[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 176 (Wednesday, November 19, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2273]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          EARMARK DECLARATION

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                           HON. JERRY WELLER

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 19, 2008

  Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to identify an 
earmark that I obtained in H.R. 2638--Homeland Security Division D for 
the Coast Guard account for the Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern Railway 
Company Bridge, Morris, IL in the amount of $2,000,000.
  In February 1995, the Coast Guard declared the EJ&E Bridge across the 
Illinois Waterway to be an unreasonable obstruction to navigation and 
issued an Order to Alter. The EJ&E Bridge is the most hit bridge on the 
entire inland river system.
  Funding will allow design and construction for widening the width 
between the bridge piers. Currently, the width of the EJ&E Bridge is 
only 113 feet. Typically, barge tows that operate within the inland 
river system are 105 feet wide, leaving only a total of 8 feet of room 
for the barge to fit between the piers. According to the Coast Guard, 
modifications made to this bridge will save $1.1 million in damage each 
year. Funding this project will make the Illinois River safer for 
maritime traffic and will substantially reduce the number of accidents 
at this site.
  The entity to receive funding for this project is the United States 
Coast Guard located at Office of Bridge Administration, CG3-PWB Room 
3500, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 2100 Second Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20593. It is my understanding that the funding would be 
used to the design and construction for widening the width between the 
bridge piers. I certify that neither I nor my spouse has any direct 
financial interest in this project.
  Consistent with the Republican Leadership's policy on earmarks, I 
hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge this request (1) is not 
directed to an entity or program named or will be named after a sitting 
Member of Congress (exception must be justified here); (2) is not 
intended for a ``front'' or ``pass through'' entity; and (3) meets or 
exceeds all statutory requirements for matching funds where applicable.

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