Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today took the Bush administration to task about the lack of attention it has given to the Navajo-Gallup pipeline.

Bingaman did praise Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne for his role in getting his department to release a draft environmental impact state (EIS) for the pipeline project. But he said he is very concerned that the administration sought no funding in either FY 2008 or 2009 to complete the analysis and finalize the EIS.

“A final EIS is needed before we can even consider constructing this long-awaited pipeline, and so far the Bush administration has dragged its feet on finalizing this important document,” Bingaman said. “We cannot wait any longer. We need the administration to step up its involvement in this project.”

At a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing today chaired by Bingaman, the senator asked Kempthorne to find funding with in its FY 2008 budget to fund the EIS. Approximately $260,000 is needed for the study. Kempthorne said he would work with Bingaman on this issue.

Bingaman also raised concerns about the Bush administration’s plan to deduct 2 percent of royalty revenues from states’ share of royalty revenues to be used for Department of Interior administrative costs. He pointed out that New Mexico would lose $16 million in royalty payments in 2009 if this plan is enacted.

“I do not support this policy because it hits Western states like New Mexico hard, and I will work against enacting it into law,” Bingaman said.