Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today reported that President Obama has signed a spending bill that contains funding for important southeastern New Mexico initiatives.

The FY 2009 Omnibus Spending Bill, which funds the work of most federal agencies through September, contains $2.3 million Bingaman secured for the Pecos Valley Biomass cooperative in Roswell.  This venture will integrate a cooperative manure management system for the collection, storage, and the bioconversion of cow manure and other agriculture waste products into bio-methane gas.

The bill also includes $250,000 Bingaman requested for Eastern New Mexico University’s Flight Research Training Center in Roswell.  Funding will be used to acquire a program to detect, mitigate and recover from loss of control accidents in aircraft. 

“This funding will allow the center to offer more advanced training to pilots, ensuring that they are prepared to avoid accidents,” Bingaman said. 

Bingaman worked to set aside funding for southeastern New Mexico projects.  They include:

$231.67 million for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

$500,000 New Mexico Attorney General, Anti-Methamphetamine Campaign: Funding would be used by the Office of the Attorney General to implement a state-wide campaign to combat meth, including public education efforts, media messaging, and community and law enforcement participation.  The initiative would be focused on preventing meth use by mid and high school students, and in addressing use in Native American communities where the problem is particularly severe 

$300,000 New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD), Pilot Juvenile Crime Prevention Program:  Funding would be used for CYFD to implement a pilot program aimed at preventing juvenile crime through a collaborative effort of courts, probation offices, schools, local governments, support groups, and community volunteers 

$400,000 New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts, Drug Court Program:  As part of a 5-year plan to place a drug court in every county, the State has established over 35 drug courts in 24 of New Mexico’s 33 counties.  Drug courts have been very effective in New Mexico—the average drug court recidivism rate is 13.4 percent, compared with 27.5 percent nationwide 

$1 million New Mexico Department of Public Safety (DPS), Meth Enforcement Activities:Funding would be used to enhance the DPS Narcotic Section’s ability to conduct proactive undercover operations and reduce the supply of meth in New Mexico 

$3.374 million for the New Mexico Environment Department to finance improvements in wastewater treatment systems

$8.146 million for the New Mexico Finance Authority to finance improvements in drinking water systems

$95,000 for the East Bypass in Hobbs

$168,000 to restore and maintain riparian areas along the Rio Grande, Pecos and Canadian Riverswhere the state is working to treat and kill the noxious salt cedar. The funding would be used to restore native vegetation to riparian areas in order to stabilize soils; to maintain replanted areas; and for management to prevent invasive species from returning to treated areas.   Bingaman secured 4th-year funding of $175,000 in FY 2008.

$190,000 for the City of Carlsbad to continue construction of a youth sports complex in Carlsbad

Bingaman helped negotiate a proposal that was signed into law last year, which fully funds the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program for the next five years.  PILT pays counties for federal lands within their borders that cannot be made part of their tax base.  The bill sets the funding level at $376 million in fiscal year 2009.