WASHINGTON (Michigan News Source) – The U.S. Senate has approved a $1.7 trillion bill to finance federal agencies and states’ local projects ahead of this weekend, and will need House approval before President Biden signs off on it. 

$342 million of that omnibus bill is earmarked for Michigan projects in the 2023 year according to the Detroit News, with the largest single project gaining $10 million from the bill. The Motown Museum in Detroit is set to gain the largest earmark for the state in the federal spending bill which has been around since 1985.  

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Many public roadways and transportation services will also be receiving some earmarks for significant makeovers.  Ypsilanti will be granted $7 million for a new transit center, Lansing will receive $6 million to help eliminate combined sewer overflows, and $5 million towards a new air traffic control tower for the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids. 

The Gerald R. Ford International Airport’s current Air Traffic Control Tower is 58 years old according to Senator Debbie Stabenow (D) and is the second oldest operation tower at a large airport.  The funding for the new tower comes after Michigan Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters requested $7 million and $3.5 million respectively.   

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D) who compiled earmarks in several areas including agriculture, transportation, homeland security, energy and water development, among other categories, and spoke hopefully about the fate of the omnibus bill just yesterday. 

“[The omnibus bill] will get done this week,” Peters said, “We’re hoping to get it out of the Senate today, by the end of day, and then get it over to the House which I suspect they’ll take it up very quickly.” 

Another notable earmark is the $8 million to go towards reconstruction of 2.6 miles of deteriorating roadway along the Giddings, Silverbell, and Brown roads surrounding the General Motors Orion Assembly Plant in Orion Township.  A request for major funding of the reconstruction has been requested by the Orion Township which declares “the roads along this corridor are deteriorating rapidly and are in immediate need of repair.”

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Some of Michigan’s environmental concerns would also be addressed by the bill if enacted. $3 million would go to Benton Harbor to clean up the Ox Creek water and build trails, pedestrian bridges, and bike paths.  $2 million would be allotted to River Raisin Heritage Trail in Monroe for a rehabilitation project.  Additionally, Marquette County would get $1.5 million to help treatment plants address the nearly 2 million gallons of toxic PFAs chemicals in the area.  

Just over a year since the Oxford High School shooting, the school may receive $374,700 toward a roughly 5,000 foot long pedestrian path that could be used as an emergency escape route away from high speed traffic.  

These local project requests among many others have only been permitted for the last two fiscal years, and must be disclosed publicly on the requesting lawmaker’s official website.  Lawmakers may only submit requests for state and local governments and eligible nonprofit organizations.  Only one Michigan member, Representative Bill Huizenga (R) Holland declined to participate in the new earmarking process according to the Detroit News.  He has said the system is open to abuse, and “too many of the requests being put forward are outside the boundaries of what the federal government should be doing.”