SNOWE AND COLLINS ANNOUNCE MAINE PROJECTS INCLUDED IN SENATE VA/HUD SPENDING BILL

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Funding for veterans health care, economic development, housing initiatives, environmental programs, and water and sewer improvements in Maine were included by Senate appropriators in the fiscal year (FY) 2005 Appropriations bill funding the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and other independent federal agencies (VA/HUD), U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins announced today. The legislation was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee this week, and is now prepared for consideration by the full Senate.

"This measure provides critical funding for veterans and economic development initiatives for the coming year. We hope it will lead to increased access for veterans to the VA health care system," said Snowe and Collins in a joint statement. "We are pleased that Mainers will continue to benefit from research conducted at the University of Maine and by the New England Green Chemistry Consortium funded through this bill and from the clean and safe drinking water encouraged under Environmental Protection Agency programs."

Specific funding benefiting Maine in the FY 2005 VA/HUD spending bill is as follows:

• $500,000 for the University of Maine at Orono, to develop Source Water Warning and Analysis Technology.

• $500,000 for the New England Green Chemistry Consortium. A collaboration of universities, the Consortium seeks to work with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and private industry in reducing the reliance upon hazardous chemicals, which increase the vulnerability of the chemical enterprise.

• $450,000 for the Greater Limestone Wastewater Treatment Facilities, to consolidate and replace antiquated wastewater collection and treatment facilities at the Loring Development Authority and Caribou Utilities District.

• $300,000 for the Town of Machias, for replacement of sewers and completion of deficiencies at an existing aging wastewater plant. Discharges of raw untreated sewage have polluted nearby shell-fishing resources, causing them to be closed for fishing.

• $250,000 for the Indian Township Tribal Government of Maine, for the first phase for expansion of current lagoon systems to provide adequate capacity. Currently, the existing system is causing standing sewage on land adjacent to the school's baseball field.

• $250,000 for Brewer's Waterfront Development Efforts, for ongoing improvements to prime riverfront property along the Penobscot River in Brewer. Snowe and Collins have been successful in spearheading a series of funding over successive years for the Brewer project.

• $250,000 for the City of Caribou, for improvements to the Caribou Community Center, which includes a gymnasium, lobby and restroom area. Abandoned by the Maine National Guard in 2001, the community center is located at the former General Carter Armory but in need of significant repair of structural and health hazards. The Community Center serves a population of 12,000 in the communities of Caribou, Stockholm, New Sweden, Connor, Woodland and Westmanland, and is located in the Central Business District of the city.

• $250,000 for the City of Auburn, for the construction of the Great Falls Parking Garage. The garage is part of the broader revitalization project underway in Auburn and will be adjacent to the Auburn Housing Authority apartment building.

• $250,000 for the People's Regional Opportunity Program (PROP) in Portland, to assist in the construction of 16 units of affordable housing as part of the Parkside Neighborhood Center and Affordable Housing project. Located in the most densely populated quarter-mile in the State, the Neighborhood Center will provide for family housing and easy access to city services including transportation.

C $28.4 billion for Veterans Health Care - The bill contains $28.4 billion for veterans health care – a $1.5 billion increase over the President's fiscal year 2005 budget proposal. "We are pleased that appropriators included a funding increase to improve quality health care for veterans, who have given so much to our country," Snowe and Collins said. "As the appropriations process continues, we will work to ensure that this increase to veterans health funding is maintained at the level for which it deserves."