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Senate Passes Defense Appropriations BillDec 22, 2009 (Congressional Documents and Publications/ContentWorks via COMTEX) -- Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD), a member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced that the Senate has passed the Defense Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2010. Johnson included more than $36 million in the bill to fund important statewide projects. Along with defense funding, the package includes extensions for crucial programs, including emergency unemployment insurance, COBRA health insurance, the USA PATRIOT Act and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly the Food Stamp Program). The bill also temporarily addresses the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate formula, which determines Medicare reimbursements for physicians. Without inclusion in the bill, Medicare providers would have seen their Medicare payments cut by 21 percent. "This Defense Appropriations spending bill is crucial to our men and women in uniform and I am pleased that the Senate has passed this bill and look forward to President Obama signing it into law," Johnson said. "I fought hard throughout this entire Appropriations process to fund critical defense research projects in our state. The legislation also included extensions of crucial programs, including unemployment insurance and COBRA." Johnson's earmarks aid both the state economy and U.S. military by funding cutting-edge technology at South Dakota's research schools. The bill secures $11.7 million for the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and $8 million for South Dakota State University. Johnson-Secured Funding for South Dakota Projects Includes: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSM&T) - Multi-Utility Materials (MUM) for the Future Combat Systems - $7,200,000 This project will develop strong and lightweight vehicles made with multi-utility materials. SDSM&T is partnering with Iowa State University and Florida A&M on this project. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSM&T) - Life Extension of Weapon Systems Through Advanced Materials Processing - $2,500,000 This program will identify candidate components from specific high sustainment cost items in the Navy inventory and match them with repair technologies being developed at SDSM&T. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSM&T) - Smart Integrated Systems (SIS): Materials, Manufacturing Methods, and Structures - $1,000,000 This SDSM&T project will help to make it possible for the military to acquire energy efficient, intelligent structures with multifunctional materials that can be manufactured at affordable prices. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology - Energy Efficiency, Recovery and Generation - $1,000,000 This project will attempt to develop bioconversion technologies of biodiesel, green diesel, and biohydrogen generation from lignocellulosic biomass which will help the Air Force achieve their target of 18% biofuel production of current fuel consumption. SDSM&T is partnering with South Dakota State University (SDSU) and two other SD-based companies on this project. South Dakota State University - Alternative Power Technology (APT) for Missile Defense - $3,200,000 SDSU works with Radiance Technologies to develop and demonstrate alternative power technology for missile defense. South Dakota State University - Accelerated Materials Development for Army Cannon Systems - $2,400,000 SDSU is working with the U.S. Army to help develop a fatigue testing system to test and predict the life and the reliability of cannon system parts. South Dakota State University - Renewable Jet Fuel from Lignocellulosic Feedstocks - $2,400,000 This project will develop affordable, alternative sources and production technologies that can achieve high conversion efficiency (by energy content) bio-fuel for military aviation applications. University of South Dakota - The Center for Engineered Biomedical Devices (CEBD) - $288,000 The CEBD, headquartered at the GEAR Center in Sioux Falls, develops materials and devices that improve quality of life after loss of functionality in tissues or limbs due to disease or trauma. The range of CEBD research includes biomaterials, scaffolding and prosthetic devices, and intelligent drug delivery. Rosebud Sioux Tribe - Advanced Electronics Rosebud Integration Center (AERIC) - $3,000,000 This funding will help the Rosebud Sioux Tribe continue their project to demonstrate advanced electronics integration and fabrication technology on the reservation. Dakota Power LLC - Next Generation Lightweight Drive System for Army Weapons Systems - $1,600,000 Dakota Power LLC has developed technology to reduce the size and weight of electric drive systems to power Army weapons systems. Black Hills Nanosystems Corporation - Exploding Foil Initiators (EFI) with Nanomaterial-Based Circuits - $2,400,000 Black Hills Nanosystems Corporation in Rapid City makes EFI devices which ensure personnel safety by reducing the risk of unintended detonation of munitions. Lloyds Systems - Advanced Robot and Sensor Technology for Surveillance and Energy Efficiency Applications - $1,200,000 Lloyds Systems', in Rapid City, robot and sensor technology has demonstrated results which reduce the energy consumption of commercial and industrial HVAC systems by 15 to 20% thus significantly reducing energy consumption. Because of the small size of the robots and their ability to traverse through HVAC ducts, Lloyds' robots have also drawn interest from the DOD for surveillance and covert operations. Aerostar - High Sentinel Stratospheric Airship - $2,400,000 The HiSentinel is an expendable high-altitude unmanned airship and Aerostar in Sioux Falls provides the inflatable hull design and fabric specifications for the airship. They have been working with the Army Space & Missile Defense Command (SMDC). This project meets a military requirement for a low-cost, lighter-than-air, high-altitude platform. OctaFlex Environmental Systems, Inc., CHA Corporation - Self-Contained Automated Vehicle Washing System with Microwave Decontamination - $1,600,000 This project provides a portable, environmentally-benign, large-vehicle wash and decontamination system which emits no contaminates, and removes and neutralizes chemical and biological weapons as well as oil, grease, and dirt. It will also be developed with Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funds from three Armed Services. General Atomics - Military Waste-to-Energy Project using the Hydro-Thermal Energy Conversion - $1,600,000 General Atomics proposes to demonstrate the conversion of biomass wastes (cellulosic/wood, garbage, sewage, agricultural) to clean fuel gas and power. The project will focus on engineering scale-up and testing of a demonstration system using wastes readily available at Ellsworth AFB. If successful, the technology and demonstration equipment will transition into a full-scale demonstration plant that is matched to the selected waste generation capacity for the base and help the facility meet the Air Force's alternative energy commitments. H.F. Webster Inc. - Aging and Battle Damaged Weapon Systems Repair - $1,200,000 Repair requirements for Army and Marine ground vehicles returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are expected to exceed $100 billion over the next several years. The purpose of this funding is to identify opportunities for cost savings associated with applying materials processing and joining technologies to specific repair applications, develop the repair techniques, and then qualify the repairs. Based on H.F. Webster's experience with its FY08 Aging Weapons Systems Repair Program, it expects to see a return on investment on the order of $33 in repair/replacement costs saved by the government for each $1 invested in the repair application development and qualification. IKOR - Stabilized Hemoglobin Wound Healing Development - $1,200,000 IKOR in Aberdeen in conjunction with Northern State University is undertaking a study to further formulate and develop wound healing applications for the military based on their patented technology derived from bovine hemoglobin. The project will study and develop new technology that will help treat injured warfighters quicker and more effectively. IKOR says they will match the proposed military contract with 2-3x the investment from private sources. Raven Industries - Integrated Vehicle Health Management System (IVHMS) for UH-72A Lakota - $1,600,000 Raven Industries in Sioux Falls will work with Goodrich Corporation to upgrade the Army helicopter fleet. Raven Industries supplies electronic circuit components to the Goodrich Corporation which is the prime contractor for the IVHMS. EMCC - Optimization, and Transfer of a Reliable Testing Technology for Materials Designed to Protect War-fighters Against Toxic Chemical Warfare Agents - $480,000 EMCC in Rapid City will support the collaborative development of an advanced, analytical testing system for accurate evaluation of various military protective materials and their abilities to minimize human threats from battlefield exposure to hazardous chemical warfare compounds. EMCC is located on the campus SDSM&T and has a formal partnership agreement with them. This agreement allows faculty and students from SDSM&T to participate collaboratively with EMCC personnel in projects requiring creative solutions to real-world problems. FlexTech Alliance in collaboration with South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSM&T) - Printed and Conformal Electronics for Military Applications - $1,600,000 FlexTech Alliance and SMSM&T, under Army Research Lab oversight, will develop and manage a prototype for printed and conformal electronics. Examples of printed and conformal electronics: a flexible, foldable electronic map; a wrist-mounted flexible, computer screen; or an electronic sticker that can display varying information. National Programs Include: B-1 Bomber AESA Radar Operational Utility Evaluation - $2,000,000 Instrumentation Program for Tribal Colleges - $2,475,000 Litening 4th Generation Advance Targeting Pod Spiral Upgrade Kits - $2,000,000 Procurement Technical Assistance Program - $9,000,000 #DAL1234# |