-- Bluestone Dam Safety:  I strongly support the President’s budget request of $86.5 million for the Huntington Army Corps of Engineers to continue work associated with the stabilization of the Bluestone Dam in Hinton, West Virginia, which does not meet current safety standards.  Dam failure would cause catastrophic flooding along the Greenbrier, New, Gauley, Kanawha, and Elk Rivers, including the City of Charleston.  This project would help keep more than 115,000 persons, and property in excess of $6.5 billion, out of harm’s way. 

-- Marmet Dam Rehabilitation: $30 million has been requested for the Huntington Army Corps of Engineers to rehabilitate the seventy-five year old dam at Marmet, West Virginia.  Dam failure would result in catastrophic flooding, threats to life and property, and would halt the transportation of coal, chemicals, and many other West Virginia commodities along the Kanawha River for an extended time period.

-- Greenup Locks and Dam:  $19.534 million has been requested for the Huntington Army Corps of Engineers to initiate the Greenup Lock Extension project, in Greenup County, Kentucky.  This project is required to minimize risk of failure of the locks.  Barge traffic delays at the Greenup Lock (which is the 8th busiest of the Corps’ locks and dam projects), due to closures of the main lock chamber are increasing in frequency and duration.  Failure of the lock chambers would generate massive delays in river transportation and costs to industry.

-- Island Creek Flood Protection Project: $21.795 million has been requested for the Huntington Army Corps of Engineers to complete real estate acquisition and construction work associated with widening the Island Creek channel in Logan, West Virginia.  Island Creek has had six major floods in the last thirty years, resulting in repeated loss of life and significant property damages.  This project will help to lessen the impact of future flood events. 

-- Statewide Flood Warning System:  $1.523 million has been requested for the Huntington Army Corps of Engineers to continue the installation of stream gages and the upgrade of existing gages throughout the state.  These gages make up an integrated statewide flood warning system that would provide real-time rainfall and stream flow data transmitted by satellite directly to the National Weather Service and the West Virginia Office of Emergency Services.   The project will reduce loss of life and property damages throughout the entire state of West Virginia by providing more time for evacuations and protection of moveable property. 

-- Marlinton Flood Protection Project:  $1.5 million has been requested for the Huntington Army Corps of Engineers to continue to develop a flood control project, consisting of a combination of levees and floodwalls, on the Greenbrier River in Marlinton, West Virginia.  Significant flood events in November 1985, January 1996, and May 1996 have caused extensive damage to the Greenbrier River Basin region, including the Town of Marlinton.  When completed, this project would provide a 350-year level of protection to the town. 

-- Lower Mud Flood Protection Project: $1.955 million has been requested for the Huntington Army Corps of Engineers to continue work associated with the development of a levee along the Mud River near the Town of Milton, West Virginia.  This area has been extensively impacted by repeated flooding, with the 1997 flood of record having caused damages in excess of $31 million.  The completed project would provide a 250-year level of protection to the town.

-- McDowell County Tug Fork Flood Control Project:  $2.75 million has been requested for the Huntington Army Corps of Engineers to continue work associated with the floodproofing or relocation of residential or commercial structures in McDowell County, West Virginia, which are located within the 100-year floodplain or impacted by the devastating floods of 1977, 2001, and 2002. Accompanying this project are incalculable benefits to reducing risk to life and property, and to improving the quality of life to an economically distressed county. 

-- Ohio River Comprehensive Study: $2 million has been requested for the Huntington Army Corps of Engineers to initiate a feasibility study of the infrastructure within the Ohio River Basin and the associated recapitalization needs. The Ohio River Basin is home to 95 local flood protection plans, 84 flood control dams, and 60 navigation locks and dams, averaging over 50 years old.  Their deteriorating condition requires significant operation and maintenance funds to keep them functional.  This study will develop a strategy for the recapitalization of these structures and possible new investments to ensure that the basin is best serving the current and future needs of the many constituencies it serves.  

-- Wells Lock and Dam Feasibility Report:  $300,000 has been requested for the Huntington Army Corps of Engineers to complete a feasibility report of the Wells Lock and Dam in Wirt County, near Elizabeth, West Virginia.   These structures were built in the 1800’s and are severely deteriorated and require stabilization measures to avoid failure and loss of the upstream pool.  The report will evaluate options for addressing the condition of the dam.  

-- Cherry River Basin Feasibility Study:  $600,000 has been requested for the Huntington Army Corps of Engineers to continue work on the development of a feasibility study to examine options and costs of possible means of flood control within the Cherry River Basin, near the Town of Richwood, West Virginia.  The Cherry River Watershed has experienced severe floods, including floods in 1954, the mid-1960’s, 1980’s, July 2001, two events in November 2003, and, most recently, in March 2007.  A flood control project could potentially reduce loss of life and millions of dollars worth of property when flooding occurs in the future.

-- Upper Guyandotte River Feasibility Study:  $300,000 has been requested for the Huntington Army Corps of Engineers to initiate a feasibility study to evaluate options for flood control along the Upper Guyandotte River.  The flood of July 2001 resulted in two deaths and millions in flood damage.  A flood control project could potentially reduce loss of life and millions of dollars worth of property when flooding occurs in the future.

-- Coal-to-Liquids Plant Research Program:  $1.25 million has been requested for West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, to continue its participation in a research team to assess a variety of issues associated with the construction of a large-scale coal-to-liquids plant in the Shenhua Province of China.  Through this effort, the United States will be able to obtain significant operational data on large-scale plants without direct investment in the facilities and information about the effects of such a plant on the environment.  

-- Center for Diagnostic Nanosystems: $3 million has been requested for Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, to continue to develop new non-invasive nanotechnologies designed to detect and diagnose disease and illness at very early stages.  Faster diagnosis of disease results in earlier and more targeted treatment, which saves lives.