U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs Committees

 

2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

 

 

For Immediate Release

June 9, 2005

CONTACT:    Cody Wertz – Press Secretary

                        202-228-3630

Jen Clanahan – Deputy Press Secretary

                        303-455-7600

 

SEN. SALAZAR GAINS FIRST STEP TOWARDS $5M TO FUND LANDMARK OPEN SPACE & PRESERVATION PROJECTS

 

WASHINGTON, DC – United States Senator Ken Salazar today announced his successful first step towards the inclusion of more than $5 million in Colorado funding as part of the Department of Interior (DOI) appropriations legislation. The DOI Appropriations bill was approved today by the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“Coloradans have always placed a high priority on protecting our land and water. With the funding approved for these projects, we are one step closer to fulfilling that commitment,” said Senator Salazar.

Under the six projects Senator Salazar successfully worked to include in the FY06 Department of the Interior budget, Colorado is positioned to receive over $5.1 million in earmarked funding through the Department of Interior appropriations, including over $4.1 million to projects on the Western Slope and in southwestern Colorado:

  • $1.5M to conserve a portion of the Banded Peak Ranch in Archuleta County;
  • $1.5M to acquire land to support the Colorado Canyons National Conservation Area (NCA), or McInnis Canyons, in Mesa County;
  • $500K to acquire the final 650 acres within the High Elk Corridor for the Trust for Public Land High Elk project in San Juan County, completing the resource protection effort;
  • $691K to be used for fish recovery by USFWS for the Upper Colorado and San Juan Endangered Fish Recovery Programs via ongoing work at the Ouray National Hatchery in Utah and in recovery funds for the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program;
  • $500K for upgrades to the Englewood/Littleton bi-City Wastewater Treatment Plant to meet current federal/state water quality requirements; and
  • $500K to continue county-wide improvements in Jefferson County to the stormwater collection system and to comply with EPA requirements.

In addition, Senator Salazar successfully fought for expanded federal funds for Colorado in the Senate’s budget resolution, including a $35M increase in funding over the President’s initial request to the Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program and $30M for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) stateside grant program, a program eliminated in the President’s budget proposal.

The FY06 Interior Appropriations bill will now head on for consideration by the whole Senate.

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