Senators detail local CDS priorities in 2023 spending bill

Dec. 29—U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) both voted on Thursday, Dec. 22 in support of the Fiscal Year 2023 omnibus appropriations package.

As members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Manchin and Capito joined colleagues in voting to prevent a looming government shutdown and fully fund the government for FY 2023 via the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. According to a press release from Capito's office, the omnibus appropriations package passed the Senate by a vote of 68-29, advancing it to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration ahead of a Friday, Dec. 23 deadline.

The House of Representatives voted 225-201 on Dec. 23 to pass the bill, and President Joe Biden signed it into law the same day.

The spending package in total is about $1.7 trillion. It includes $45 billion in aid for Ukraine as well as Manchin's bipartisan legislation to reform and modernize the Electoral Count Act of 1887, according to a press release from the office of West Virginia's senior senator.

"This afternoon, I voted for the FY23 funding bill that is a bipartisan, fiscally sound compromise," Manchin said in the Thursday press release. "Many of the West Virginia priorities that I proudly fought for, such as increased funding to fight the drug epidemic, resources to boost West Virginia's growing defense industry and billions of dollars to upgrade water and wastewater infrastructure are included in this omnibus legislation.

"The package also includes $45 billion in aid for the Ukrainian people as they defend their nation against Putin's unprovoked invasion and deliberate weaponization of energy, as well as my bipartisan legislation to reform and modernize the outdated Electoral Count Act of 1887. I look forward to seeing President Biden sign this legislation into law and as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue to advocate for West Virginian and American priorities while also working to get our fiscal house in order."

"As a member of the Appropriations Committee, our task is to craft legislation that fully funds our government," Capito said via press release. "This process can be a challenging one, but after negotiation and compromise, I am pleased that so many West Virginia priorities I have fought for since I came to the Senate were addressed.

"Most importantly, I was able to lend my voice to ensure support for priorities that are important to West Virginia. As such, this bill contains significant funding to support our national defense, academic research, efforts to combat the opioid crisis, important medical research for diseases such as Alzheimer's and childhood cancer, fossil energy, economic development, broadband expansion, and efforts to secure our border."

Manchin noted that he secured more than $228 million for 175 Congressionally Directed Spending requests in the Mountain State in the most recent budget bill, which was an increase of 87 projects and more than $61 million in additional funding from the previous fiscal year, he noted.

Among the West Virginia priority highlights provided by Manchin's office were $46 billion to the Department of Energy for innovation in providing a clean energy future while reducing the nation's vulnerability to foreign energy sources; $155 million in funding for West Virginia's growing defense industry, including $55 million for the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory in Rocket Center and $23,500,000 for the West Virginia National Guard; $4.9 billion in increased funding to fight the drug epidemic, which includes $1.6 billion for the State Opioid Response Grant program with 15 percent set aside for the hardest-hit states like West Virginia; funding for the STREAM Act, which includes Manchin's bipartisan bill that allows states to set aside up to 30 percent of their Abandoned Mine Land (AML) funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law toward acid mine drainage (AMD) treatment, allowing new technology developed by West Virginia University to clean up over 100 miles of polluted streams across the state while recovering much-needed rare earth elements that can be used in clean energy technologies; funds to protect rural telehealth access; $256.4 million for economic development endeavors, which features $29.3 million for West Virginia in Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) Grants, $65 million for ARC POWER Grants and $48 million for EDA's Assistance to Coal Communities; and $2.76 billion to upgrade and improve drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.

A sampling of the individual priorities secured by Manchin for various projects are:

—Beckley — $139,000 to buy equipment including a new snow plow, dozer and excavator for the city;

—Montgomery — $833,000 for needed renovations to city hall for ADA compliance and increased functionality of city hall and the Montgomery Police Department; as well as $750,000 to rehabilitate an abandoned structure in Montgomery and enhance the facility's recreational and commercial potential and support first responders in a regional recreation center;

—Ansted — $4,400,000 to make critical upgrades to failing treatment plant infrastructure to allow for further growth inside and surrounding the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve;

—New Haven PSD — $1,000,000 to construct a water main extension and a transmission line extension to expand and improve safe and dependable water supply for the Old Gwinn Road Water Main Extension;

—Summersville — $1,055,000 to develop the Summersville Visitor Center adjacent to U.S. Rte. 19 in Nicholas County at the north entrance of Summersville;

—West Virginia Land Trust — $2,817,000 to fund the Mammoth Preserve Trail, a multiple-use, non-motorized recreational trail development project in Kanawha and Fayette counties with the goal of providing high-quality public access for trail-based recreation;

—Kanawha County Commission — $720,000 for a mobile command unit and $520,000 for fire protection;

—Beckley Sanitary Board — $4,173,000 to upgrade stormwater and sanitary sewer to alleviate frequent flooding and poor, aging infrastructure for Hartley Avenue, Beckley Little League and Pinecrest; and

—Rainelle — $1,763,000 to rebuild portions of downtown sidewalk previously affected by heavy flooding.

A complete CDS earmarks list from Manchin's office can be found at https://www.manchin.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/fy23_cds_wins.pdf?cb.

According to Manchin, among the requests funded outside the FY 2023 appropriations process were $1.25 million for Oak Hill collection system rehabilitation funded through the Appalachian Regional Commission to make critical repairs to over 9,150 linear feet of sewer line, reducing high amounts of inflow and infiltration and improving service to 3,831 residential customers and 217 commercial customers within the Oak Hill sewer system; and $3.9 million for the Wyoming County Barkers Creek Industrial Park. Funded through the Economic Development Administration, the latter project constructs three pre-engineered metal buildings to the Barkers Creek Industrial Park in Pineville to create useable space for an environmentally-friendly manufacturer of carbon products used in finished products such as electric vehicle batteries, radar absorbing military aircrafts, high quality asphalt binder for road and bridges.

The omnibus legislation includes nearly $251 million in direct spending measures Capito secured that support initiatives and projects across West Virginia. Among the prioritized funding secured via Capito's efforts are:

—Meadow Bridge — $435,000 for community building improvement;

—Marmet Ambulance Station — $557,000;

—McDowell County Commission — $5,468,000 for a commission facility;

—Wyoming County Commission — $450,000 for Hanover waterline extension;

—Raleigh County — $1,000,000 for Raleigh County Piney View-Batoff Mountain waterline extension;

—Shady Spring PSD — $2,000,000 for Glen Morgan wastewater treatment plant upgrade;

—Region 4 Planning and Development Council — $750,000 for a training program, including equipment, curriculum and supportive services;

—Kanawha County fire protection — $520,000;

—Glasgow fire station relocation — $100,000;

—Hinton Landing Development — $500,000;

—West Virginia Music Hall of Fame — $111,000 for educational programs, including interactive displays, exhibits and curriculum

—Princeton Renaissance Theater — $729,000 for rehabilitation;

—Kanawha County — $3 million for the new Shawnee Sports Complex;

—Kimball — $120,000 for renovation and restoration of the historic Houston Company Store; and

—Mercer County — $2,000,000 for multipurpose center land acquisition.

A full list of West Virginia priorities via Capito's office can be found at

https://www.capito.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/12-22-2022%20Capito%20WV%20Wins%20Congressionally%20Directed%20Spending_in%20Omnibus%202023.pdf.

According to the press release, Capito also worked to include a 4.6 percent military pay raise; helped gain an 11.5 percent increase in COPS grant funding; fully fund programs authorized under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA); provide $200 million for the Appalachian Regional Commission; gained an increase of $226 million for Alzheimer's research; full funding for Capito's Childhood Cancer STAR Act and the Childhood Cancer Data Registry; a $296.7 million increase in efforts within HHS to combat the opioid epidemic; a $500 increase to Pell grant awards for a total of $7,395 for the 2023-24 school year; and $57.2 billion for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), an increase of $2.9 billion over last year.

The senators' CDS lists often duplicate individual priorities, since they are working hand in hand.

Email: skeenan@register-herald.com; follow on Twitter @gb_scribe