Washington, DC—U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced today that the full committee has advanced the Fiscal Year 2011 defense spending package. The bill, which includes more than $36 million in Johnson-secured funding for South Dakota, now moves to the Senate for consideration in the coming weeks.
“I was proud to secure millions for the School of Mines, South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota to continue important research projects that will help our troops fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan, and countries around the globe. This funding will also help the economy by creating jobs here in our state,” said Johnson.
Johnson continued, “This bill sends a strong signal of support to our troops serving aboard while making important investments here in South Dakota. I’m pleased that the defense spending bill has moved swiftly through the committee process. I hope that the full Senate acts just as quick to get this bill on the President’s desk without partisan politics getting in the way.”
South Dakota-specific projects secured by Senator Johnson include:
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Emerging Technologies in Advanced Materials - $5,000,000 This project will advance technologies in the areas of nanotechnology, fuel cells, ultra-capacitor, and power and energy storage for military and homeland security applications.
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Solution to Complex Problems - $4,500,000 This project will bring together a suite of specialized research capabilities to assist the Army and Army Research Lab in dealing with the complex challenges in critical materials and manufacturing research areas directly linked to warfighters. It will include a variety of activities such as developing innovative transparent ballistic protection materials for combat vehicles and armor and developing ways to mitigate the impact of projectiles and debris on a soldier’s helmet.
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Energy Efficiency, Recovery, and Generation -$1,000,000 This project will continue to help the Air Force increase its use of biofuels and reduce dependence on imported petroleum based fuels by developing scalable, carbon-neutral and waste-free bioprocessing technologies to produce biodiesel, biohydrogen, hydrocarbon, and bio-oil fuels.
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Life Extension of Navy Weapon System Structures through AMP Technologies - $2,000,000 This program will develop useable technology that will reduce life cycle maintenance costs, extend the structural life of legacy weapon systems, reduce time to repair components impacting availability, and solve structural and maintainability problems across all branches of the Armed Forces.
South Dakota State University, Renewable Jet Fuel from Lignocellulosic Feedstocks - $2,000,000 This project will continue development of affordable alternative sources and production technologies for renewable bio-jet fuel. This research proposes to produce synthetic JP-8 fuel for blending using prairie cordgrass.
South Dakota State University, Renewable Jet Fuel from Lignocellulosic Feedstocks - $2,000,000 This project will continue development of affordable alternative sources and production technologies for renewable bio-jet fuel. This research proposes to produce synthetic JP-8 fuel for blending using prairie cordgrass.
South Dakota State University, Alternative Power Technology for Missile Defense - $2,000,000 This program will produce efficient, clean, logistical, and cost effective alternative energy technology and products for the Army’s space and missile defense systems. The major goal is to replace and reduce the Army’s dependence on fossil fuels and their associated long lines of logistical support.
South Dakota State University, Accelerated Materials Development for Army Cannon Systems - $3,000,000 This project will develop analytical and testing systems for composite cannon barrels. Fatigue testing and nondestructive evaluation play an important role in the initial inspection and ballistic testing of new designs, such as the development of the next generation of lightweight cannon systems for the Future Combat System.
University of South Dakota, Tissue Regeneration Following Injury - $958,000 This project will develop materials and devices that improve quality of life after the loss of functionality in tissues or limbs due to disease or trauma. USD’s Center for Engineered Biomedical Devices (CEBD) is working on an innovative approach based on a “scaffolding” that will include bioactive components that reduce the likelihood of infection, encourage the proliferation of cells and hasten the healing process, potentially sparing the limb.
Lloyds Systems, Advanced Robot and Sensor Technology for Surveillance and Energy Efficiency Applications - $2,500,000 Based in Rapid City, Lloyds Systems’ technology will help the Army to achieve its goal of energy reduction by improving the efficiency of many HVAC systems, which likely never have been evaluated or improved for energy efficiency since they were put into service. At the present time most if not all Army buildings are not even metered to measure the amount of energy used in HVAC systems. A low-cost sensory grid can overcome this deficiency with improved capability to measure and monitor the efficiency of the system going forward.
General Atomics, Military Waste-to-Energy Project using the Hydro-Thermal Energy Conversion Process - $5,000,000 The Air Force has initiated efforts to efficiently convert military waste to electricity using the Hydro-Thermal Energy Conversion process, which breaks down polymeric and cellulosic materials into clean fuel gas that can be used to fuel generators or non-tactical vehicles. A demonstration plant at Ellsworth AFB is planned that will convert 5 tons/day of waste into 180-300kW.
Dakota Power, LLC, Next Generation Lightweight Drive System for Army Weapons Systems - $2,000,000 Based in Rapid City, this project will provide alternative technology to replace widely used permanent magnet motors, generators, and electric drive systems. China is the dominant supplier of the magnetic material for these motors and is restricting exports and escalating the price of the materials. The Dakota Power motors, generators, and electric drive systems will provide enhanced performance without permanent magnets, weigh less, operate at higher temperature, and cost less.
Black Hills Nanosystems Corporation, MEMS Microdetonator Packaging Technology for Advanced DOD Weapons - $3,000,000 This project, based in Rapid City, will develop a novel packaging to enable the Navy to utilize microdetonator fuzes with improved reliability and safety as well as minimizing civilian casualties and collateral damage. Currently, the available packaging technologies require process temperatures and chemicals that will destroy the explosive materials.
H.F. Webster Inc., Implementation of Aging and Battle Damaged Weapon Systems Repair - $1,500,000 This project, based in Rapid City, will provide long-term mechanisms for technology insertion that can be applied across the DoD for cost avoidance in maintenance and repair activities.
Johnson-secured South Dakota related funding:
Boeing, B-1 AESA Radar Operations Utility Evaluation - $2,000,000 This project supports an operational utility evaluation of an advanced targeting radar, the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, on the B-1 Bomber. The AESA radar has the potential to significantly improve the combat capability of the B-1 Bomber to support the warfighter on the modern battlefield.
