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| Wilson Highlights Federal Investment in Lab Research |
November 09, 2005 |
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Funds NM Research & Development; Water & Environment Projects
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson today welcomed House passage 399-17 of the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2419) which directs about $4.4 billion to research and projects at the national laboratories in New Mexico.
“Funding important research at the national laboratories in New Mexico will continue to result in innovation and development of new technologies,” Wilson said. “The work at our national laboratories has a track record of strengthening our national security and our energy development. Supporting our national labs is an investment that yields economic growth, job creation and new products.”
The $30 billion legislation boosts federal support for the Army Corps of Engineers to address responsibilities of hurricane reconstruction and preventing future damage.
New Mexico Highlights
Lab Research and Construction
The Bill includes:
Retaining flexibility for funding new innovation in the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program at levels as high as 8 percent with no absolute limits.
$25 million for the Reliable Replacement Warhead, an increase of $15 million above the President’s request.
$70 million for the Microsystem and Engineering Science Applications (MESA) facility at Sandia National Labs (SNL).
$35 million to Los Alamos National Labs (LANL) to acquire additional computing capacity and $20M to complete the expansion of the red network at LANL that will facilitate the central storage of classified electronic files eliminating removable media.
$15 million for establishment of the National Nanotechnology Enterprise Development Center (NNEDC), to be managed by the Center for Integrated Nano-Technologies (CINT), a joint SNL and LANL project.
$29 million to design and $55 million to construct a Chemistry Metallurgy Research Replacement (CMR-R) facility at Los Alamos National Labs.
Water & Environment
“This bill invests in clean water and environmental improvements,” Wilson said. “We have a beautiful state, and we’ll keep it clean and still be proud of it when we hand it down to future generations.”
The bill includes:
$5 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for water-related environmental infrastructure and resource protection projects in Valencia, Bernalillo, and Sandoval Counties. This will allow the Corps to complete the Black Mesa Pump and Detention Pond, the Coors Vacuum Pump Station and the Black Mesa Pressure Pipe System.
$500,000 for Southwest Valley Flood Control Damage Reduction. The Southwest Valley of Albuquerque is subject to flooding from runoff from an adjacent mesa. Flood waters pool in developed areas because they cannot drain by gravity flow to the Rio Grande.
$35,000 for the Corps to complete its portion of the Albuquerque Bio Park Wetland Restoration Project. The project consists of 18 acres of pond reconstruction, 13 acres of wetland reconstruction and 25 acres of the Bosque along the Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The local sponsor is the City of Albuquerque.
$500,000 for Ecosystem Revitalization at Route 66. The Project is located on the Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New Mexico between I-25 and Bridge Street. The project 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.
$12.9 million for the Middle Rio Grande Endangered Species Collaborative Program in New Mexico. This includes $5 million for Bureau of Reclamation for water acquisition, $7.5 million for the Army Corps of Engineers for habitat restoration projects and $400,000 for the Fish and Wildlife Service for program management support.
$7 million to complete construction of the joint Sandia National Laboratories/Bureau of Reclamation Desalination Facility in the Tularosa Basin in New Mexico.
$7 million for Sandia National Laboratories to conduct advanced concept desalination and arsenic treatment research.
University of New Mexico
The bill includes:
$11 million for the Mental Illness and Neurosciences Discovery Institute at the University of New Mexico.
“Investing in health research keeps America on the cutting edge of health care innovation and technology,” Wilson said. “The high quality health care we prize often starts with a breakthrough in a research lab.”
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