Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today said he is pleased that a key spending bill working its way through the Senate contains funding he secured New Mexico projects.

The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved the fiscal year 2009 Agriculture spending bill.  The bill contains $179,000 Bingaman secured to restore and maintain riparian areas along the Rio Grande, Pecos and Canadian Rivers where 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 5^th-year funding of $175,000 in FY 2008.

"Salt cedar continues to wreak havoc along many of New Mexico's precious waterways.  I am pleased that this funding will help the state continue its work to repair and restore the Rio Grande and Pecos River," Bingaman said.

The bill also contains $250,000 Bingaman requested for the Southern Great Plains Dairy Consortium.  Funding would help New Mexico State University's Agriculture Science Center in Clovis continue its work to support the state's dairy industry.  The consortium will enhance the dairy industry's competitiveness and its impact on the economy, and will also focus on the environmental impact of dairy production, including converting biomass waste to energy. 

"New Mexico's dairy industry continues to be a tremendously important part of New Mexico's economy and I am pleased that NMSU is working to help keep it competitive," Bingaman said.

The bill also contains funding for the following projects:

• $25 million - Water and Wastewater Projects in Colonias along the U.S.-Mexico border: New Mexico is expected to get about $7.9 million of this funding.  The president proposed to cut the FY 09 funding by over 80 percent.

• $1.7 million for New Mexico State University's (NMSU) Agricultural Products Food Safety Lab: This funding would be used to continue operation of the Agricultural Products Food Safety Laboratory for the FDA's food safety program. The lab is developing and evaluating rapid-screening methods to detect contamination in food products and counterfeit pharmaceuticals. Bingaman secured $2.15 million to operate the lab in FY 2005, $2.35 million in FY 2006, and $1.7 in FY 2008.

• $983,000 for the Joe Skeen Institute for Rangeland Management: The institute conducts research on agricultural, range management, animal husbandry, education and extension programs.  The institute is a joint effort of NMSU, Texas A&M and Montana State.

• $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. 

The bill is now ready for full Senate consideration, but it will be several months before the spending bill is ready to be signed into law.