(WASHINGTON D.C.) – The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved over $73-million for Utah Energy and Water Projects. Sen. Bob Bennett is a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water and was able to secure funding for several water projects around the state. The largest amount is $32.6-million to go towards the Moab Atlas Tailings Removal which contains over 11 million tons of contaminated mill tailings, debris and groundwater in Moab. The pile continues to leak contaminants to the Colorado river through the groundwater, which has a potential impact on the environment and downstream water users. $12-million has also been secured for the Rural Utah 595 Water Program which is available to all cities and towns in rural Utah outside of St. George and the Wasatch Front to help with water infrastructure improvements. A total of $300,000 has also been acquired for the Rural Water Technology Alliance (RWTA) for the Upper and Lower Sevier Water Districts, Duchesne, Bear River and Emery Counties, for the purpose of installing low-cost, automated technology to monitor and control water levels. Last year, Bennett secured over $490,000 for the project.