Congressman Tim Walz released Tuesday a list of 47 southern Minnesota projects he will be asking Congress and President Bush to authorize as part of the upcoming federal budget, including $20 million for Highway 14 improvements and nearly $17 million for a National Guard facility in Mankato.

Walz cautioned that many of the earmarks will not make the final cut — or will be scaled back in size — as lawmakers from across the country compete to place earmarks in budget bills.

But the freshman Democrat from Mankato, working with Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Norm Coleman, had success last year in getting funding for a number of projects in the 1st District, including a half-dozen in the Mankato area.

“Minnesota sends more money to Washington that it gets back, and it’s appropriate for us to advocate for the good use of tax dollars (in the district),” Walz said.

Three items are at the top of his priority list: a series of appropriations for repairs and flood control projects in southeastern Minnesota communities devastated by last summer’s flooding (more than $8.7 million); the Lewis and Clark Rural Water System that would pipe Missouri River water to southwestern Minnesota and two other states ($35 million) and renewable energy initiatives throughout the district ($4.5 million).

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