More than $70 million was approved for Mississippi's third congressional district in the latest appropriations bill. It has already been approved by the House and Senate and awaits the president's signature.

Cong. Chip Pickering said $13,370,000 applies to four projects in Meridian. This is the breakdown:

$6,770,000, fire station at NAS Meridian

$6,100,000, improvements for Key Field

$291,000, Regional Counterdrug Training Academy

$209,000, Hope Village for Children

According to a news release, two of Pickering’s long-term projects in Congress also received funding in the bill, $188 million in funding for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, $24.6 million of which is to acquire land at the new site. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 included the Pickering Strategic Petroleum Reserve Amendment that directed the Department of Energy to select one or more new sites, and to commence with the administrative and environmental processes necessary to create additional reserve facilities. This led to the selection of the Richton, Miss., salt domes as a future SPR facility location.

The measure also includes $868,875 for Pickering's National Veterinary Medical Service Act signed into law in 2003. The act encourages veterinary assistance in under-served areas to guard against foreign and domestic disease outbreaks or agro-terrorist threats by helping graduates repay student loans for their term of service.

The legislation contains more than $300 million in funding for projects in, or partnering with, Mississippi. Some projects will be affected by a 1.6% across the board budget cut negotiated by House conservatives and the White House to reduce spending.