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| House Approves $1.5 Million for Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque and $2.7 Million of Land Acquisition in the Petroglyphs |
October 03, 2000 |
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| Interior Department budget bill will meet land conservation, emergency wildfire and heating oil needs
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson voted today for an $18.8 billion Interior spending package to address critical needs such as the devastating wildfires in the West, rising heating oil prices and land conservation. The bill also dedicates $1.5 million for Albuquerque’s Hispanic Cultural Center, $2.7 million to buy “in-holdings” in the Petroglyph National Monument and $500,000 to fund the Route 66 Preservation Act that Wilson authored and was made law last year.
“The Hispanic Cultural Center will be the largest and most comprehensive facility of its kind in the United States,” said Wilson. “The Center will be programmatically linked to schools, communities and cultural institutions around the world bringing the resources of the facility to millions of Americans in New Mexico and across the country.”
The Petroglyph National Monument currently comprises 7,244 acres, but there is still privately held land within the monument. Wilson said the $2.7 million included in this years Interior Department budget will allow the government to purchase some of the remaining “in-holdings” and expand the monument.
Wilson was particularly please that the budget included funding for her Rt. 66 legislation that was enacted last year. “On August 10, 1999, President Clinton signed into law H.R.66 that I authored to preserve the cultural resources of the Route 66 corridor. The $500,000 included in this year’s budget will be used to help commemorate the 75th anniversary of ‘the mother road’ in 2001.”
In addition to these important programs for New Mexico, the FY 2001 Interior Appropriations Act Conference Report (H.R. 4578) increases the federal commitment to sound environmental policy by $3.9 billion over last year to meet old conservation needs and new emergency needs.
“This package helps those struggling to rebuild their homes and lives after crippling wildfire damage. This measure helps those faced with high heating oil costs driven upward by the Administration’s failed energy policy. It also expands our commitment to land and wildlife conservation significantly.”
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