July 25, 2024

Manchin Secures West Virginia Priorities, Over $90 Million In Congressionally Directed Spending In Bipartisan Appropriations Bills

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured a number of West Virginia priorities in the markup of four bipartisan appropriations bills, which included the Fiscal Year 2025 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development; Interior & Environment; Commerce, Justice & Science; and State & Foreign Operations funding bills. The Senate Appropriations Committee continues to work through the remaining five funding bills, which will hopefully be voted on by the full Senate later this year.

These four funding bills included critical priorities that Senator Manchin championed, including strengthening immigration screening processes, reclaiming abandoned mine land, combatting illegal opioid supply chains and continuing to work on Corridor H. They also included $90,968,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) requests, or earmarks, for 73 West Virginia projects.

“I am pleased that the Committee has advanced these four bipartisan funding bills that will deliver historic wins for West Virginia and the entire country,” said Senator Manchin. “These bills also include more than $90 million in targeted funding for deserving West Virginia projects, such as expanding access to clean drinking water, renovating public parks, upgrading law enforcement equipment and so much more. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue working with my colleagues to bring back regular order, pass the remaining funding bills on time and address the issues important to West Virginia.”

West Virginia priority highlights:

  • Advancing Corridor H: Provides $350 million to continue work on the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS), which includes the $250 million in annual funding Senator Manchin secured in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
  • Improving our Immigration System: Increases funding for immigration judges, which will ensure that illegal immigrants without a legal basis to be in the U.S. are quickly removed.
  • Supporting West Virginia’s Federal Facilities: Maintains strong funding for salaries, operations, and research at federal facilities throughout West Virginia, including:
    • $39 million for NASA’s Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Program located in Fairmont;
    • $50 million for NOAA High Performance Computing capacity, including at the NOAA facility in Fairmont;
    • $10.8 million for the Green Bank Observatory located in Green Bank;
    • Language instructing the FBI to fully fund the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) facility located in Clarksburg; and
    • Language emphasizing the importance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF)’s West Virginia National Services Center in Martinsburg.
    • Directing the Bureau of Prisons to fully staff high-security facilities such as FCC Hazelton. Funding will be used to support BOP correctional officers, including through the 25% Retention Incentive for FCC Hazelton Staff previously secured by Senator Manchin.
  • Strengthening Domestic Critical Mineral Independence: Includes Senator Manchin’s bipartisan amendment that would allow the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to explore additional critical minerals for potential inclusion on DOI’s critical minerals list.
  • Boosting Railroad Safety: Provides $1.3 billion for Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) grant programs, a key source of funding for West Virginia railways. Additionally, following the release of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)’s investigation into the East Palestine disaster, provides language and funding to implement a number of the NTSB’s safety recommendations.
  • Protecting the Great Outdoors: Provides $900 million for Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Federal and State programs and $1.9 billion from the Great American Outdoors Act, and funds from the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration fund for West Virginia projects, including:
    • $20 million for the New River Gorge Park and Preserve for trail and bridge repair; and
    • $1.69 million for Monongahela National Forest Deferred Maintenance
  • Combatting Illegal Opioids: Includes report language encouraging the DEA to finalize rules targeting suspicious opioid orders and encourage them to better cooperate on ways to utilize digital evidence with state and local law enforcement partners.
  • Reclaiming Abandoned Mine Land: Provides $130 million for the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) program. West Virginia uses this money to support economic development projects on or adjacent to abandoned mine land sites throughout the state.
  • Filling Vacancies on the International Trade Commission (ITC): At Senator Manchin’s urging, includes report language stressing the importance of filling all vacancies on the International Trade Commission.
  • Improving Methane Emissions Reporting Requirements: Senator Manchin successfully secured language urging EPA to ensure that facility owners and operators will not be assessed methane emissions fees if they can demonstrate to the EPA that those emissions are not actually occurring, rather than relying solely on default agency emissions estimates for their facilities.

A full list of West Virginia priorities can be found here.

Senator Manchin also secured $90,968,000 in CDS requests in these four funding bills. The Senate Appropriations Committee allows members of Congress to submit CDS requests, which provide opportunities for state and local governments, non-profits, and other public entities to receive targeted funding for projects that bolster their communities.

West Virginia CDS highlights:

  • $5 million to renovate the West Virginia International Yeager Airport’s commercial terminal building.
  • $7 million to support construction of the Capital Sports Center in Charleston.
  • $1.5 million to preserve historic buildings in Morgantown.
  • $4 million to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Boone County.
  • $4 million to extend water service to additional homes in McDowell County.
  • $1.9 million to create a leadership training program at the University of Charleston for prison staff.
  • $1.5 million to transform former mine land in Weirton into a new conference center.

A full list of West Virginia CDS projects can be found here.