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 New Mexico initiatives.

The FY 2009 Omnibus Spending Bill, which funds the work of most federal agencies through September, contains $1.90 million Bingaman requested for the Navajo Electrification Project.  The funds would be made available through a Bingaman-created initiative aimed at expanding traditional sources of power, and to implement renewable energy sources and other advanced electric power technologies on the Navajo Nations.

“Over the last several years, the federal government has invested millions of dollars in bringing electricity to the parts of the Navajo Nation that did not yet have it.  A lot of progress has been made, and with this funding we’ll be able to reach even more homes,” Bingaman said.

Bingaman also secured $500,000 to help the City of Aztec make needed upgrades to the city’s wastewater treatment plant.  The treatment plant is undersized for the city’s current waste stream and must be expanded to handle existing flows and increased future flows.  Upgrades and improvement to the facility will also have the added benefit of substantially reducing overall operating costs, thus providing additional benefit to this low-to-moderate income area. Bingaman secured an earmark of $490,000 for this project in FY2008.

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

LAW ENFORCEMENT
$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 

$350,000 McKinley County, Juvenile Alternatives to Detention Program:Funding would be used to continue operations at the NM Juvenile Services Center, a one-stop facility for comprehensive juvenile services, including substance abuse treatment, shelter, day reporting, community service, and other alternatives to detention efforts.  The Center serves about 420 juveniles each year

$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 

HEALTH CARE
$262,000 Zuni Tribe Foster Care Facility (HRSA): Funding will permit the Pueblo of Zuni to support a new Foster Care Facility (FCF), which is expected to finish construction this year.  Currently, 70percent of Zuni children in need of foster care are sent to off-reservation facilities 200 miles away from their homelands.  FCF will enable the Tribe to provide on-site foster care treatment to 7 to 12 children of all ages who have been displaced because of neglect, abuse, or abandonment. 

COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES
$2 million for Navajo Technical College

WATER/WASTEWATER/FLOOD CONTROL
$800,000 for USDA to contract with the Albuquerque-based National Tribal Environmental Council to continue a Native American circuit rider program to provide technical assistance for rural water systems 

$300,000 to the City of Bloomfield for drinking water system improvements 

$3 million for the Jicarilla Apache Rural Water System.  This funding will be used to repair and replace the drinking water delivery and wastewater system on the reservation.  The system has serious deficiencies, and continued wastewater spillage and a corroded distribution system threatens the health and welfare of the Jicarilla Nation and other New Mexico communities.

$700,000 to the Bureau of Reclamation to finalize studies about the feasibility of constructing a pipeline to serve the Navajo Nation and Gallup.  Bingaman is the author of legislation ready for full Senate action that would authorize such a project.  That measure has cleared the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and is ready for full Senate action.

TRANSPORTATION
$950,000 for US 491: Navajo 9 to Shiprock, for a four-lane upgrade

$308,750 for East Aztec Arterial Route       

HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
$950,000 for Southwest Indian Foundation in Gallup for the Operation Footprint program to construct and place new homes for needy Navajo families         

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.