House Passes Bill with Wilson’s NM Projects, But Slashes Weapons Reliability Programs
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson today again voted against the most radical change in nuclear policy since the 1990s although it passed the House 312-112. Wilson said that the inclusion of four of her project requests for New Mexico, while important, cannot outweigh the deep national security implications of the major cuts to nuclear programs included in the Energy and Water Appropriations Act of 2008.
“The decisions imbedded in this legislation will lead us either to return to nuclear testing, or to abandon nuclear deterrence because we will stop maintaining the stockpile,” said Wilson, who also spoke out against the bill on the House floor during the June debate. “This bill devastates the capability to certify that our nuclear weapons are safe, secure and reliable without testing.”
In 1992, the United States stopped nuclear testing. In 1996, the U.S. joined the moratorium on nuclear testing and said we will continue to maintain the stockpile through Science Based Stockpile Stewardship.
Yet the bill has a 20 percent reduction in one year in the nuclear weapons program at Sandia National Laboratories, the engineering facilities that are solely responsible for over 6,000 parts in U.S. nuclear weapons. It includes a 40 percent reduction at Los Alamos National Labs nuclear weapons program. Eighty percent of the existing deployed stockpile is designed by Los Alamos National Laboratory. They are responsible for being able to certify if these weapons are safe, secure and reliable.
Wilson said the fundamental policy change has three major impacts: impeding U.S. ability to achieve stockpile reductions because of declining confidence in reliability, increasing the likelihood of the need to go back to underground testing for assessment in the absence of this funding, and undermining allied confidence in the American nuclear umbrella.
Wilson Requests for New Mexico in the the Energy and Water Appropriations Act:
- $311,000 for the Middle Rio Grande Bosque feasibility study. The study area includes the Rio Grande’s Bosque through Albuquerque, from the North Diversion Channel outfall to the South Diversion Channel outfall, a distance of 13 miles that encompasses approximately 2,500 acres. The feasibility study, initiated in August 2004, will evaluate current conditions within the study area and make recommendations in order to improve environmental quality, reduce fire potential, and develop passive recreation opportunities. The study is scheduled for completion in fiscal year 2008.
- $100,000 for the Ecosystem Revitalization at Route 66, Albuquerque. The project is located on the Rio Grande between Interstate 25 and Bridge Street, and consists of the removal of unnecessary jetty jacks and non-native vegetation, the removal of dead trees to reduce fire hazard, the reintroduction of native vegetation, and the improvement of recreational opportunities that are compatible with eco-system recreation.
- $750,000 to the University of New Mexico for the New Mexico Center for Isotopes in Medicine. The funding is for the development of applications of unique, medically useful radio isotopes available soon from the Los Alamos National Lab Isotope Production Facility.
- $2 million for the Rio Grande Bosque Rehabilitation (Bosque Wildfires), New Mexico. Public Law 108-137 (Energy and Water Appropriations) authorized the Corps to restore burned areas in Albuquerque’s bosque and also lower the future fire threat. The restoration work began in January 2004. Funding would continue expedited planning, design and construction for the restoration of burned areas with high potential for fire in and around Albuquerque’s Bosque.
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