[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17155-17156]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          EARMARK DECLARATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LYNN JENKINS

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 8, 2009

  Ms. JENKINS. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership 
standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information 
regarding earmarks I received as part of the FY 2010 Agriculture 
Appropriations bill, H.R. 2997:
  Earmark: Polymer Research at Pittsburg State University
  Requesting Member: Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins
  Bill Number: H.R. 2997
  Account: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, RE/FA Account
  Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Pittsburg State University
  Address of Requesting Entity: 1701 S Broadway, Pittsburg, KS 66762
  Description of Request: Provide an earmark of $1,500,000 to make 
contributions in the use of cellulosic fibers of wheat straw, corn 
stalks, and grasses (all grown in abundance in Kansas) to convert them 
to fillers for a new family of plastics that would be cheaper and 
require less energy to manufacture, and also be more friendly to the 
environment. This is a good fit at Pittsburg State University due to 
their certified program in Plastics Engineering Technology. Continued 
Federal endorsement and funding for these activities will build upon 
their past successes in the area of polymeric oils for use in 
polyurethanes. If the United States is to become independent of foreign 
oil producers, then we must pursue industrial sustainability by 
continuous innovation, improvement and use of clean technology to 
reduce pollution levels and consumption of resources. At the Kansas 
Polymer Research Center, they can apply knowledge of biochemistry to 
develop processes to produce new bio-based products more efficiently 
than the chemical processes we have been using.
  Earmark: Wheat Genetic Research
  Requesting Member: Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins
  Bill Number: H.R. 2997
  Account: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, SRG Account
  Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Kansas State University
  Address of Requesting Entity: Anderson Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506
  Description of Request: Provide an earmark of $240,000 to map and 
sequence the wheat genome through the Wheat Genetic and Genomic 
Resources Center (WGGRC). The WGGRC gene bank currently maintains 
12,000 lines and these collections are continuously expanding as the 
Center acquires, develops, and distributes new genetic and genomic 
resources to facilitate wheat genetics, genomics, and breeding 
research. Kansas State University and Kansas wheat producers have 
already made an investment of almost $1.0 million towards the purchase 
of a DNA sequencer and a robot for arraying and printing of DNA 
filters. This request will collect, conserve, and distribute wheat 
genetic and genomic resources; develop improved germ plasm; develop 
genetic stocks; develop genomic resources; and support training and 
outreach.
  Earmark: Grain Sorghum
  Requesting Member: Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins
  Bill Number: H.R. 2997
  Account: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, SRG Account

[[Page 17156]]

  Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Kansas State University and Texas 
Tech University
  Address of Requesting Entity: Anderson Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506, and 
2500 Broadway, Lubbock, TX 79409
  Description of Request: Provide an earmark of $515,000 to permit the 
Great Plains Sorghum Improvement and Utilization Center (GPSIUC) to 
expand existing research and educational programs, particularly in 
genetic improvement and sorghum utilization. Sorghum is one of the most 
drought tolerant crops in the world, offering many potential advantages 
as a food, feed and bioenergy crop to the rural economies of the Great 
Plains.
  Earmark: Water Conservation
  Requesting Member: Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins
  Bill Number: H.R. 2997
  Account: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, SRG Account
  Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Kansas State University
  Address of Requesting Entity: Anderson Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506
  Description of Request: To provide an earmark of $69,000 to help: (1) 
agricultural producers, both crop and livestock, (2) rural communities 
in water-short areas; and (3) state and regional agencies to implement 
economical technologies and policies that will result in water 
conservation and prolong the life of the Ogallala aquifer in the face 
of increasing competition for declining aquifers and over-allocated 
surface waters. This effort is critical to the economic viability of 
western Kansas. In many parts of western Kansas, freshwater from both 
surface and groundwater is increasingly in short supply. Drought, 
aquifer and surface water depletion, and population shifts have 
stretched community and regional water supplies to their limits. As 
groundwater supplies decline or become cost prohibitive, better 
management of water through conservation, recycling, and treatment of 
poor quality water for secondary uses becomes even more important.
  Earmark: Preharvest Food Safety
  Requesting Member: Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins
  Bill Number: H.R. 2997
  Account: National Institute of Food and Agriculture, SRG Account
  Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Kansas State University
  Address of Requesting Entity: Anderson Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506
  Description of Request: To provide an earmark of $142,000 to expand 
the University's investigations into (1) the ecology of Salmonella in 
beef cattle, (2) antimicrobial resistance in cattle, and (3) 
agroinformatics, and (4) animal health diagnostics. These four areas of 
research have great overlap and synergy and will allow Kansas State 
University to better identify emerging threats of food-borne and 
zoonotic diseases associated with food-producing animals. Currently, 
Kansas State University has an ongoing USDA special project on the 
ecology of E. coli O157:H7 in beef cattle and the environment. This 
bacterial organism is a major cause of food-borne illnesses in humans.
  Earmark: National Agriculture Biosecurity Center
  Requesting Member: Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins
  Bill Number: H.R. 2997
  Account: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Salaries and 
Expenses Account
  Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Kansas State University
  Address of Requesting Entity: Anderson Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506
  Description of Request: To provide an earmark of $259,000 to fund the 
National Agriculture Biosecurity Center (NABC) for Phase III efforts 
for the development, enhancement and delivery of a targeted National 
Animal Health Laboratories Network (NAHLN) technical training support 
program. The funding is required to: (1) build and populate a lessons 
learned/best practices from NAHLN labs exercises and events; (2) expand 
animal health diagnostic screening capabilities regionally, including 
endemic and emerging pathogens (viruses, bacteria, and parasites) as 
well as prions such as BSE; (3) increase the testing capability and 
capacity of the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (KSVDL) 
in support of the NAHLN mission by conducting research on new 
methodologies and standardized operating procedures for enhancing and 
improving the efficiency of NAHLN equipment and laboratories; and (4) 
develop a training strategy framework for NAHLN laboratories.

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