Rep. Luján Votes to Encourage Economic Recovery, Secures Key Investments in New Mexico
October 1, 2009
Rep. Luján Secures $29 Million for New Mexico Projects in Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act
Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Ben Ray Luján voted for the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, which will help spur economic recovery while providing solutions to our energy and water quality needs. The Act also includes significant investments in New Mexico’s infrastructure that will build on investments made by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, helping strengthen infrastructure throughout New Mexico. The conference report passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 308 to 114. Once it is approved by the Senate, this bill will go on to the President’s office to be signed into law.
“This bill makes important investments in clean energy and infrastructure—investments that will help us move toward energy independence and rebuild our aging water infrastructure,” said Rep. Luján. “I’m encouraged that significant support for New Mexico has been included in the final bill. Clean, accessible water is vital to communities throughout our state, and I’m glad that there is funding for critical systems that will help provide water to our communities.”
The Energy and Water Appropriations Act builds on investments made in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that will help make the United States a leader in clean energy. The Energy and Water Appropriations Act invests in fuel efficient vehicles. It helps modernize our electric grid by investing in smart grid technology that will ensure efficient and reliable delivery of electricity to American homes and businesses. The bill provides increased funding for low-income weatherization grants to improve energy efficiency in homes. The grants will help save families money by reducing electricity and heating costs. The bill also invests in the water infrastructure needs of our communities, improving water quality and accessibility.
The Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act also provided $20 million for the refurbishment of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, or LANSCE. It is a quarter-mile long proton accelerator at LANL that provides much-needed support to the nation’s innovative science efforts. There is no other facility in the world that can replicate the capability of LANSCE in a cost-effective manner, most notably its ability to do classified experiments and to handle critical science material.
Projects in the Energy and Water Appropriations Act for the Third Congressional District
Project
Amount
Jicarilla Apache Reservation Rural Water System, Dulce, New Mexico (Bureau of Reclamation; Water and Related Resources - Rural Water)-- The purpose of this project is to fund the Jicarilla Nation's congressionally authorized (Title VIII of P.L. 107-331) rural water system to provide safe and clean drinking water to the residents of Dulce, NM and allow for the community to embark on necessary infrastructure projects by repairing and replacing the severely debilitated water delivery and waste water system that serves the Jicarilla Apache Reservation.
3,000,000
Chimayo Water Supply System (Bureau of Reclamation; Water and Related Resources – Rural Water)—This funding would go towards the construction of storage tanks, development of additional groundwater supplies, and extend waterlines for this regional water system. The regional water supply project (PL 108-354) was authorized to address drought-related emergencies limiting the water supply available in the Greater Chimayo area.
233,000
Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System (Bureau of Reclamation; Water and Related Resources – Upper Colorado Region)—This funding would provide for the design and construction of intake screens in the reservoir, tunnel, and forebay at Ute Reservoir. This program was reentry authorized by P.L. 111-11, Sec. 9103 to ensure a sustainable water supply and long-term security for communities in Eastern New Mexico while reducing demand on the Ogallala Aquifer.
1,000,000
Navajo-Gallup Water Supply (Bureau of Reclamation; Water and Related Resources—Upper Colorado Region)—This funding was recently authorized by PL 111-11, Sec 10602, the purpose of which is for the planning, design, and construction of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, including the Cutter Later Regional System and the Gallup Regional System. This project is a key part of the water rights settlement in the San Juan basin and will ensure a sustainable water supply for the Navajo Nation and non-Indian water users in the basin.
3,000,000
US Army Corps of Engineers Project - COCHITI LAKE, NM (The project provides flood damage reduction as one unit of the flood control plan for the Rio Grande and Tributaries, New Mexico. The dam is located on the Pueblo de Cochiti lands, approximately 50 miles upstream from Albuquerque, New Mexico on the Rio Grande. The project consists of an earth fill dam about 5.4 miles long with a maximum height of 251 feet above streambed. The project extends generally in an east/west line across the Rio Grande to a point about 2 miles east of the Rio Grande and then southward across the Santa Fe River. The dam controls flood waters from an 11,695 square mile drainage area. Project has been operational since 1976.)
6,534,000
US Army Corps of Engineers Project - CONCHAS LAKE, NM (The project provides flood damage reduction as one unit of the flood control plan for the Canadian River and its Tributaries. The dam is located in San Miguel County, New Mexico, on the Canadian River Canyon, just below the confluence of the Canadian and Conchas Rivers. The dam consists of a concrete gravity main section 1,250 feet long with a maximum height of 200 feet above streambed with earth dikes on each side having an over/all length of about 3.1 miles. The dam controls flood waters from a 7,409 square mile drainage area. Project has been operational since 1939.)
1,707,000
US Army Corps of Engineers Project - GALISTEO DAM, NM (The project provides flood damage reduction as one unit of the flood control plan for the Rio Grande and its Tributaries. The dam is located in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, approximately 40 miles north of Albuquerque along Galisteo Creek. The creek is a tributary to the Rio Grande, and enters the river just south of Cochiti Dam. The project consists of an earth fill dam 3,210 feet long with a maximum height of 165 feet above the streambed. The dam controls flood waters from a 596 square mile drainage area. Project has been operational since 1970.)
562,000
US Army Corps of Engineers Project - INSPECTION OF COMPLETED WORKS, NM (Inspection of completed works under this program includes flood control projects transferred to local interests for operation and maintenance. This program includes 1st and 2nd periodic inspections of high hazard dams as well as inspections and continuing evaluations of all other completed flood control projects. Inspections are to ensure that the projects perform as designed.)
607,000
US Army Corps of Engineers Project - JEMEZ CANYON DAM, NM (The project provides flood damage reduction as one unit of the flood control plan for the Rio Grande and its Tributaries. The project is located in Sandoval County, New Mexico, on the Jemez River about 2 miles upstream of the confluence of the Jemez River and the Rio Grande, about 5 miles northwest of Bernalillo, New Mexico. The project consists of an earth fill dam 861 feet long with a maximum height of 149.6 feet above streambed, an off/channel uncontrolled saddle spillway 428 feet wide and a 13/foot diameter gated outlet in the left abutment. The dam controls flood waters from a 1,034 square mile drainage area. Project has been operational since 1953.)
718,000
US Army Corps of Engineers Project - MIDDLE RIO GRANDE ENDANGERED SPECIES COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM, NM (MRGESCP)
(The MRGESCP is a multi-stakeholder partnership working to protect and improve the status of endangered species along the Middle Rio Grande (MRG) of New Mexico while simultaneously protecting existing and future regional water uses.)
2,994,000
US Army Corps of Engineers Project - SCHEDULING RESERVOIR OPERATIONS, NM (The Corps provides reservoir flood control regulation for the Bureau of Reclamation's Brantley Dam, Sumner Lake, and Navajo Reservoir under Section 7 of the Flood Control Act of 1944.)
453,000
US Army Corps of Engineers Project - UPPER RIO GRANDE WATER OPERATIONS MODEL STUDY, CO, NM, TX (The Upper Rio Grande Water Operations Model assists water managers in flood control operations, water accounting, biological opinion compliance and evaluation of water operations alternatives. Six Federal agencies entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 1996 to develop a unified water operations model and to coordinate model development activities with other Rio Grande Basin interests. The operations model performs multi/contractor accounting and forecasting to simulate daily storage and delivery operations. The model was further refined and tested to review system operations of the Rio Grande Basin. The water operations review began in FY 2000 with a joint lead agency agreement and public scoping meetings. The Corps and several participating agencies coordinated with the public, Native American tribes, and other basin interests to formulate draft alternative operations that are within existing authorities. The programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) recommends system operations and provides guidelines for water operators’ decisions. Further evaluation of system operation alternatives and further consultation and coordination are ongoing. The water operations review will continue in FY 2009 with tiered NEPA studies using the EIS to evaluate water operations alternatives on the Rio Grande in order to increase flexibility and meet competing demands for water, including endangered species needs. Using a portion of funds appropriated for URGWOM in FY 2008, Congress directed that an Integrated Management Plan be developed for the Rio Grande Basin.)
2,053,000
US Army Corps of Engineers Project - ESPANOLA VALLEY, RIO GRANDE AND TRIBUTARIES, NM (The watershed study area is located in the Española Valley in north-central New Mexico. This cost-shared watershed study will be a cooperative effort with the three Native American tribes of Ohkay Owingeh, Santa Clara, and San Ildefonso. The Pueblos will cost share and participate equally as the non-Federal sponsors for the watershed study. The primary purpose of this study is ecosystem restoration along the Rio Grande. Restoration features will improve and increase riparian woodland, riparian shrub, and emergent wetland habitat in the study area, including habitat of the endangered Rio Grande Silvery Minnow and the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher. The study will also investigate flood damage reduction and ancillary recreation measures.)
224,000
US Army Corps of Engineers Project - RIO GRANDE BASIN, NM, CO AND TX (SECTION 729) (The Rio Grande Basin is located in the states of Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, and encompasses an area over 160,000 square miles, from the Rio Grande’s headwaters in central Colorado to its mouth on the Gulf of Mexico near Brownsville, Texas. Water conveyance and delivery, ecosystem degradation, and flooding are major issues in the basin. Water supply and flood control in the Rio Grande Basin fall under the management and jurisdiction of an international treaty, an interstate compact, and several Federal, State and local agencies. The study will identify ways to integrate the programs, policies, and resources of all concerned agencies into a multi-objective water resources plan.)
103,000
Army Corp of Engineers Project, Acequias Irrigation System, NM
2,422,000
Army Corp of Engineers Project, Investigations, Santa Fe, NM
134,000
Army Corp of Engineers Project, Abiquiu Dam, NM
3,141,000
Army Corp of Engineers Project, Investigations, Tribal Partnership Program, NM
