The Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009, signed by President Barack Obama earlier this week, includes $22 million in funding for Louisiana university projects.The funding, at the request of Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., will go toward focussing more resources on developing alternative energy. ”The projects funded in this legislation will help keep our state’s university systems on the cutting edge by funding new agricultural and alternative energy research,” Landrieu said in a news release. The legislation will also fund job training programs and law enforcement technology upgrades. ”As Louisiana’s universities face budget shortfalls —threatening academic programs and job security — I can think of no better time to direct investments to important research that might otherwise be cut,” Landrieu said in the release. I will continue to ensure that the federal government invests in innovative university initiatives that will benefit not just Louisiana, but our entire nation.”——Contact Kyle Bove at [email protected]