"This is another positive step forward in the effort to permanently move the tailings," said Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water who pushed for the Utah money. "I'm pleased with the continued support of the administration and my colleagues for this project."

The full committee will vote Thursday on the 2005 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, but significant changes are not expected.

Grand County Councilwoman Joette Langianese praised Bennett and Republican colleague, Sen. Orrin Hatch, for keeping the pressure on to move the 11 million tons of hazardous tailings that currently sit on the bank of the Colorado River.

"You never know back there in Washington where the appropriations are going to go," Langianese said. "It's good to know that went through."

Of course, $28 million is just a start of the cost to move the tailings and remediate the groundwater, a project estimated at more than $400 million. The Department of Energy announced earlier this year it wants to move the tailings to a nearby site.

Water, energy projects requiring federal funding

Other Utah projects approved by the subcommittee include:

* $10 million for the Rural Utah 595 Water Program, meant to help several communities with water infrastructure improvements.

* $34.4 million for the Central Utah Project to pipe water to Utah's urban areas.

* $1.75 million for the Utah Center for Heavy Oil Research at the University of Utah to help develop a plan with the Utah Geological Survey on harvesting oil sands, oil shale and coal resource deposits in the Uinta Basin.

* $100,000 for a study on southern Utah watersheds after devastating floods ravaged the area this spring.

* $6.7 million to the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission to help offset the impacts on fish and other wildlife because of development and operation of federal reclamation projects.

* $500,000 for the Rural Water Technology Alliance, to upgrade irrigation technology in Utah.

* $2.5 million to help save endangered species in the upper Colorado River region.

* $500,000 for a feasibility study on importing water to the Snyderville Basin and Park City area.

* $2 million for the University of Utah's Center for the Ultra-Clean Coal Utilization, to help research into technologies to retrofit existing coal-fired power plants.

* $400,000 to help establish Utah State University's Center for River Dynamics and Restoration, the mission of which would be to create and maintain aquatic habitats in Utah watersheds.

* $671,000 to the Army Corps of Engineers for maintenance of projects in Utah.

* $9.4 million for the Bureau of Reclamation to continue to operate and maintain water projects across the state.

* $1 million for the Brigham City Wind Energy Project, which would help the city harness the wind potential at the mouth of Sardine Canyon.

* $500,000 for USU to continue research on the economic impact of wind power and other renewable energy sources.