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 northern New Mexico initiatives.

The FY 2009 Omnibus Spending Bill, which funds the work of most federal agencies through September, contains $4 million Bingaman requested for operations and capital improvements at the Valles Caldera National Preserve.

‘The Valles Caldera National Preserve has been underfunded for many years.  I hope this $4 million will address some of the most important improvements that need to be made there,” Bingaman said.

Bingaman also secured $100,000 for the Santa Fe Rape Crisis and Trauma Treatment Center’s Statewide Stress Reduction Training for Law Enforcement and First Responders program.  Funding will be used for clinical staff to conduct training and outreach programs throughout the State for law enforcement and first responders to ameliorate the impact of stress and trauma that is experienced as a result of law enforcement work

Bingaman also worked to secure $700,000 in the bill for a drinking water project in Espanola.  Funding will be used for a project to remove arsenic from well #1.

“All New Mexicans should have access to safe drinking water,” Bingaman said.  “This funding will be invested in Espanola to ensure residents have clean water.”

Bingaman worked to set aside funding for northern 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 

$100,000 Santa Fe Rape Crisis and Trauma Treatment Center, Statewide Stress Reduction Training for Law Enforcement and First Responders: Funding would be used for clinical staff to conduct training and outreach programs throughout the State for law enforcement and first responders to ameliorate the impact of stress and trauma that is experienced as a result of law enforcement work

$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 

HEATH CARE

$95,000 State of New Mexico Health Professions Workforce Research (HRSA):

Funding will allow the State of New Mexico to collect and analyze data about the need and potential locations for a dental school within the State.  Funds will permit the state to analyze the need for a dental school, potential cost of creating and operating a dental school, the best possible locations for a dental school, and the most appropriate entity to operate the school. 

WATER/WASTEWATER/FLOOD CONTROL

$700,000 to the City of Espanola for drinking water treatment to remove arsenic from well #1

$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

$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.

PUBLIC LANDS

$4 million for operations and capital improvements at the Valles Caldera National Preserve

$3.178 million for construction and renovation of the Bandelier National Monument Visitor Center

$500,000to begin implementation of the Galisteo Basin Archaeological Sites Protection Act of 2004

TRANSPORTATION

$475,000 for the North Central Regional Intermodal Transit Facilities in Alcalde

$216,125 for the Plaza del Sol Project in the Village of Angel Fire

OTHER DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FUNDING:

$6.6 million for advanced analysis of “Matter-Radiation Interactions in Extremes” at Los Alamos to understand how materials behave under intense conditions of pressure and radiation

$12 million for facilities at Los Alamos to perform R&D on nuclear energy and medical isotopes

$15 million to develop the new Zia supercomputer at Los Alamos

$19.3 million for rebuilding the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center accelerator so the lab can use it to diversify into new science missions

$7.6 million for upgrades to the LANL TA-55 radiological materials facility to make it safe and secure

$19.7 million for the radioactive LANL liquid waste facility to continue its modernization

$97.2 million Chemistry and Metallurgy Replacement Facility at LANL

$44.6 million for upgrades to security system at Los Alamos to secure nuclear materials

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.