Some local officials are hoping this session of Congress will bring the remaining economic development funding promised through the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act. The Dalles Community Action Team, Mid-Columbia Economic Development District, and others have been seeking the remaining two million dollars of funding. Andrea Klaas of the Port of The Dalles says in late December all four Northwest senators along with Oregon Second District Congressman Greg Walden and Washington Third District Congresswoman Jamie Herrera Beutler all signed a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue requesting the money be released. Klaas says they are working with USDA Rural Development state director John Huffman to find a way to get that money to the region.