U.S. Senator Ken Salazar Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs Committees 2300 15^th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
For Immediate Release Tuesday, December 18, 2007		CONTACT:Stephanie Valencia – 202-228-3630 Cody Wertz 303-350-0032
Sen. Salazar Secures Funding for Key Priorities in the Arkansas River Valley; Omnibus Appropriations Bill Passes in Senate WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tonight, by a vote of 76 to 17 the United States Senate passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008. United States Senator Ken Salazar announced that he secured funding for key priorities in the Arkansas River Valley in the bill. The funding Senator Salazar secured improves transportation infrastructure, provides funds for local law enforcement, supports our military and veterans and increases access to health care. “I am proud that this bill helps meet the needs of Colorado’s communities,” said Senator Salazar. “These investments are vital to the Arkansas River Valley region -they begin to fulfill the promise of the Arkansas Valley Conduit, help ensure the swift and safe destruction of chemical weapons, and protect the agricultural heritage of the region.” Below is a list of key projects that Senator Salazar included in the bill for the Arkansas River Valley: $691,000 for the Arkansas Valley Conduit: The Arkansas Valley Conduit, recently authorized in the Water Resources Development Act, is a 140-mile long pipeline that will deliver high quality water from Pueblo Reservoir to communities in southeastern Colorado, including Lamar. Senator Salazar secured the initial funds which will be used for ongoing studies, evaluation, and project coordination leading to the design and construction of the pipeline. $35,159,000 for Chemical Demilitarization at the Pueblo Chemical Depot: This funding will allow the Depot to build the Agent Processing Building (APB), the Energetics Reconfiguration Building (ERB), and the Control and Support Building (CSB), and allow for completion of construction of a utility building before October, 2008. This would raise the total funding for Pueblo Chemical Depot for Fiscal Year 2008 to $67 million for building construction and $132.4 million for acquiring weapon destruction equipment. Salazar Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site Moratorium Amendment: Senator Salazar’s amendment prohibits funding for expansion for Fiscal Year 2008. $1,313,200 to the Colorado Department of Transportation for Ports to Plains- U.S. 287 at Lamar: The U.S. 287 Corridor is a major north/south truck route through the eastern plains of Colorado. Senator Salazar secured funding that will allow for the preliminary design of two interchanges north of Lamar and other related projects. Mileage Reimbursement for Veterans: The omnibus includes $125 million in funding that Senators Tester and Salazar added as an amendment to the Military Construction and Veterans Administration appropriations bill to support a long-overdue mileage reimbursement increase for veterans to 28.5 cents per mile. Currently, veterans living in rural areas who travel long distances to receive medical care are only reimbursed at 11 cents per mile. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 will be sent back to the House of Representatives for final passage. It is expected to be sent to the President’s desk by the end of the week. ###