WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama this week signed into law the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009, a bill that includes $367 million in Southeast Louisiana projects funded at the request of United States Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La. The legislation funds a wide variety of initiatives in Southeast Louisiana -- from energy research to health care facilities to transportation infrastructure upgrades -- as well as approximately $340.3 million in Army Corps of Engineers projects for the region.

"I am proud to use my appropriations committee seat to ensure that the federal government meets Louisiana's needs," Sen. Landrieu said. "This legislation funds essential programs that will save jobs and foster much-needed economic development, while addressing the backlog of shovel-ready infrastructure projects in our state."

Sen. Landrieu helped direct appropriations to a variety of public safety projects, including $381,000 to the Louisiana Association of the United Ways in New Orleans. These funds will be used to expand the capacity of the Louisiana 2-1-1 emergency phone line, which played a pivotal role in the state's Katrina and Rita disaster response. This system is the primary resource for up-to-date information regarding evacuation information, medical services, road and school closures and all social services.

"The Louisiana Association of United Ways deeply appreciates Senator Landrieu's commitment to Emergency Preparedness and we are indeed grateful for her leadership which has allowed the LAUW to obtain almost $400,000 in federal funding to increase the capacity of Louisiana 2-1-1," said Charmaine Cacciopp, President of the Louisiana Association of United Ways. "This vital communication system, which represents a strong public-private partnership, will ensure that all citizens of Louisiana have access to critical information during times of disaster, and it will also allow them to obtain high-quality professional assistance as they seek to find the valuable services to assist them in their time of need."

Senator Landrieu also secured critical Army Corps of Engineers projects in Southeast Louisiana. At her urging, Congress allocated $8.6 million for Louisiana Coastal Area ecosystem restoration and protection, and another $119,000 to continue the feasibility study for ecosystem restoration and flood damage reduction in the Bayou Manchac Watershed of the Amite River Basin. In addition, Sen. Landrieu helped fund $1.16 million for additional dredging of the Houma Navigation Canal.

"This Army Corps of Engineers funding will enhance our coastal restoration and flood control efforts," Sen. Landrieu said. "If the federal government invests wisely in projects now, coastal Louisiana will be better prepared when the next disaster strikes. Proper planning by the Corps will save the government billions of dollars, while stimulating commerce in our communities."

"Louisiana's coast is our first line of defense against hurricanes," said Carlton Dufrechou, Executive Director of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. "The Louisiana Coastal Area recommendations should lead to major on-the-ground projects to make our coast robust again. We applaud Senator Landrieu's steadfast support for saving our coast and improving storm protection for our coastal communities."

"The majority of the ports in Southeast Louisiana are engaged in supporting offshore energy development in the Gulf of Mexico," said Roy Francis, Vice President of marketing for Gulf Island Fabricators, one of the main commercial users of the Houma Navigation Canal. "Houma Navigational Canal is our only means of access to the Gulf and the rest of the world for the structures we build in our yards. It offers us direct access without overhead restrictions in transporting these large platforms. Additional dredging in the Houma Canal is absolutely critical to these and other commercial activities."

In addition to securing funding for key Southeast Louisiana projects, Sen. Landrieu wrote legislative language to stem potential job and revenue loss in this region of the state. These provisions:

• Encourage the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service to reduce fees for export promotion services and trade missions for companies impacted by the 2005 hurricanes. The Landrieu language encourages exporting in hurricane-impacted areas and assists local small businesses with their economic recovery. This is the third year that Sen. Landrieu has worked with the Department of Commerce to provide this fee reduction for south Louisiana businesses impacted by 2005 storms. Since April 2006, the Commercial Service has provided a total of 29 discounted services to businesses located in Louisiana.

• Require National Space and Aeronautics Administration (NASA) to submit a plan to maximize use of all NASA facilities, as well as expanding partnerships with other federal agencies to maintain NASA's skilled workforce. The retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2010 could mean the loss as many as 1,300 of the 1,900 employees at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans East over the next five years. The layoffs would be the result of the two-to-three year gap between space shuttle retirement and the start of the Constellation Program, which will replace the shuttle.

• Urge the General Services Administration (GSA) to reconsider the impact of federal per diem rates upon larger recovery efforts in the New Orleans area. Despite GSA's decision in August to raise the per diem rate in New Orleans, the rate is still significantly below pre-Katrina rates. Local businesses believe that the decreased per diem rates could have an adverse impact on the local tourism industry and related small businesses.

Below is a comprehensive list of Southeast Louisiana projects that Sen. Landrieu included in the omnibus act. This list does not include formula funding or grants for national programs that will also impact Southeast Louisiana.

ARMY CORPS PROJECTS: $340,327,000

• $119,000 to continue the feasibility study for ecosystem restoration and flood damage reduction in the Bayou Manchac Watershed of the Amite River Basin

• $1,434,000 to replace the Bayou Sorrel Lock with a larger lock that will be 75 feet wide by 1,200 feet long

• $8,604,000 for Louisiana coastal area ecosystem restoration

• $478,000 to plan for the widening of the Port of Iberia access channel

• $478,000 for St. Charles Parish urban flood control

• $850,000 for the West Shore, Lake Pontchartrain to continue a feasibility study that will address hurricane-induced flooding

• $957,000 to reduce flooding in the five watersheds within East Baton Rouge Parish

• $957,000 toward construction of a new inland navigation deep draft lock for the Inner Harbor Navigation at Canal Lock

• $957,000 for construction to reduce flooding from Larose to Golden Meadow. This area has a population of about 23,000 and is home to oil and gas production, commercial fisheries and related services industries

• $8,347,000 for the Atchafalaya River and Bayous Chene, Boeuf and Black

• $860,000 to dredge the Barataria Bay Channel

• $422,000 to dredge the Bayou Lacombe Bar Channel

• $672,000 to dredge the Bayou Lafourche and Lafourche Jump Waterway

• $294,000 to dredge Mile 0 to 6.2 of the Bayou Segnette Waterway

• $194,000 for dredging and repairs along Bayou Teche

• $13,000 to complete removal of debris from underneath bridges along Bayou Teche and the Vermilion River

• $1,716,000 for maintenance and repairs to the lock at Freshwater Bayou

• $16,494,000 for dredging and repairs along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway

• $1,158,000 for additional dredging of the Houma Navigation Canal so that oil and gas industry platforms can be sailed out

• $51,354,000 for jetty and dike repairs along the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to the Gulf of Mexico

• $2,911,000 for the Mississippi River Outlets at Venice to dredge Baptiste Collette and Tiger Pass

• $310,000 operations and maintenance along the Tangipahoa River

• $387,000 to dredge the Bouge Falaya River

• $249,000 for dredging of the Waterway from Empire to the Gulf

• $179,000 for the Pearl River

• $344,000 for the Waterway from Intracoastal Waterway to Bayou Dulac

• $790,000 for to initiate planning, engineering and design for Alexandria to the Gulf of Mexico

• $5,748,000 for advance completion of Morganza to the Gulf of Mexico planning, engineering and design

• $14,850,000 for contracts along the Atchafalaya Basin

• $2,025,000 for advance construction, engineering and design for water management units and recreation at the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway System

• $52,875,000 to continue work at revetment locations and fully fund dikes in LA, AR, IL, KY, MS, MO and TN

• $3,768,000 to continue canal breach armoring; construct Site Operations Building, make cuts in weir and construct a guide levee for the Mississippi Delta Region

• $61,247,000 to continue canal breach armoring; construct Site Operations Building, make cuts in weir and construct a guide levee for Mississippi River levees in LA, AR, IL, KY, MO, MS and TN

• $8,619,000 for operations and maintenance along the Atchafalaya Basin

• $2,073,000 for the floodway system at Atchafalaya Basin

• $41,000 for operations at Bayou Cocodrie and Tributaries

• $2,297,000 for maintenance of the Bonnet Carre Spillway

• $67,030,000 for Channel Improvement in LA, AR, IL, KY, MS, MO and TN

• $1,787,000 for Inspection of Completed Works in LA,AR, IL, KY, MS, MO and TN

• $566,000 for operations at the Mississippi Delta Region

• $15,873,000 for maintenance of Mississippi River Levees in LA, AR, IL, KY, MS, MO and TN

NON-CORP PROJECTS: $26,717,000

• $6,623,000 for Formosan Subterranean Termites Research in New Orleans. This termite has infested 32 of 64 parishes in Louisiana, with the most severe infestations in the New Orleans and Lake Charles area. The insect has caused millions of dollars in damage and has had a $300 million impact in New Orleans alone

• $2,505,000 for construction and repair at the U.S. Agricultural Research Service Sugarcane Research Laboratory in Houma $1,426,000 for Phytoestrogen Research in New Orleans

• $469,000 for biomaterials for sugar cane

• $467,000 to train and certify agriculture producers in Louisiana through a Master Farmer program

• $188,000 for improving Louisiana's diverse aquaculture industry, with a focus on enhancing populations of crawfish, cultured finfish, and catfish, as well as protecting aquatic species from disease and improving water quality and waste by-products

• $188,000 for genetic improvements to establish wetland plant species over large areas of threatened wetlands

• $188,000 for tillage, siviculture and waste management

• $623,000 for diet, nutrition and obesity research at the Pennington-Human nutrition research center in New Orleans

• $494,000 for research on human obesity

• $1,903,000 for the Clean Power Energy Research Consortium, a joint venture among Louisiana universities to promote alternative fuels. Universities include: LSU, University of New Orleans, Tulane University, Southern University, Nicholls State, and the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

• $951,500 for materials and energy research development

• $714,000 for the St. Bernard Parish School Board for educational programming, including the purchase of educational equipment for a cultural arts facility

• $428,000 for the University of New Orleans in cooperation with Tulane University for supporting and developing charter and district-run public schools in New Orleans through teacher education, leadership preparation, applied research and policy

• $285,000 for educational programs at the Early Childhood and Family Learning Center Foundation in New Orleans

• $809,000 to St. Bernard Parish for the construction, renovation and equipment of a medical facility

• $571,000 to Xavier University for facilities and equipment

• $381,000 to the Louisiana Association of the United Ways in New Orleans to expand the capacity of the Louisiana 2-1-1 emergency phone line

• $309,000 to Dillard University for its Gentilly Center for Health Disparities and Disease Prevention

• $285,000 to Ochsner Health System in New Orleans for facilities and equipment

• $238,000 to Jewish Family Services of Greater New Orleans in Metairie for a Community Nursing Elder Trauma Response Program demonstration project

• $190,000 for West Jefferson Medical Center in Marerro for facilities and equipment

• $190,000 to Southeastern Louisiana University for a job training initiative

• $1,021,250 for LA-1 from Golden Meadow to Port Fourchon

• $617,500 for the Peters Road extension in Plaquemines Parish

• $427,500 for Isabel Swamp Road in Washington Parish

• $380,000 for the Louisiana statewide buses and bus facilities

• $190,000 for 1-10 upgrades in New Orleans East

• $175,750 for 1-10 Southwest Frontage Road Design and Construction (between LA 433 and U.S. 190B)

• $190,000 for the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans to build a Living Science Museum

• $190,000 for the Center for Planning Excellence for Louisiana's Smart Growth initiative

• $400,000 for the town of Golden Meadow for water system improvements

• $300,000 for the City of Houma for construction of water distribution system

• $400,000 for Long Term Estuary Assessments Group

• $800,000 for the Louisiana District Attorneys Association to support an early-intervention program for at-risk elementary students

• $500,000 for law enforcement technology integration and information sharing for the New Orleans Police Foundation

• $300,000 to Reconcile New Orleans for a workforce construction project to provide at-risk youth with the skills for successful entry into the hospitality and construction industries

• $300,000 for St. Bernard Parish and Plaquemines Parish Sheriffs for local law enforcement assistance

• $100,000 for the Tulane Law School Domestic Violence Clinic