WASHINGTON – In her continued effort to bring more transparency and accountability to government spending, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) today released a list containing her earmark requests for Fiscal Year 2008.

"Operating our government in a more open and transparent way is a goal worthy of every member of Congress," Capito said.  "I am not anti-earmark, nor do I believe the word 'earmark' should be a dirty word.  I do believe, however, that the earmarking process should be done in the most transparent way possible in order to allow taxpayers to hold their government accountable."

Rep. Capito, serving on the Rules Committee last year, worked closely with congressional leaders to implement earmark reforms that required public disclosure of all earmark requests on appropriations bills and allowed debate and a vote on any earmark request.

This year, under pressure from Rep. Capito and other pro-earmark reform colleagues, House Democrats decided to restore last year's Republican earmark reforms after initially establishing a policy that made the earmarking practice more secretive and provided the public less information.

Rep. Capito concluded, “I hope my colleagues join me in providing this information in order to give taxpayers a more open look at this process.”  

A list of Rep. Capito's Fiscal Year 2008 earmark requests are below:

Note:  The following is a list of high priority appropriations projects submitted to the House Appropriations Committee by Rep. Shelley Moore Capito in FY 2008.  Projects included on this list are not guaranteed funding at the amount requested or any funding at all.  These projects propose no new spending, as they seek to be included through the budgeted appropriations process. 

Pursuant to House Rules, Rep. Capito has filed letters with the Appropriations Committee certifying that neither she nor her spouse have a financial interest in any project included. 

Projects are listed by the appropriations bill they would be included in.

AGRICULTURE

Braxton Gilmer Research Technology Institute                           $50,000
Provides resources to provide for broadband deployment in Braxton County.

Gene Salem Senior Center                                                        $25,000
Funding would provide for construction and roof repair at a senior center in Mason County.

Morgan County Courthouse                                                      $500,000
Provides assistance to Morgan County, which lost its historic courthouse to an August 2006 fire, in constructing a new courthouse.

West Virginia Integrated Predator Management                          $400,000
Would allow the Department of Agriculture to engage in Predator Management activities to protect livestock across West Virginia.

 
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE

Charleston SWAT Team                                                             $255,100
Provides funding to purchase updated SWAT equipment for the City of Charleston Police Department.

Hartford Police Department                                                         $30,000
Provides funds for equipment and officer safety equipment at the Hartford Police Department.

Jefferson County Law Enforcement Communications                    $600,000
Provides for interoperable law enforcement communications so that county and local police and emergency management officials can communicate efficiently during emergency situations.

Metro Drug Unit                                                                           $250,000
Provides funding for the Drug Unit to continue operations to cut down on meth use and production in the Kanawha Valley.

Morgan County Courthouse Security                                             $100,000
Provides resources for security and law enforcement equipment for the new Morgan County Courthouse.

Upshur County Sheriff                                                                    $50,000
Provides funding for communications and officer safety equipment for the Upshur County Sheriff’s Department.

DEFENSE

Advanced Technology Testbed for Medical Device Software Assurance     $4,000,000
This request would fund a collaborative support Center in WV to support the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense health software development efforts.  The project would be led by the Mid-Atlantic Technology Research and Innovation Center in South Charleston.

Counterinsurgency Biometrics Tactical Census  – STS Technologies            $7,000,000
This program establishes technology that will provide tactical forces the capability to accurately identify in real time persons of interest using biometrics.  This program is carried out in Morgan County, West Virginia.

Expert Organizational Development System (EXODUS)                             $5,000,000      This project in partnership with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base will allow search and retrieval across data sources to allow the Air Force to retain important knowledge as a large portion of its civilian workforce retires.  This work is performed in Braxton County, West Virginia.

Quick Don Anti Exposure Suit                                                                     $6,000,000
This funding will allow the procurement of Quick Don Anti Exposure flight suits – produced in Wirt County, West Virginia, to provide for greater safety to pilots.

ENERGY AND WATER

Note: All Energy and Water requests are to the Army Corps of Engineers

Burnsville Lake                                                                                           $1,987,000 Funding will continue operations and maintenance at Burnsville Lake in Braxton County.  This amount is provided for in the President’s budget request.

Central West Virginia Environmental Infrastructure                                       $2,000,000 This program has been authorized by the Water Resources Development Act of 1999 and provides funds for water and wastewater projects in West Virginia’s Second Congressional District.  Previous funding from this program has been used for water or wastewater projects in Putnam (Putnam PSD), Pendleton (Brandywine-Pendleton PSD), Jackson (North Jackson PSD), Randolph (Norton-Harding PSD), Kanawha (Guthrie), and Hampshire (Green Spring PSD) counties. 

Elk River Harbor                                                                                           $375,000
Would provide funds for the Corps of Engineers to dredge a portion of the Elk River in Charleston to allow for shipping on the river.

Marmet Locks                                                                                          $25,000,000
This funding would complete lock chamber construction, open the new lock, and continue environmental mitigation at the Marmet Locks in Kanawha County.  This amount is provided for in the President’s budget request.

Sutton Lake                                                                                                $1,962,000
Funding is to continue operations and maintenance at Sutton Lake in Braxton County.  This amount is provided for in the President’s budget request.

INTERIOR

Green Spring Public Service District                                                                 $400,000
Provides for a new gravity collection sewer system with pump stations to convey wastewater to a proposed treatment plant in Hampshire County.  THIS REQUEST RECEIVED FUNDING THROUGH THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS AND HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN.

Sugar Creek Public Service District                                                               $1,500,000
Would provide funds for a 17 mile water line extension, a 100,000 gallon tank, and a Booster pump station to serve approximately 2,400 customers in the Wilsie-Rosedale area in Braxton County.

Weston-Jackson’s Mill Water Line                                                                $250,000
Will provide funding to assist with a major water line extension to the Jackson’s Mill 4-H facility to assist in development and provide clean water service for local residents in Lewis County.

LABOR, HHS, EDUCATION

James Rumsey Technical School                                                                     $100,000
This funding would allow for new job training opportunities in Berkeley County by allowing the school to proceed with their Automotive Technology Program and their Computer Technology Program. 

Martinsburg City Hospital                                                                                $344,000
This funding would be used to fund technology improvements to their Electronic Medical Records system.

Martinsburg Public Library                                                                               $50,000
Funding would purchase computers and software that would allow the library to better serve residents with new technology and allow library staff to make presentations to school and community groups.

Schoenbaum Family Enrichment Center                                                            $255,000
This funding would be used for the Center’s Enterprise Development Initiative to provide job training to economically, mentally, or physically disabled youth in the Kanawha Valley.

St. Joseph’s Hospital                                                                                      $2,000,000
This funding would provide for updates in information technology to allow for implementation of an electronic medical records system and provide for furnishings in the newly renovated emergency department and Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU ) at the hospital in Upshur County. 

TRANSPORTATION/HUD

Charleston YWCA                                                                                          $250,000
Funds would help the Charleston YWCA renovate their building that was originally constructed in 1919.

Franklin Streetscape                                                                                         $200,000
This funding will provide for streetscape improvements, including new sidewalks and lighting to beautify downtown Frankln in Pendleton County.

Kanawha Valley YMCA                                                                                  $255,000
This funding would provide for construction and renovation of facilities at the Tyler Mountain YMCA location to allow for a childhood obesity program.

Loy Cultural Center                                                                                          $100,000
This project will convert a former Coca-Cola bottling facility in Hampshire County into a cultural center to host community events and make use of a vacant property in the downtown area. 

Marshall Point Pleasant                                                                                   $2,000,000
This funding would be used to add additional classroom and laboratory space at Marshall University’s Ohio Valley Campus in Point Pleasant to allow new classes in several health related fields to be taught at the facility.

Morgan County Courthouse                                                                            $1,000,000
This would provide construction funds to assist Morgan County in replacing its courthouse building that was destroyed by fire in 2006.

Raleigh Street Extension                                                                                  $4,000,000
Funds would be used to construct an extension of Raleigh Street in Martinsburg to address the major traffic problems in the growing Eastern Panhandle.

St. Albans Loop Plaza Revitalization                                                                $1,580,000
This funding would allow for construction and renovation of Loop Plaza in St. Albans to support a Center for the arts.  The project would renovate a total of three buildings and improve the outdoor areas around the plaza by adding trees, sidewalks, and lighting.

US Route 35                                                                                                $23,000,000 Provides additional funds for the construction of the new 4-lane Route 35 between Interstate 64 and the Ohio border. 

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