mental health services to women and their children. The Parents and Children Together (PACT) program uses weekly video conferences to facilitate visits, records tapes of mothers reading books to their children, and other tools as part of family preservation services for incarcerated mothers and their children. Funding would expand the number of families participating in the program.

* Will County, Illinois: $962,900 for interoperability upgrades for the County's communications infrastructure. Specifically, funding will replace in-squad car computers to allow the use of 911 voiceless dispatching and access to national and regional networks. Durbin worked with Senator Obama to fund this project.

Energy and Water

Army Corps of Engineers:

* Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal Aquatic Nuisance Species Barrier System, Chicago: $9.25 million for the demonstration barrier and Barrier II, including $500,000 to maintain a consistent flow of electricity in order to keep operational the current demonstration barrier and $8 million to make permanent a system to eliminate potential bypasses of non-indigenous aquatic nuisance species such as the Asian Carp. Language was included in the Water Resources Development Act to make permanent the demonstration barrier and complete construction of Barrier II. Senator Durbin worked with Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) to authorize and fund this project.

* Chicago Shoreline, Chicago: $9 million to complete reconstruction of the crumbling Chicago Lake Michigan Shoreline consistent with a Project Cooperation Agreement.

* Thornton & McCook Reservoirs, Chicago: $29.97 million for continued construction of the McCook Reservoir in the Chicago Underflow Plan.

* South Fork of the South Branch of the Chicago River (Bubbly Creek), Illinois: $500,000 to continue work on the hydraulic and hydrologic analysis and the Detailed Project Report (DPR).

* Des Plaines River Flood Damage Reduction Study Phase II, Lake County: $368,000 for hydrology, hydraulic studies, and formulation for the remaining tributaries and the mainstem Des Plaines River.

* Des Plaines River Flood Damage Reduction Phase I, Illinois: $6.099 million to continue construction work on Levee 37 and continue design work on Big Bend Reservoir Expansion and Buffalo Creek Reservoir Expansion.

* Locks No. 27, Mississippi River, Illinois: $6.948 million for the major rehabilitation of Locks 27 on the Chain of Rocks Canal including the lock lighting contract, drilling and testing for the design of the lock wall tie downs, design of the culver valves, and the planning, specifications, and construction of the sill anchors.

* Nutwood Drainage and Levee District, Greene/Jersey Counties: $285,000 to continue activities related to levee improvements and expansion.

* Peoria River Front Development, Peoria: $109,000 to begin design efforts on lower islands.

* Upper Mississippi River Comprehensive Plan, Western Illinois: $26.294 million to complete a study into flood damage prevention, stream bank caving and erosion, and other ecosystem restoration activities. Of the total funding recommended, $9 million will be used for preconstruction engineering and development, $169,000 for recon and $17.125 million for costs associated with general construction.

* Illinois River Basin Restoration, Statewide: $737,000 to continue evaluation and begin construction.

* Lake Shelbyville, Shelbyville, Illinois: $4.768 million for repairs associated with flooding in January 2005. The lake experienced the second highest flood level in its 35 years of operation. Facilities sustained substantial damage which will result in the closure of several recreation areas. The recreation economic benefit is $69 million in visitor spending within 30 miles of Lake Shelbyville. Current budget levels do not allow for the repairs of these facilities.

* Emiquon Preserve, Fulton County: Special language directing the Army Corps of Engineers to give priority funding consideration to restore aquatic ecosystems in Emiquon Preserve in Fulton County.

* Squaw Creek Watershed, Lake County: $730,000 to restore aquatic ecosystems in Lake County's Squaw Creek Watershed.

* Construction, Statewide: The following projects were also included in the conference report under U.S. Army Corps on Engineers, Construction: Illinois Waterway, Lockport Lock and Dam Replacement ($20.445 million); East St. Louis ($2.303 million) and Lock and Dam 24 ($313,000).

* Operations and Maintenance, Statewide: The following projects were also included in the conference report under U.S. Army Corps on Engineers, Operations and Maintenance: Calumet Harbor and River ($3.621 million); Carlyle Lake ($4.177 million); Chicago Harbor ($1.763 million); Chicago River ($423,000); Farm Creek Reservoirs ($372,000); Illinois Waterway ($31.315 million); Kaskaskia River Navigation ($2.985 million); Lake Michigan Diversion ($587,000); Project Condition Surveys ($93,000); Rend Lake ($4.159 million); Waukegan Harbor ($1.235 million); Surveillance of Northern Boundary Waters ($116,000) and Inspection of Completed Works ($806,000).

Department of Energy:

* Southern Illinois University, Carbondale: $500,000 for biofuels research at Southern Illinois University.

* University of Chicago Hospitals, Chicago: $600,000 to research and develop better detection of breast cancer in African-American women.

* Dominican University in River Forest: $600,000 to research the role of transglutaminases - enzymes that are found in abnormally high numbers in certain diseases - in Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease.

Interior

Department of Interior, National Park Service:

* Alumni Hall at Knox College, Galesburg: $300,000 to develop permanent exhibits of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates and the Underground Railroad. The exhibits will include a Knox College Lincoln Studies Center, a Lincoln-Douglas Debates & Underground Railroad Information and Education Center, and an art gallery. Alumni Hall is on the National Register of Historic Places. Galesburg was the site of the fifth Lincoln-Douglas debate in 1858.

Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service:

* Shawnee National Forest, Southern Illinois: $850,000 to complete acquisition of land tracts from willing sellers within the boundaries of the Shawnee National Forest. These funds are to allow the Forest Service to acquire land and consolidate holdings for the purposes of environmentally responsible forest management.

* Chicago GreenStreets Program, Chicago: $350,000 to improve urban forestry in the City of Chicago. The GreenStreets program focuses on improving the quality of urban life through tree planting and care, recycling and open space revitalization. This fifteen year old initiative serves as a successful model of how an investment in urban natural resources conservation can restore deteriorated neighborhoods and enhance public open space.

State and Tribal Assistance Grants:

* Monmouth Wastewater Improvements, City of Monmouth: $300,000, to the City of Monmouth for repairs and upgrades of wastewater facilities.

* Riverdale Wastewater Improvements, Village of Riverdale: $300,000, to the Village of Riverdale to upgrade drinking water and sewer systems.

* Chatham Water Treatment Upgrade, Village of Chatham: $300,000, to the Village of Chatham to upgrade its drinking water treatment and water supply infrastructure.

Other National Projects:

* Small Public Water System Technology Centers, Nationwide: $2,800,000 to fund centers across the country, including $350,000 to the Midwest Technology Assistance Center (MTAC) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. MTAC is a consortium led by the University of Illinois and the Illinois State Water Survey. MTAC provides technical and other assistance to small public water systems and public systems serving Indian Tribes throughout the Midwest.

Labor, Health and Human Services, Education

* Access Community Health Network, Chicago: $390,000 to integrate behavioral health services in a community health setting. Access Community Health Network provides high quality, community-based health care for the underserved in the greater Chicago area.

* Catholic Charities, Chicago: $487,000 for vocational training and support programs at the St. Leo Residence for Veterans. In 2002, Catholic Charities partnered with the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide housing and medical services for homeless veterans. One of five pilot projects in the country, St. Leo's was the first to break ground and the only one that includes a clinic.

* Cristo Rey High School, Chicago: $390,000 for the Cristo Rey High School library and technology center. Cristo Rey Jesuit High School offers a college preparatory education for the immigrant families of Chicago's near southwest side.

* East St. Louis High School: $536,000 to improve math and sciences programs at East St. Louis High School.

* Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago:$536,000 for a therapeutic School and Center for Autism Research.

* Golden Apple Foundation, Chicago: $341,000 for a teacher training initiative for undergraduate math and science programs. The Golden Apple Foundation is an academy of expert teachers dedicated to advancing the teaching profession by recognizing excellent teachers, recruiting and preparing prospective teachers with a special emphasis on schools of need, and providing teachers access to innovative resources.

* Heartland Partnership, Peoria: $390,000 for construction of a cancer research laboratory.

* Holy Cross Hospital, Chicago: $975,000 for information system and technology improvements.

* Illinois Primary Health Care Association, Statewide: $585,000 for information system and technology improvements for community health centers. The Illinois Primary Health Care Association represents Illinois' community health centers, including homeless and public housing health centers that operate more than 360 primary care sites statewide and in bordering states.

* Nicasa, Lake County: $316,000 for evening outpatient substance abuse treatment program for women. Nicasa is a substance abuse treatment and prevention agency offering services and programs dedicated to helping communities, families, adults and youth.

* St. Leonard's Ministries, Chicago: $253,000 for job training and placement for ex-offenders. St. Leonard's Ministries provides comprehensive residential and case management services to men and women who have been released from prison without the skills, housing and other resources necessary to rebuild their lives.

* St. Mary's Good Samaritan, Inc., Mt. Vernon: $438,000 for medical equipment. St. Mary's Good Samaritan is one of the largest not-for-profit health care organizations in southern Illinois serving nearly 300,000 people in an 11 county region. It is made up of two regional hospitals located in Mt. Vernon and Centralia, over 120 active physicians, eight family health centers, and numerous specialty programs.

* Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago: $365,000 for the new Prentice Women's Hospital facility and equipment. As a tertiary care facility and an academic medical center, Northwestern Memorial and Prentice Women's Hospital provide advanced health care services to a large and diverse patient population from the seven-county metropolitan Chicago area and beyond. The hospital is staffed by more than 5,000 care givers and 1,000 physicians in 30 medical and surgical specialties, all dedicated to the organization's mission to putting "Patients First."

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development

Federal Transit Administration:

* CTA Circle Line, Chicago: $3.92 million in funding for capital investment grants for the CTA Circle Line. The Circle Line's goal of connecting existing lines with commuter lines is particularly important to serving the entire region. The Circle Line is a key component of the City's transportation strategy for the 2016 Olympics. It provides improved access to venues throughout the entire Chicago region by greatly facilitating transfer connections between all Metra and CTA rail lines.

* CTA Ravenswood Brown Line, Chicago:$40 million to expand capacity on the Ravenswood Brown Linewhich serves 66,000 passengers each weekday from the inner Loop to the northwest part of the city. Since 1998, ridershipon the Brown Linehas increased by 21%. This expansion project will modernize the line by increasing the length of Brown Lineplatforms to accommodate more cars, and enable CTA to meet growing ridership demands. This year's funding is consistent with a 2003 Full Funding Grant Agreement.

* Buses and Bus Facilities, Statewide: $6 million for buses and bus facilities. Funding is included for Downstate Illinois replacement buses in Bloomington, Champaign-Urbana, Danville, Decatur, Peoria, Pekin, Quincy, River Valley, Rockford, Rock Island, Springfield, Madison County, Rides MTD, South Central MTD and Macomb. Funding is also included for bus facilities in Bloomington, Galesburg, River Valley Metro in Kankakee, Peoria, and Rock Island, including $250,000 for the Macomb maintenance facility and $250,000 for Kankakee's River Valley Metro operations facility.

* Metra Connects, Northern, Illinois: $29.4 million for the Metra Connects program which is a coordinated plan to address transportation issues and meet the population explosions within Northeast Illinois. $7.35 million for each of the four major Metra extensions (STAR line, UP West Extension, UP Northwest Line, Southeast Service Line).

The Transportation Community and System Preservation Program:

* Illinois Bike and Pedestrian Trails, Statewide: $3 million statewide for bike and pedestrian trails: Aurora bike trail, Cal-Sag Greenway Bike Trail, Harrisburg to Eldorado Bike Trail, Grand Illinois Trail, Village of Carbon Cliff, General Dacey Trail, SIU Trail Phase 2, Urbana to Danville Trail, Great River Trail near Savanna, Springfield bike trail, Manteno Trail System, and Edwardsville Morris Trail.

Surface Transportation Program

* River Tech Boulevard, Moline: $1.2 million to construct a flood proof road that provides access to Western Illinois University Campus.

* I-355 Corridor Improvement, Will County: $435,000 for planning and engineering for expansion and improvements of roadways along County Highway 37.

Federal Aviation Administration:

* Airport Improvements, Waukegan: $750,000 for an environmental impact study regarding land acquisition to extend the runway at Waukegan Regional Airport.

* Airport Improvements, Lake in the Hills: $750,000 for relocation of parallel taxiway at Lake in the Hills Airport in McHenry County.

* Airport Improvements, Romeoville: $750,000 for extension of runway and taxiway at Lewis University Airport in Will County.

Department Of Housing And Urban Development (Economic Development Initiatives):

* Looking for Lincoln, Springfield: $500,000 for the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition for the ongoing Looking for Lincoln economic development and tourism initiative in more than 12 Illinois communities.

* Boys and Girls Club, Springfield: $200,000 to the Boys and Girls Club for a new community center on Springfield's East Side.

* Quincy's Riverfront, Quincy: $250,000 for the City of Quincy's riverfront infrastructure improvement initiative, which will create parks, trails and other public space.

* Lifespan Center for the Coles County Council on Aging, Coles County: $250,000 to help construct a senior citizen Lifespan Center for the Coles County Council on Aging.

* Lakeview Museum, Peoria: $350,000 to match local/private funds for construction of the Lakeview Museum, designed to promote economic development and tourism in downtown Peoria.

Homeland Security

U.S. Coast Guard:

* EJ&E Railroad Bridge, Morris: $2 million to improve the EJ&E Bridge on the Illinois River, near Morris, IL. To date, $13 million has been appropriated for the EJ&E Bridge, which is hit by marine vessels more often than any other bridge in America. Repair of the bridge is a priority for the United States Coast Guard.

Military Construction, Veterans' Affairs

* Child Development Center, Scott Air Force Base: $8.2 million to construct a new Child Development Center that will replace the existing facility that currently serves children aged 6 weeks through 12 years. The current facility provides only 35% of the total space and care requirements for children of working parents. In addition, the rapidly deteriorating facility requires constant maintenance for plumbing, heating and cooling systems, roof leaks, flooding, damage to flooring, and inadequate wiring. The new Child Development Center will provide over 200 children at Scott Air Force Base with a comfortable and clean educational environment.

* Combined Fire/Police Facility, Rock Island Arsenal: $3.35 million to finish remodeling the existing Rock Island Arsenal Fire and Police Station and complete the remaining 4,000 square feet of the new addition. The original facility, constructed in 1874, did not allow the entire police force to be located in the same building; fire department equipment had to be housed in a location separate from department personnel. The improved facility will allow the police and fire departments to operate in a more efficient manner and better serve Rock Island Arsenal through safety and security. Senator Durbin secured $7.4 million for this project in FY06.

* Security Forces Squadron Operations Facility, Scott Air Force Base: $16.7 million for a Security Forces Squadron Operations Facility at Scott Air Force Base. This facility will support the base's joint security forces to include air base defense, crime prevention, investigation, training, information and personnel security, resource protection, confinement operations, and armory. The facility will create synergy between the active and guard security forces units as well as provide adequate storage and training areas necessary to keep these troops combat-ready.

* Army National Guard Readiness Center, St. Clair County: $8.1 million to redesign the Readiness Center in St. Clair County. This Center is required to provide adequate administrative, supply, classroom, locker, latrine, and kitchen space in support of peacetime missions. The facility will help the unit meet readiness, recruiting and retention and training objectives.

* Great Lakes Naval Training Center, North Chicago: $26.871 million for infrastructure upgrades ($16.65 million) and a weapons training facility ($10.221 million) at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center.

* Federal Healthcare Facility, North Chicago: $99 million to construct a TRICARE outpatient medical clinic addition and alter existing space within the North Chicago VA Medical Center to fully integrate Navy and VA Federal Health Care missions in North Chicago. The facility will provide sufficient ambulatory capability and support space to fully integrate the healthcare activities of the existing Naval Hospital within the current VA Medical Center. This will deliver cost effective healthcare to eligible DOD beneficiaries in the North Chicago area, including sailors at Great Lakes Naval Training Center.

Financial Services and General Government

* Rockford Federal Courthouse, Rockford: $58.792 million for construction of a new federal courthouse in Rockford.The Rockford courthouse, which was built more than 25 years ago, is filled to capacity and has structural problems that would be prohibitively expensive to repair and impede efficient functioning of the court. In addition, the lack of a separate prisoner entrance to the building compromises security at the facility. This funding is the amount necessary to finish the project.

* Franklin Hospital, Benton: $400,000 for an archiving and communication system.

* Illinois State University, Normal: $250,000 for a business incubator.

* BroadbandTelecommunications Project, Statewide: $2,000,000 statewide for utilization and capital expenses for broadband installation in underserved and low-income areas. Administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

* Safer Foundation, Chicago: $300,000 for transitional employment placement.

* Job Training, Placement and Retention, Chicago: $250,000 for Uhlich Children's Advantage Network to support job training, placement and retention services.

Labels: Dick Durbin, Pork