U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member: Agriculture, Energy, Veterans' Affairs, Ethics and Aging Committees

 

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

 

 

For Immediate Release

June 30, 2006

CONTACT:    Cody Wertz – Comm. Director

                        303-455-7600

Andrew Nannis  – Press Secretary

                        202-224-5852


 Sen. Salazar Secures Funding for Major Colorado Energy & Water Projects

WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Senator Ken Salazar today announced the inclusion of nearly $74.4 million in federal funds for eight projects in Colorado as part of the FY07 Energy and Water Appropriations bill approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee yesterday.

Included was $449,000 requested by Senator Salazar to complete the Army Corps of Engineers study of the Fountain Creek watershed, a critical water lifeline between Colorado Springs and Pueblo.

“Last year, I was able to secure $125,000 to continue this important study. Now, the end is within sight,” said Senator Salazar. “Completing the watershed study is essential to ensuring this waterway is clean and beneficial to the people of southeastern Colorado.”

Seven additional projects funded by the FY07 Energy and Water Appropriations bill at the request of Senator Salazar are:

  • $5.8 million for recreation facilities renovations at Cherry Creek, Chatfield, and Trinidad State Parks as part of a 10-year agreement between the State of Colorado and the Army Corps of Engineers. $2 million of this funding is a federal cost share with the State;
  • $2.2 million for the John Martin Reservoir in Bent County for ongoing operation and maintenance;
  • $100,000 for a study of the South Boulder Creek floodplain, which a recent technical analysis determined included several hundred homes in Boulder previously thought to be outside the floodplain and flood damage risk area;
  • $65 million for Animas-La Plata water storage project in southwestern Colorado, an increase of over $7 million from the Administration’s budget proposal;
  • $80,000 to obtain locally produced oilseed crops for on-site processing at the small-scale, vertically integrated, biodiesel production facility in Mesita, Colorado; and
  • $250,000 to construct and operate a local small-scale biodiesel processing plant in Rocky Ford to process 135,000 gallons of fuel per year, to be administered by the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District.

The FY07 Energy and Water Appropriations bill now goes on for consideration by the full Senate.

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