The Senate Appropriations Committee’s FY2009 Energy and Water appropriations bill contains 1,480 earmarks worth $3.50 billion (click here for the database). This is an increase in the number of projects compared to the 1,305 earmarks in the 2008 Senate Energy and Water Bill last year, but the total dollar value actually decreased from $3.56 billion.

Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) led the way with 41 earmarks worth $322.0 million.  Most of these earmarks were jointly requested with Mississippi’s junior Senator, Roger Wicker (R), including $10.5 million for Mississippi State University’s Sustainable Energy Research Center , to serve as a catalyst to create sustainable energy industries in the southeastern United States. Sen. Cochran’s two solo earmarks include an $11.1 million bump for Corps research and development activities and a $650,000 earmark for the University of Mississippi to study efficiency in Iodine-based medical imaging for diagnostic procedures.

Energy and Water Subcommittee Chairman, Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), secured 22 earmarks worth $131.6 million. Bismarck State College did well, receiving a $1.4 million earmark for a “state-of-the-art lab” as well as $1.9 million for energy workforce development programs.

Energy and Water Subcommittee Ranking Member, Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM), brought in 42 earmarks worth $127.3 million. This included $7 million for Matter-Radiation Interactions in Extremes and $500,000 Restore Manhattan Project Sites at Los Alamos National Lab. New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM received $1 million for the Arrowhead Center to promote prosperity in New Mexico through economic development

Appropriations Committee Chairman Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) got 13 earmarks worth $23.0 million including $500,000 for study of Long Term Environmental and Economic Impacts of the Development of a Coal Liquefaction Sector in China to be conducted West Virginia University.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), a former Chairman of the Energy and Water Subcommittee got 22 earmarks worth $46.3 million, including $500,000 for the Nevada Institute for Renewable Energy Commercialization , Incline Village, NV and $1.25 million for a solar fuel cell system at Alternative Energy School of the Future, a project Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation.

Although they were not listed as earmarks, three Independent Agency programs did very well in the Senate. While the House maintained the requested level of funding for the Appalachian Regional Commission ($65 million), the Delta Commission ($6 million) and the Denali Regional Authority ($18 million). The Senate bumped up the three agency budgets by $37.8 million. Coincidentally, those programs are represented by Appropriations Committee heavy hitters, Sens. Byrd, Cochran and Stevens (R-AK).