CONGRESSMAN Jared Polis 2nd DISTRICT OF COLORADO

Appropriations

Congressman Jared Polis' FY2010 Appropriations Requests

It is Congressman Polis' policy to only submit appropriations requests for public and non-profit entities in Colorado.

To offer more opportunity for public scrutiny of member requests, members of the House of Representatives are required to post information on their appropriations or “earmark” requests on their websites at the time the request is made with the proposed recipient, the address of the recipient, the amount of the request, and an explanation of the request, including purpose, and why it is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds. 

Congressman Polis' Fiscal Year 2010 Appropriations Requests are below:   

Commerce, Justice, Science

Project Title: Colorado Schools Safety Program (CSSP)
Amount: $700,000
Recipient: University of Colorado at Boulder
1877 Broadway
Suite 601
Boulder, CO 80302

Summary: CSSP will provide training and planning to schools; disseminate the latest research findings about preventing potential and actual threats; and coordinate school safety, risk, and threat assessments and apply their findings by creating violence prevention programs throughout Colorado. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars because it addresses the very real threat of school violence. In the wave of school shootings in middle and high schools and universities across the county, it is necessary and responsible to train school administrators, teachers, and students about the warning signs that lead to school violence, how to address them, and the best ways to prevent these tragedies from taking place. These resources would go directly to educating those on the front lines of school violence in Colorado, protecting millions of children across our state.


Defense

Project Title: eSpace – The Center for Space Entrepreneurship
Amount:  $3,500,000
Recipient: eSpace: The Center for Space Entrepreneurship
1722 Boxelder St.
Louisville, CO  80027

Summary:  The mission of eSpace is to support the creation and development of entrepreneurial space companies, to commercialize their technologies, and to develop the workforce to fuel their growth. The Center will bring intention and structure to the process of forming entrepreneurial space companies with the goal of creating a vital community of entrepreneurial space companies that provides significant contribution to the nation’s department of defense aerospace mission. This will be accomplished through three principal initiatives of the Center:- 1) Technology Development. Develop an extraordinary industry/university research partnership to develop and commercialize viable space technologies;2)  Economic Development. Further a national resource by accelerating the creation and development of entrepreneurial space companies in aerospace-intensive regions of the country; and 3) Aerospace Education. Develop a collaborative industry/university curriculum that is unmatched in its ability to prepare high school, community college, and university students for working in the aerospace industry either as technicians or scientists.  eSpace companies provide innovative quickly deployed technologies in support of the DOD mission. eSpace will help create these companies. Resulting technologies will support broad DOD aerospace initiatives including Operationally Responsive Space and Space Situational Awareness.


Project Title: Laser Ablation Resonance Ionization Mass Spectrometer (LARIMS)
Amount:  $4,000,000
Recipient: Southwest Research Institute
1050 Walnut Street
Suite 300
Boulder, CO 80302

Summary: This instrument is being developed to achieve new possibilities in investigation and scientific analysis. It will be capable of portable, real-time determination of where a person has recently been living, forensic identification of IED manufacturers, and identification of the provenance and enrichment status of nuclear materials.  It is a good use of taxpayer dollars because of its application to the work of the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Geospatial Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the Department of Homeland Security. The scientists developing this instrument have already demonstrated significant progress. The next phase of development will achieve six specific goals: 1) increase efficiency, cutting the time needed for a sample to be analyzed, 2) miniaturizing the equipment so it can be portable, 3) developing a high-resolution mode, 4) initiating a test program that will allow geolocation in the local environment, 5) research light – matter interaction and laser technology, and 6) create a new prototype for use in the field. The endless possibilities of practical applications for a myriad of agencies justifies the use of taxpayer dollars in this important


Energy and Water

Project Title: Carter Lake Pipeline
Amount: $10,000,000
Recipient: City of Boulder
1777 Broadway
Boulder, CO80306

Summary: The City of Boulder and partners propose to construct a water supply pipeline to run from Carter Lake to the Boulder Reservoir Water Treatment Plant and to several smaller treatment plants. Currently, the canal that carries this water to Boulder residents is among the most vulnerable sources of public drinking water in the country. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars because it will protect the health and safety of the residents of Boulder and millions of tourists who visit the Boulder area and require safe, fresh drinking water. This pipeline will help the City of Boulder to meet federal vulnerability standards for the city’s drinking water.


Project Title: Boulder SmartGridCity - Plug-In Electric Hybrid Vehicles
Amount: $6,000,000
Recipient: City of Boulder
1777 Broadway
Boulder, CO 80306

Summary: This project involves converting up to 60 hybrid electric vehicles to Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles with Vehicle to Grid technology. The cars are part of the City of Boulder, Boulder County, and the University of Colorado fleets. To date, a barrier to mass penetration of Plug-in Electric Hybrid Vehicles (PHEVs) has been the inability of these vehicles to connect to a digital network or smart grid using “Vehicle-to-Grid” (V2G) technologies.   While there are stand-alone benefits to PHEVs, the next stage of research, development, and greatest overall benefit is through V2G technology.  When you add V2G to a PHEV, you need a digitally intelligent grid to recognize and coordinate the power coming back onto the grid.  With a smart electricity grid, a utility company can recognize the cars on the grid as sources of distributed generation and call on their battery power in times of peak need. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars because it promotes the “New Energy Economy.” This technology reduces dependence on foreign oil imports, carbon footprint, and overall emissions. As this technology is perfected in Boulder, it can expand to other jurisdictions across the country.


Project Title: Nanoscale Materials for Emerging Energy Technologies
Amount: $1,500,000
Recipient: University of Colorado at Boulder
215 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309

Summary: Develop advanced capabilities to test new materials for renewable energy technologies. In particular, this funding would go toward a Transmission Electron Microscope, which would be able to identify components of materials that could lead to new sources of energy. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars because it promotes the development of abundant, affordable, secure, and non-polluting energy technologies. This appropriation will allow new energy technologies based on nanoscale materials to be discovered, developed, and commercialized. This project will also contribute to energy technologies that will support the Colorado economy and provide critical workforce training. Progress toward energy independence is one of our top policy priorities


Financial Services and General Government

Project Title: Drug Device Diagnostic Institute
Amount: $1,000,000
Recipient: Fitzsimmons Redevelopment Authority (FRA)
12635 E. Montview Blvd.
Suite 100
Aurora, CO 80045

Summary: Colorado is planning for a unique non-profit institute, the Colorado Drug, Device, Diagnostic Development Institute (CD4I) that will accelerate the commercialization of life science discoveries at the University of Colorado and Colorado State University, ensuring greater success in creating and retaining new bioscience companies. CD4I will provide a management team with demonstrated experience and success in drug and medical device development. Over the first five years of the operation of the Institute, this team will take 15 new technologies from CU, CSU and other Colorado institutions and manage them through the five early stages of development, utilizing public and private services in Colorado and elsewhere. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars because it will allow for the broad distribution and application of the products developed from new life science discoveries. It will also have medical and commercial benefit, contributing to economic growth and innovation.


Interior and Environment

Project Title: Snow Mountain Ranch
Amount: $2,500,000
Recipient: The Conservation Fund
1942 Broadway
Suite 323
Boulder, CO 80302

Summary: Snow Mountain Ranch is within the Colorado River Watershed Forest Legacy Area, one of eight areas eligible for Forest Legacy funds in Colorado.  The Forest Legacy Program authorizes the U.S. Forest Service to make a grant to the Colorado State Forest Service, to purchase permanent conservation easements on private forestlands to prevent those lands from being converted to non-forest uses.  Properties such as the Snow Mountain Ranch, containing important scenic, recreation, and water resources that support continued traditional forest uses, as well as fish and wildlife habitat that supports federally-designated species, receive priority for Forest Legacy funding. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars because it protects thousands of acres of scenic forest land from destruction and development. It will preserve the natural beauty of this American treasure for posterity, promoting tourism revenue. Furthermore, Snow Mountain Ranch contains other critical natural resources that will be protected by the proposed conservation easement, including 3.6 miles of the upper watershed of Pole Creek, which drains into the Fraser River, an important tributary to the Colorado River.  Pole Creek is a regional source of municipal and irrigation water, providing senior water rights for the Town of Granby, and supplying water for the facilities on Snow Mountain Ranch.  Snow Mountain Ranch protects wildlife movement corridors, and provides winter range and wildlife resting areas for elk and mule deer, black bear, moose, and mountain lion, as well as habitat for the Canada lynx.  The Pole Creek fishery hosts rainbow and brown trout, and native non-game species.

Programmatic Request for: Office of Environmental Education
Amount: $14,000,000

Summary: Environmental education is a proven tool to prepare Americans to compete globally in high growth environmentally friendly fields such as energy efficiency, green building design, commercial scale renewable energy, biofuels, low emission vehicles, energy efficient manufacturing facilities, and the production of environmentally friendly products. Programs supported by EPA's Office of Environmental Education help train, educate and prepare citizens for careers in environmentally sustainable fields that promote the global transition to less polluting, higher efficiency technologies and practices.  Funds are allocated under the National Environmental Education Act to the EPA’s Office of Environmental Education, the Teacher Awards Program, the Environmental Education & Training Partnership (EETAP) teacher-training program, and the National Environmental Education & Training Foundation (NEETF). EPA has awarded well over 3,000 small grants to schools, universities, museums, zoos, aquariums and local governments. The Environmental Education & Training Partnership has provided training to over 100,000 educators with an emphasis on professional certification and skills development. Through the National Environmental Education & Training Foundation (NEETF), $10.9 million leveraged grant dollars for environmental education has been awarded.  


Labor, Health & Human Services, and Education

Project Title: Health Care Access for Underserved
Amount: $250,000
Recipient: Clinica Family Health Services
1345 Plaza Court North
Suite 1A
Lafayette, CO 80026

Summary: Clinica, a long time non-profit health care service provider in Colorado, has developed a strategic plan that calls for the development of a new clinic site for the People’s Clinic in Boulder, a dental clinic at the Pecos Clinic in west Adams County and enhanced Health Information Technology and Communication systems. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars because it ensures that underserved, low-income citizens will have access to quality health and preventative care. This will avoid greater taxpayer expenses in the future. The particular use of this funding will make long-term improvements to these medical facilities.


Project Title: Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome (LCI)
Amount: $3,500,000
Recipient: University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine
13001 East 17th Place
Campus Box C290
Aurora, CO 80045

Summary: LCI’s Human Genomic Variation Facility will study the variations on chromosome 21 linked with the clinical problems of Down syndrome. The goal is to eradicate these ill effects and transition treatment rapidly from the lab to lives by bringing researchers together with clinical providers. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars because understanding of the mechanisms by which the disease compromises the brain, effective treatments for Down syndrome are possible. Treatment will allow people with Down syndrome to pursue more independent lives, allowing them to be more active in society and the workforce and therefore contribute to the national and state economy and become less reliant on government resources. This project will bring hope to many thousands of American families who are living with a Down syndrome loved one.


Project Title: Mapleton Public Schools and College Summit  
Amount: $40,000
Recipient: College Summit CO
1201 E. Colfax Avenue
Ste. 301
Denver, CO 80218

Summary: Their work as a nonprofit helps manage low-income students through the critical high school-to-college transition, ensuring that all students can pursue higher education.  The goals include: Summer trainings; Year-long Guidance for All Seniors; and Actionable Reporting. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars because it promotes college attendance and academic success. Educational achievement is a crucial element of career satisfaction. This project will ensure that low-income students are not at a disadvantage in the college admissions process, college transition experience, or in the classroom. When low-income young people get a proper education, they have an opportunity to make significant contributions to the increasingly competitive workforce and the economy. Finally, the success of these young people represents a generation of Americans who will no longer need to rely on further assistance from the government.


Project Title: Naropa University Lab-Based Science Curriculum
Amount: $300,000
Recipient: Naropa University
2130 Arapahoe Ave
Boulder, CO 80302

Summary: Naropa University proposes to develop a lab-based science curriculum for its undergraduate program, and to renovate and equip a laboratory classroom for that program. Knowledge of the sciences is an important element of job competitiveness in one’s future career. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars because it addresses the Department of Education’s interest in improving America's competitiveness in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). As colleges and universities across America strive to provide the best education possible, limited resources present constant obstacles to meeting these Education Department standards. This project will remove these roadblocks to progress for Naropa University.  It will also help students become better prepared for the workforce after they graduate.


Transportation and Housing & Urban Development

Project Title: Colorado Association of Transit Agencies-Statewide Bus and Facilities Request
Amount: $48,809,913
Recipient: Colorado Association of Transit Agencies (CASTA)
1580 Lincoln Street
Suite 780
Denver, CO 80203

Summary: The 27-member Colorado Association of Transit Agencies (CASTA) is requesting federal funding to expand services to meet increased demand and to replace existing bus fleets to maintain safety and efficiency standards.  Specifically, 26 Coalition members are requesting funding for the replacement, rehabilitation and purchase of buses and related equipment, while the other 1 Coalition member is requesting funding for the construction of a bus-related facility. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars because it promotes public transportation, an important element of environmental protection and energy independence.  Transit investment is a priority for the citizens of Colorado, in that it supports the creation of jobs in the transit industry itself, but equally as important, provides a means of transportation to and from work.  Since 2004, 70 percent of the population in Colorado lives in areas that supported increased transit funding at the ballot box. The state’s population is increasing at a rate faster than supporting transportation infrastructure can be developed.  As Coloradans seek to minimize the impact of development and activities on the environment, they turn to community transit systems to achieve this goal.  Coloradans know that funding for transit can help the state reduce greenhouse gas and other harmful tailpipe emissions.  Many areas of the state struggle to meet federal air pollution standards and have turned to transit as part of the solution by providing a transportation alternative to the single-occupancy automobile.


Project Name: Eagle County Airport I-70 Interchange
Amount: $2,000,000
Recipient: Eagle County
500 Broadway
Eagle, CO 81631

Summary: Build new I-70 interchange providing direct access to Eagle Airport, connecting three modes of transportation (air-ground-mass transit) vital to the economic growth of Eagle County. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars because it is vital to the continued economic growth of Eagle County and the surrounding region.  Eagle Airport is the third largest airport in the state of Colorado and is growing rapidly.  Scheduled passenger and business jet traffic is growing and subsequently these passengers are congesting local roads.  The traffic has become so congested that the state highway is considered in "Failure" (service level "F") twice a day.  Without relief by providing direct access to I70, travelers will look to other venues outside of Colorado both in the summer and winter.  Each year, the Airport, through the ski and tourism industries especially, adds $82 million to the local economy, in turn having a great effect on Colorado's economy as a whole.


Project Title: State Highway 119 at 63rd Street
Amount: $122,000
Recipient: Colorado Department of Transportation
4201 E. Arkansas Ave #275
Denver, CO 80222

Summary: This funding request would accommodate the much needed improvements along SH 119 at 63rd Street in the City of Boulder.  The improvements will include surface treatment, intersection improvements, railroad crossing and drainage improvements, pavement markings, sidewalks, seeding, mulching and traffic control. This is a good use of taxpayer dollars because transportation infrastructure is crucial to the long-term success of the economy. SH 119 is a major commuter corridor in Colorado and is relied upon as a route to and from work by many thousands of people. Furthermore, highway improvements provide jobs for local workers. Cities across Colorado and across America deserve safe, modern roads.

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