 |
| Wilson Seeks Funding for Critical Energy and Water Infrastructure Projects in New Mexico |
March 28, 2003 |
| |
Washington, DC—Congresswoman Heather Wilson sent a letter today to the Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water to request funding for several important projects for New Mexico.
“As a rapidly growing city, Albuquerque needs to upgrade and expand its infrastructure while at the same time protecting our local water resources and wildlife habitat,” said Wilson.
Among the projects for which Wilson requested funding are:
•$5,000,000 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque District, to complete construction on projects at Double Eagle II airport infrastructure upgrade, the Bosque Farms wastewater treatment plant, award construction contracts on the Tijeras water system upgrade, and work on the Bernalillo wastewater treatment plant.
•$1 million for the design of two detention ponds and an upgrade to the existing storm water pump for the Black Mesa Area Flood Management Project for Bernalillo County, New Mexico.
•$1.5 million for the final design and construction management and construction of previous water projects funded by the committee in Albuquerque. The funding is for completion of the Non Potable Surface Water Reclamation Phase (I) and the Southside Municipal Effluent Reuse Phase (II) of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Area Water Reclamation and Reuse Project. The FY 04 funding would complete funding for the water reuse and reclamation phases on the eastside of Albuquerque.
•$12 million for efforts to restore the Rio Grande and recover the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow.
•$500,000 to support the energy education outreach campaign of the Self Reliance Foundation to give Spanish-speakers information about energy. The Self Reliance Foundation with the Hispanic Radio Network is conducting a national energy conservation education campaign involving Spanish radio broadcasts and the use of an 800# to link individuals and families to energy conservation information. These monies would be used to underwrite staff costs at the University of New Mexico, UCLA, Washington, DC, programming and distribution.
•$500,000 to match a grant from the National Science Foundation for the Science Festivals Project of the Self Reliance Foundation to provide science and energy education to Spanish-speaking families. The Self Reliance Foundation is conducting a national outreach educational campaign involving Hispanic parents and families in science education. The Department of Energy conducts various educational outreach projects in English working through schools. This would extend those efforts to Spanish speaking families.
In addition to the energy and water projects above, Wilson is seeking funding for programs affecting Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in Albuquerque, New Mexico:
•$144 million for Microsystems and Engineering Sciences Applications (MESA) to meet the critical schedule for MESA and ensure the security of our stockpile. MESA is a $463 million capital line item to modernize the electrical, optical, and mechanical components for the U.S. nuclear deterrent. MESA will bring together weapon designers, micro-systems technologists, and computational analysts in order to apply computational codes and techniques developed within the ASC (Accelerated Scientific Computing) program to nuclear weapon engineering. The intended result includes shorter design cycles, greater design accuracy, improved manufacturability of designs, and increased designer confidence.
•$778 million for Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASCI). ASCI uses supercomputers to simulate the performance of nuclear weapons without testing.
•$262 million to fund the development of Z-Pinch Inertial Fusion Energy, a concept that could have an enormous impact on the development of fusion energy. Fusion energy is generally considered to be the ultimate energy source. It uses the fusion power process of the sun and stars, has an essentially inexhaustible fuel supply, is inherently safe, has minimal nuclear activation concerns, and produces no emissions of carbon dioxide. Fusion can be used to produce electricity and can be used for hydrogen production, transmutation of nuclear waste, and desalinization. Sandia National Laboratories is on the forefront of research in this field.
### |
|
|
|