Grassley Applauds Funding for UNI, ISU and City of Des Moines


Senate Committee Approves Commerce, Justice, State and the Judiciary Appropriations Bill


? Sen. Chuck Grassley today said he is pleased that Senate appropriators have included funding for projects at two Iowa universities and the City of Des Moines as part of the Commerce, Justice, State and the Judiciary Appropriations Bill. The legislation has passed the Senate Appropriations Committee and is expected to be approved by the full Senate.

"The bill contains funding for important domestic preparedness and economic development initiatives by the University of Northern Iowa and Iowa State. Funding for the City of Des Moines will help bolster the city's emergency response capabilities" said Grassley, who requested money for the projects last spring.

The legislation includes $1 million for University of Northern Iowa's Science Center for Teaching, Outreach and Research on Meteorology (STORM). Officials at Project STORM are currently developing a training program to help emergency officials respond to disasters involving hazardous substances using meteorology and weather patterns.

"After September 11, we have a heightened appreciation for emergency personnel and community preparedness," Grassley said. "This program will help responders learn how to track potentially hazardous vapors released into the atmosphere. These vapors could be from a train derailment, an overturned semi carrying chemicals, or terrorist activities."

Over the past three years, Grassley has secured more than $1.8 million for Project STORM. The project is a cooperative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and UNI.

In addition to project STORM, the bill includes $300,000 for UNI's Small Business Development Center. The center is designed to help immigrants develop small businesses in Iowa. "Empowering immigrants to harness their entrepreneurial spirit into thriving small businesses will help economic development in communities across Iowa, " Grassley said.

The legislation also calls for $750,000 to establish a Cyber Protection Laboratory at Iowa State. Plans for the lab call for researchers to develop a simulated Internet where they could carry out real cyber attacks as a way to assess the nation's vulnerability to cyber crimes. Grassley said the lab will be the first of its kind at a public university.

"The cyber world will be the battlefield of the future," Grassley said. "Developing a simulated Internet will help researchers assess our nation's cyber security and gain needed insight on how we can fight attacks against our nation's computer infrastructure."

In addition to the funding for the universities, the City of Des Moines will receive $1.5 million to upgrade its Geographic Information System technology. "Des Moines will work with neighboring communities to develop an innovative computer system that provides emergency responders with valuable information on locations throughout the metro area," Grassley said.