U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson’s office last month released a list of 15 local projects the Idaho congressman is working to earmark federal dollars for through a congressional process in Washington, D.C.

Simpson, R-Idaho, made the appropriations requests for the projects — stretching form Preston to Rexburg and from Caldwell to Sugar City — to the U.S. House Appropriations Committee for FY2024, according to his website. He made the requests as part of the federal community project funding program, which allows members of Congress to request funding for projects in their district. At 15 proposed projects, Simpson submitted the maximum number of requests he could.

“Congressionally-directed spending through the CPF program is not more spending,” according to the release from Simpson’s office. “It simply allows members to assert priorities in their own districts within the existing budget limits.”

Below is a list of Idaho projects Simpson is working to earmark funding for through the program, according to the press release.

1. Project Name: City of Pocatello

Address: 911 N. 7th Ave., Pocatello, Idaho 83201

Requested Amount: $3,300,000

Description: This funding request would assist the City of Pocatello in extending the city’s sewer service to roughly 220 residences in the Johnny Creek area, according to the news release. A large portion of those homes have failed or failing septic systems. The funding would provide about one mile of gravity sewer main, which would help complete phase one of the larger project.

2. Project Name: City of Island Park

Address: 3753 US 20, Island Park, Idaho 83429

Requested Amount: $6,560,000

Description: This funding would create a single water system for the town of Island Park, according to the release. Currently, Island Park — a town of fewer than 300 people on the hem of Yellowstone National Park — has more than 50 smaller water systems, many of which have experienced bacterial infections in recent decades thanks to the local geology and environment. This funding aims to secure a new well, water storage tank, and booster pump station. It would also fund a 8,500 feet of water main and 200 service lines with meters. This also includes a computer control system to monitor the water, according to the release.

3. Project Name: City of Preston

Address: 70 West Oneida, Preston, Idaho 83263

Requested Amount: $5,128,000

Description: This funding request would help create a new water storage tank in Preston, a town whose water-storage is currently 13% under capacity, according to the release. Currently, Preston receives mountain spring water through a 14-mile pipeline, but the city has experienced two breaks in that line in the past year. This has led to a water shortage for both residential use and fire protection. The storage tank would help ensure Preston has the water it needs as it continues to grow.

4. Project Name: City of Rexburg

Address: 35 N. 1st East, Rexburg, Idaho 83440

Requested Amount: $9,184,480

Description: This money would be used to replace portions of the sewage system used by Rexburg, Sugar City and Teton. The sewer lines from all three communities have corrosion issues and are in need of replacement, according to the release. Funding would also upgrade the Headworks facility at the City of Rexburg Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is currently not large enough to treat current and future wastewater levels.

5. Project Name: Rock Creek Conservation Project

Address: 203 E. Avenue E, Twin Falls, Idaho 83301

Requested Amount: $4,000,000

Description: This award would assist the City of Twin Falls in alleviating flooding, providing sediment removal, and total phosphorus reduction in the lower Rock Creek area of Twin Falls County. This will also help enhance water quality and improve habitats for fish and wildlife in the area, according to the release.

6. Project Name: Idaho Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment

Address: 875 Perimeter Dr., Moscow, Idaho 83844

Requested Amount: $6,000,000

Description: This funding would assist construction of a project in Rupert, Idaho — managed by the University of Idaho — called the Idaho Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment. While the Center will consist of a 2,000-cow dairy on 640 acres, this funding would specifically help build a flexible manure handling system, part of the project’s goal of creating sustainability in agriculture. The funding will allow equipment to be used in different combinations and help accommodate new technology, according to the release.

7. Project Name: Firth Fire Station

Address: 240 Lincoln St., Firth, Idaho 83236

Requested Amount: $5,868,750

Description: Since an electrical fire destroyed the Firth Fire Station, firefighters serving the Shelly/Firth Fire District have had to operate out of rented space in a vacant potato warehouse using salvaged or donated equipment. This funding would help construct a new fire station to serve the district.

8. Project Name: Butte County Buildings Infrastructure Project

Address: 205 W. Grande Ave., P.O. Box 737, Arco, Idaho, 83213

Requested Amount: $1,851,501

Description: This funding will support repairs on roofs at the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, the Butte County Business Center, and the Butte County Health Department. Roofing issues in these public buildings — including the business center, which is a polling place for elections — has effected “structural integrity which is key to the safety of the public using the facilities,” according to the release. The money will also fund repairs for crumbling sidewalks and parking lots in the area.

9. Project Name: Mackay Dam Rehabilitation Project

Address: 4040 Guard St., Building 600, Boise, Idaho 83705

Requested Amount: $7,082,856

Description: This funding would help rehabilitate Custer County’s Mackay Dam, which is nearly 100 years old and, per a recent risk assessment, has an “extremely high” chance of failing in the event of a large flood, according to the release. This could cause hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, according to the release, and poses a risk to Custer and Butte counties, as well as the Idaho National Laboratory. This money would improve the dam’s tower, replace its spillway, reline its outlet tunnel, and move the control works downstream to keep the dam from overtopping.

10. Project Name: Industrial Cybersecurity Research Laboratory in Idaho Falls

Address: 921 S. 8th Ave., Pocatello, Idaho 83209

Requested Amount: $2,875,000

Description: Money for this project would help fund computer equipment for students at multiple Idaho universities to study cybersecurity and develop cyber-informed engineering skills, according to the release. The equipment would provide a simulated environment for students to

learn about the types of cybersecurity topics which is paramount for governments in the 21st century.

11. Project Name: Little Wood River, Idaho

Address: 308 5th Ave., Gooding, Idaho 83330

Requested Amount: $37,700,000

Description: This funding would complete the effort in Gooding to replace the walls of the channel that flows through the city. Originally built in the 1930s, the walls are failing in places, which has led to increased flood risk in the area and also undermined local roads.

12. Project Name: Workforce Housing for Critically Endangered Species Recovery

Address: 5668 W. Flying Hawk Ln., Boise, Idaho 83709

Requested Amount: $3,100,000

Description: This money would rebuild housing units, repair the access road, and provide backup power generators to the handful of biologists who live on site in the Treasure Valley’s World Center for Birds of Prey. The work biologists provide round-the-clock monitoring of the world’s largest captive breeding facility for the endangered California Condor. The facility is home to more than 60 birds, according to a letter of support from the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

13. Project Name: Treasure Valley Law Enforcement Childcare Center

Address: 26103 Harvey Rd., Caldwell, Idaho 83607

Requested Amount: $2,650,000

Description: This money would assist with the construction of a safe, secure childcare facility for the Treasure Valley’s law enforcement families. Members of the law enforcement community often have difficulty finding childcare during their work hours, which may be lengthy and

unusual. This funding would help address this “widely acknowledged” need, according to the release.

14. Project Name: Stanley Workforce Housing Economic Development Initiative

Address: 510 Eva Falls Ave., Stanley, Idaho 83278

Requested Amount: $4,000,000

Description: This is money that would be used to build affordable housing for as many as 80 temporary and permanent workers in Stanley. There are roughly 650 seasonal employees in the Stanley area, according to the release, and more than a third have difficulty finding affordable housing. This project aims to alleviate some of the need, and also to spur economic growth in the area, as the housing would be permanent.

15. Project Name: Eagle Road Reconstruction Project

Address: 85 W. Agency Road Building 82, Fort Hall, Idaho 83203

Requested Amount: $3,850,000

Description: This funding would help support the renovation of a half-mile stretch of Eagle Road, which is a key economic channel for the Fort Hall area. The road provides access to the Shoshone-Bannock governmental buildings as well as “a tribal low-income residential community with more than 100 homes,” according to the release. The money would provide wider lanes on the road, bike lanes, sidewalks, curb and gutters with storm drains, bus stop shelters and crosswalks. Currently, portions of the street are failing and wouldn’t be able to support future economic development projects in the area.