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| Wilson Announces Subcommittee Approval for Priority Infrastructure and Energy Projects |
July 17, 2002 |
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| WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Heather Wilson today announced that the U.S. House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee has approved funding for a number of high priority projects in New Mexico.
“As a fast-growing community, Albuquerque and its surrounding areas needs to upgrade some critical infrastructure systems,” said Wilson. “This funding will help relieve areas prone to flooding and improve irrigation. The Energy and Water appropriations bill will also help to advance necessary research into weapons stockpile stewardship.”
The Southwest Valley Flood Management Initiative will create a flood control project in the South Valley through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The project is currently in the feasibility study phase and the $450,000 included in this year’s budget will allow the study to be completed. The project will alleviate frequent flooding in the southwest valley particularly in the area adjoining the intersections of Blake Road between Isleta Blvd and Coors Blvd.
Wilson secured funding to help the City of Albuquerque pay for two important water projects. The bill includes $100,000 for the San Juan-Chama Project, to construct a diversion facility in the Rio Grande to use San Juan-Chama water for irrigation and industrial purposes. $400,000 for the Non-Potable Surface Water Reclamation project was approved, which consists of treatment, piping and pump stations to use treated municipal effluent for irrigation.
The Subcommittee approved $5.7 billion for weapons activities, and increase of $211 million from FY02. This funding will help to maintain the safety, security, reliability and performance of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile. Within this program, Sandia’s MESA project is creating a new capability for developing microsystems critical for weapon stockpile upgrades.
Refurbishment and increased operations of the Z machine also are funded within this bill. The Z machine is used to explore high energy density physics for the stockpile stewardship program. The bill also provides $15 million to conduct a three-year study of the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator to determine if an existing warhead could be adapted to deflect hard and deeply buried targets.
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