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| Wilson: House Passes Interior Appropriations with NM Projects |
July 29, 2005 |
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| Bill Includes Supplemental Healthcare Funding for Veterans
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson this week welcomed House passage 410-10 of the Department of Interior Appropriations Act (H.R. 2361) which includes federal dollars for infrastructure improvements and other projects in New Mexico and the Albuquerque area.
The Department of Interior Appropriations Act, passed late Thursday, is important to New Mexico and funds the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Bureau of Land Management.
“The Department of the Interior oversees programs of particular importance to New Mexico, which has twenty-two tribes and pueblos, 13.4 million acres of BLM land, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s recovery efforts for 44 endangered animal species,” Wilson said.
The bill also includes $1.5 billion in supplemental funding for health care for America’s veterans in 2005.
"We need to make sure we provide good quality healthcare for veterans," Wilson said. “The Congress has acted quickly to make sure healthcare for veterans is properly funded this year.”
Projects funded in New Mexico’s Congressional District 1:
$2.1 million to continue construction of UNM’s Sevilleta Research and Education Center.
$500,000 for National Environmental Respiratory Center [NERC] at the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute in Albuquerque.
$952,000 for the Village of Tijeras, Phase III Water System.
$1 million for the wastewater and drinking water improvements project for the Albuquerque/Bernalillo Water Utility Authority.
$1 million for the wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal system in the Town of Edgewood.
$1 million for the wastewater project in the City of Belen.
Other Funding that benefits New Mexico:
$236 million for the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program, $9 million above the 2005 level. New Mexico receives more PILT funding than any other state.
$3.1 billion for the Indian Health Service, a $106 million dollar increase from 2005.
$2.7 billion for wildfire fighting and the National Fire Plan, a $111 million dollar increase from 2005.
$1.7 billion National Park Operations, a $61 million boost above 2005, and includes $4.238 million for Chaco Culture National Historic Places.
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