Project Name: NORCESS Wastewater System Rehabilitation Project
Location: Fayetteville
State: North Carolina
Street Address: 117 Dick Street
Zip Code: 28301
Congressional District: NC 7th District
Project Sponsor: Cumberland County, North Carolina
Request Amount: $2,200,000
Explanation of Request: The funding would be used for rehabilitating the system by relocating and replacing the existing electrical equipment, generators, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) equipment, and system wide inflow and infiltration (I&I) reduction.
The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the project rehabilitates a small rural sewer system that is in danger of failing, while also using the opportunity to install essential infrastructure critical to the growth area of the county. This project is currently serving 379 residential, 50 commercial, one farm, three industrial, and five flat rate customers. With proposed infrastructure rehabilitation to the current system, and the proposed new 154 residential customers, this funding will provide wastewater treatment service for a total of 592 customers as the base line. This rehabilitation scope of work then will allow for increased capacity, a response to future residential failed septic tanks, and allow for potential residential and economic development projects along the I-95 corridor.
Federal Nexus: Authorized in Section 306 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, 7 U.S. Code section 1926(a)(2).
Letters of Support: Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin, FCEDC President & CEO Robert Van Geons, Cumberland County Commissioners Chairwoman Dr. Toni Stewart, Falcon Mayor Clifton Turpin, Godwin Mayor Willie Burnette, Wade Mayor Joseph Dixon
Member Certification Form
Project Name: Wilmington Harbor Navigation Improvement Project
Location: Wilmington
State: North Carolina
Street Address: 2202 Burnett Boulevard
Zip Code: 28401
Congressional District: NC 7th District
Project Sponsor: North Carolina State Ports Authority
Request Amount: $1,200,000
Explanation of Request: The funding would be used to enhance its navigational channel to allow larger, deep-draft container ships to access the Port of Wilmington.
The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it was authorized in the Water Resources Development Act of 2020, contingent on the completion of environmental compliance activities and an updated economic analysis. To begin engineering and design, and subsequently, construction, the contingent activities must be completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Further, expanding our port capacity helps mitigate the impacts of the national Supply Chain Crisis and has an economic impact that reverberates across the country.
North Carolina is a critical East Coast freight gateway. If carriers are unable to enter the port, they will choose less efficient ports, ultimately causing longer truck hauls and increased transportation costs to move cargo in and out of the Carolinas. The harbor enhancement will also help attract more import and export business. Every Ultra-Panamax container service arriving from the Far East has a direct impact of $3.7 billion. Additionally, North Carolina Ports support over 87,000 jobs across the state and contributes over roughly $1 billion in economic output.
Federal Nexus: Authorized in Section 403 (a)(5) of the Water Resources Development Act.
Letters of Support: North Carolina Ports Executive Director Brian E. Clark
Member Certification Form
Project Name: Surf City Wastewater Equalization Basin Expansion
Location: Surf City
State: North Carolina
Street Address: 214 W. Florence Way
Zip Code: 28443
Congressional District: NC 7th District
Project Sponsor: Town of Surf City, North Carolina
Request Amount: $4,900,000
Explanation of Request: The funding would be used to double the size of the wastewater treatment equalization basin.
The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it would allow the town to execute their next phase of wastewater treatment plant expansion to meet the influx of population projected, allowing this portion of the treatment plant to meet the needs of their community. The population growth and inflation nationwide has placed an extreme strain on the town’s ability to expand the sewer system to accommodate their growth.
Federal Nexus: Authorized in Title VI of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C 1381 et seq.
Letters of Support: Surf City Mayor Teresa B. Batts
Member Certification Form
Project Name: Town of Holden Beach Coastal Storm Risk Management General Reevaluation Study
Location: Holden Beach
State: North Carolina
Street Address: 110 Rothschild Beach
Zip Code: 28462
Congressional District: NC 7th District
Project Sponsor: Town of Holden Beach, North Carolina
Request Amount: $425,000
Explanation of Request: The funding would be used to support the continuation of the General Reevaluation for the Holden Beach component of the authorized Brunswick County Beaches Project.
The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it is part of the General Reevaluation Report (GRR) for the Holden Beach component of the authorized Brunswick Beaches Project. Holden Beach was hit by four storm events between 2017 and 2020, causing over $47 million in damage to the beach strand. These frequent and intense storms continue to impact coastal communities, meaning that the Town is at a disparate impact. Federal funding for the Army Corps of Engineers is instrumental in helping the Town complete its current study efforts and formulate a long-term plan of action.
The new General Reevaluation Study will identify and evaluate a potential plan of protection for the Town of Holden Beach using current modeling, data, and study practices. Holden Beach is located along an area of the mid-Atlantic coast that is a frequent landfall site for hurricanes and tropical storms. In addition to these land-falling storms, many other storms pass offshore, causing damaging flooding and erosion that impacts homes and businesses in the community.
Federal Nexus: Authorized in the Flood Control Act of 1966.
Letters of Support: Holden Beach Mayor J. Alan Holden, NC Representative Charles W. Miller
Member Certification Form
Project Name: City of Lumberton’s Wastewater System Improvement Project
Location: Lumberton
State: North Carolina
Street Address: 500 North Cedar Street
Zip Code: 28358
Congressional District: NC 7th District
Project Sponsor: City of Lumberton, North Carolina
Request Amount: $3,344,658
Explanation of Request: The funding would be used to make improvements to three sewer lift stations that are older than 20 years old, rehabilitation of gravity sewer that is over 40 years old and provide additional backup generation at the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because Hurricanes Matthew and Florence devastated eastern North Carolina, and since then the City of Lumberton has struggled to keep up with needed repairs to its wastewater treatment facility and overall delivery system. The city is situated in Robeson County, one of the lowest per capita income and highest poverty rate counties in North Carolina. Local government is tasked with serving its citizens with reliable wastewater treatment, but at affordable rates. Thus, community leaders have been implored to keep both water and sewer rates low to continue to serve these individuals. The City of Lumberton seeks relief from this burden by in the form of federal funding to make the necessary repairs to its wastewater treatment system, without adding debt.
Federal Nexus: Authorized in Title VI of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C 1381 et seq.
Letters of Support: Lumberton Mayor Bruce Davis
Member Certification Form
Project Name: Village of Bald Head Island Coastal Storm Damage Reduction Project
Location: Village of Bald Head Island
State: North Carolina
Street Address: 106 Light House Wynd
Zip Code: 28461
Congressional District: NC 7th District
Project Sponsor: Village of Bald Head Island, North Carolina
Request Amount: $10,000,000
Explanation of Request: The funding would be used to conduct a beach nourishment and erosion control project that would remove sand from an approved borrow site and place it on eroded portions of Bald Head Island’s South Beach. The project would place approximately 1Mcy of dredged sand on the south beach shoreline in two equal segments to fill the west end at the Terminal Groin structure through the soft-tube groinfield and the other at the east end of south beach to mitigate ongoing erosion.
The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because South Beach and other Bald Head Island beaches are key driver of the Island’s economy, with seasonal population estimates of 7,000-8,000 people during the peak of the summer vacation season compared to the less than 250 full-time island residents. As with other coastal communities, shore erosion is a perennial issue for Bald Head Island. Beyond expected erosion (and accretion) that is part of the natural geomorphology of any shoreline, Bald Head beaches have been drastically affected in recent years by cargo ships in the Cape Fear River shipping channel that have brought on more frequent, larger wake action.
Federal Nexus: Authorized in the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. § 1451 et seq.).
Letters of Support: Bald Head Island Mayor Peter Quinn
Member Certification Form
Project Name: Fayetteville Regional Airport Ramp Reinforcement Project
Location: Fayetteville
State: North Carolina
Street Address: 400 Airport Road, Suite 1
Zip Code: 28306
Congressional District: NC 7th District
Project Sponsor: Fayetteville Regional Airport
Request Amount: $5,000,000
Explanation of Request: The funding would be used to reinforce ramp infrastructure with materials capable of withstanding increased load of large aviation aircraft, United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) Flight Company military aircraft, and cargo operations.
The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the Airport Improvement Program is authorized by 49 U.S.C. 47100 et seq. The Fayetteville Regional Airport Ramp Reinforcement project is critically necessary to support the International Terminal and military operations connected to Fort Bragg. Infrastructure improvements will assist the Fayetteville Regional Airport to become a point of entry (POE) for international commercial travel and the regular military international travel for both military and charter aircraft.
The airport is situated next to the world’s largest military installation by population, Fort Bragg, and is consistently used as an alternative site for Pope Army Airfield. In this capacity, the airport regularly accommodates international travel through military and charter aircraft. Additionally, it serves an important contingency role in times of maintenance, high volume, or emergency.
Federal Nexus: Authorized in 49 U.S.C. 47100 et seq.
Letters of Support: Greater Fayetteville Chamber President Nat Robertson, Military Affairs Council Chairman Steven Moore
Member Certification Form
Project Name: Brunswick County Sewer Pump Stations Rehabilitation Project
Location: Bolivia
State: North Carolina
Street Address: 30 Government Center Drive
Zip Code: 28442
Congressional District: NC 7th District
Project Sponsor: Brunswick County, North Carolina
Request Amount: $3,000,000
Explanation of Request: The funding would be used to rehabilitate and upgrade up to 11 major sewage pump stations and lift stations within Brunswick County.
The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it will ensure the reliable and safe wastewater collection and transport system not only for the local community but for the businesses and industries, which will help support economic development on the regional and state level.
Federal Nexus: Authorized in Title VI of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C 1381 et seq.
Letters of Support: Brunswick County Board of Commissioners Chair Randy Thompson
Member Certification Form
Project Name: Town of Leland Unpaved Road Improvement Projects
Location: Leland
State: North Carolina
Street Address: 102 Town Hall Drive
Zip Code: 28451
Congressional District: NC 7th District
Project Sponsor: Town of Leland
Request Amount: $3,994,152
Explanation of Request: The funding would be used to attach currently unpaved roads to paved streets, as the community continues to grow at record rates.
The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it would impact the growing community of Leland, NC, which has grown by almost 10,000 in the last decade. As this growth is expected to continue, updates are needed for the community to respond to its growth.
The Leland Unpaved Road Improvements Project will improve safety for the residents of Leland as well as visitors. This will provide safer multimodal facilities by providing sidewalks for nonmotorized travel. The newly paved roads will increase access to roadways and allow greater connectivity to parks and multi-use paths. By completing the Leland Unpaved Road Improvements Project, active transportation will be promoted. Economic development will be encouraged by completing this project as it will promote revitalization.
Federal Nexus: Authorized in 23 U.S.C. 133(b).
Letters of Support: Leland Police Department Chief of Police Jeremy Humphries
Member Certification Form
Project Name: University of North Carolina Wilmington, Maritime Cyber Security: Standards Advancement, Research and Workforce Development
Location: Wilmington
State: North Carolina
Street Address: 601 S. College Road
Zip Code: 28403
Congressional District: NC 7th District
Project Sponsor: University of North Carolina Wilmington
Request Amount: $1,250,000
Explanation of Request: The funding would be used to develop a curriculum program at UNC Wilmington, titled Maritime Cyber Security: Standards Advancement, Research and Workforce Development. The program will continue technology research, train a future workforce in this important area, and develop standards that can be shared on a national basis. The effort will assist the federal government, on an ongoing basis, to develop best practices and procedures to cost-effectively reduce cyber risks to the maritime industry.
The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it builds on federal efforts to bolster research and workforce development within the cybersecurity industry with a specific focus on the maritime industry and its threats. The White House (National Maritime Cybersecurity Plan, 2020), the Government Accountability Office (GAO) (Coast Guard Workforce Planning Actions Needed to Address Growing Cyberspace Mission Demands, 2022), and the Atlantic Council (Signaling for Cooperation on Maritime Cybersecurity, 2021) have all pointed to the maritime cybersecurity workforce as a specific area of need in our national security workforce, and an industry regulated heavily by the federal government. Cyber-attacks on the maritime industry’s operational technology (OT) systems have increased by 900% over the last three years.
Federal Nexus: Authorized in Section 272 of title 15, United States Code
Letters of Support: Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo, North Carolina Ports Executive Director Brian E. Clark
Member Certification Form
Project Name: Brunswick Town Fort Anderson Shoreline Restoration Project
Location: Winnabow
State: North Carolina
Street Address: 8884 St Phillips Rd SE
Zip Code: 28479
Congressional District: NC 7th District
Project Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
Request Amount: $2,000,000
Explanation of Request: The funding would be used to install 1,438 linear feet of Reefmakers to support a naturally protected coastline by reducing the rate of sediment loss created by more frequent wake activity as a result of the Cape Fear River shipping channel. As a result, the restored and protected coastline will protect a nationally significant state historic site, support coastal resiliency by reducing the risks of flooding, and promote recreational fishing and outdoor recreation by attracting and protecting biodiversity.
The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the North Carolina Department of Cultural and Natural Resources is an active participant in NOAA’s National Coastal Zone Management Program, providing public access to recreation while also protecting natural resources. North Carolina also participates in NOAA’s Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program. Because North Carolina contains the second largest estuarine system in the United States, the state’s Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP) Plan identified Brunswick County as a Coastal & Estuarine Land Protection Priority. The interaction between federal and state resources on protecting this coastline to ensure public access and cultural and natural resources protection shows this project is a responsible use of taxpayer funds.
Federal Nexus: Authorized in the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. § 1451 et seq.)
Letters of Support: NC Governor Roy Cooper, NCORR Deputy Chief Resilience Officer Marlena Byrne, NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary D. Reid Wilson
Member Certification Form
Project Name: Cape Fear Regional Jetport Taxi Lane and T-Hangar Construction Project
Location: Oak Island
State: North Carolina
Street Address: 4019 Long Beach Road
Zip Code: 28461
Congressional District: NC 7th District
Project Sponsor: Brunswick County Airport Commission
Request Amount: $14,500,000
Explanation of Request: The funding would be used to create new taxi lanes and T-Hangars at the Cape Fear Regional Jetport.
The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the airport services provide a large economic boost in its surrounding community. The airport utilizes Airport Improvement Program funding to improve these services. Specifically, it has an economic output of $378,650,000, a 35% increase since 2021. This uptick, initially brought on by the pandemic, has become a permanent trend. This project would enhance the airport’s ability to meet its new demand, Brunswick County’s population has grown by almost 40,000 residents since 2010. The added capability will help contribute towards future development projects at the Cape Fear Regional Jetport.
Federal Nexus: Authorized in 49 U.S.C. 48112.
Letters of Support: Oak Island Mayor S. Elizabeth White
Member Certification Form
Project Name: Heritage Park Phase I - Storm Water Flume Restoration Project
Location: Hope Mills
State: North Carolina
Street Address: 5770 Rockfish Road
Zip Code: 28348
Congressional District: NC 7th District
Project Sponsor: Town of Hope Mills, North Carolina
Request Amount: $350,000
Explanation of Request: The funding would be used to convert their flume to a stormwater control measure that will treat the new impervious surfaces constructed in the park needed to address flooding and stormwater management.
The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the proposed stormwater management feature promotes the sustainability of clean water through a uniquely designed drainage system that actively filters toxins present in stormwater before they enter the nearby creek. This will ensure the community is protected from these toxins and will mitigate flooding.
Federal Nexus: Authorized in Title VI of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C 1381 et seq.
Letters of Support: Cumberland County Veterans Council, President Grilley J. Mitchell
Member Certification Form
Project Name: Pembroke Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion
Location: Pembroke
State: North Carolina
Street Address: 98 Union Chapel Road
Zip Code: 28372
Congressional District: NC 7th District
Project Sponsor: Town of Pembroke, North Carolina
Request Amount: $4,000,000
Explanation of Request: The funding would be used to expand the town’s wastewater treatment plant to include a third oxidation ditch and will add capacity to the Town’s Waste Treatment Plant.
The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because wastewater expansion will allow the town to accommodate its growth and support the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, a critical economic driver of the town.
Federal Nexus: Authorized in Title VI of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C 1381 et seq.
Letters of Support: The University of North Carolina Pembroke Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings, MD
Member Certification Form
Project Name: Curtis L. Brown, Jr. Field Aerospace Workforce Incubator
Location: Elizabethtown
State: North Carolina
Street Address: 805 West Broad Street
Zip Code: 28337
Congressional District: NC 7th District
Project Sponsor: Town of Elizabethtown, North Carolina
Request Amount: $3,200,000
Explanation of Request: The funding would be used to construct added space for flight training and maintenance.
The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because the benefits of this project will help with the nationwide pilot shortage, as well as the workforce shortage impacting trade skills, especially in rural America. It will train future pilots and aircraft mechanics, assist transitioning military personnel, and educate Airport Management candidates. It will also produce a low-cost light sport training aircraft to help lower training costs. The aviation industry is currently experiencing massive shortages in all areas. This project would add additional workforce for the local area, state, and country.
This project will impact students from high schools in the area, such as Paul R. Brown Military Charter School, local college students, and retiring military personnel in Bladen County. As the airport is located between Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune, this program would benefit military personnel and give them the aerospace training to transition to the civil work force in either airline industries, or private work force, or military supporting industries. Federal Nexus: Authorized in Title VI of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C 1381 et seq.
Letters of Support: Elizabethtown Town Manager Dane D. Rideout, Bladen County Economic Development Commission Bladen's Bloomin' Agri-Industrial, Inc.
Member Certification Form
