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U.S.
Senator Ken Salazar
Member: Finance, Agriculture, Energy, Ethics and Aging Committees
2300 15th
Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO
80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C.
20510
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Senator
Salazar Secures Funding for Water Infrastructure and Alternative Energy
Development in Colorado
WASHINGTON, DC
– Today, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Energy
and Water Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2009. At the request of
United States Senator Ken Salazar, the bill includes over $74.4 million
in federal funding for critical energy and water priorities around Colorado.
“In Colorado, water
is central to our way of life,” said Senator Salazar. “These projects
will expand the availability of water for Colorado residents and improve
water quality and safety. At the same time, the bill provides important
funding for the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden and to Colorado
State University to help Colorado become the renewable energy capital
of the world. It also includes funding for the demonstration of carbon
sequestration technologies, which will help make advanced coal technologies
a key part of the solution to our energy crisis and rising carbon pollution.
I will continue to work to ensure that the funding for these forward-looking
projects remains in the final bill.”
Four Corners
Region
- $50 million for
the Animas La-Plata Water Project (Durango):
The funds requested will be used for the continued development of
the Animas La-Plata Water Project in Southwest Colorado. Approximately
100,000 Colorado and New Mexico residents will benefit from this new
source of water once the project is completed. This funding level
is unfortunately $9 million below the President’s FY09 budget request.
- $146,000 for
the Mancos Water Conservancy District’s Mancos Project (Mancos):
The Mancos Project is a 56 year old, off-river federal project. Due
to advanced structural deterioration, rehabilitation of the Jackson
River Gulch Reservoir - which supplies domestic water for Mesa Verde
National Park, the Mancos Rural Water Company, and the town of Mancos
- is necessary. Approximately 500,000 people visit the park each year,
and about 3,200 people live in the Mancos Valley.
I-70 West Region
- $50,000 for Army
Corps of Engineers Basalt General Investigation Study (Basalt): The
Roaring Fork River flows down the middle of Basalt, Colorado. Funding
will help the Army Corps of Engineers conduct a study on stabilizing
the river to prevent flooding in the middle of downtown Basalt.
- Blue River Restoration
Project (Summit County): Senator
Salazar secured ‘priority designation’ status for this Army Corps
of Engineers project that will enhance fish and wildlife habitat,
expand wetlands, improve water quality, and re-vegetate the Blue River’s
flood plain within a two mile stretch of the river in Summit County.
Once completed, the area would be protected from future development.
- Tamarisk Eradication
(Mesa County): Senator Salazar secured ‘priority designation’
status for the Grand Junction Aquatic Ecosystem Enhancement Program,
which is designed to improve and restore riverine and riparian habitat
along a 56-mile stretch of the Colorado River, from the Colorado-Utah
State Line to the Palisade, CO. Local stakeholders have come together
to formulate a plan to control tamarisk and other invasive plants
and maintain the river corridor for the benefit of recreation, endangered
fish species, and the local water supply. The Corps of Engineers will
assist in this effort by designing specific control and removal projects.
North Central
Region
- $1 million for
Colorado State University’s Smart Grid Simulation Lab (Fort Collins):
The funds will further develop the unique smart grid capabilities
that will demonstrate a reliable, secure, and market-driven electric
power grid.
- $130,000 for
Army Corps of Engineers Cache La Poudre River General Investigation
Study (Larimer/Weld Counties):
The Cache La Poudre River basin is subject to severe flooding from
May through September. Funding will be used by the Army Corps of Engineers
to develop solutions that improve flood mitigation and protect habitat
from degradation in the riparian corridor.
Arkansas River
Region
- $2.42 million
for Army Corps of Engineers John Martin Reservoir Project Operation
& Maintenance: Funding is needed for routine operation
and maintenance.
- $1.29 million
for Army Corps of Engineers Trinidad Lake Project Operations &
Maintenance: Funds will be used to renovate aging and under-designed
recreation facilities that often fail to meet basic public health,
safety, and accessibility standards.
- Oak Creek Channel
Flood Prevention (Florence): Senator Salazar secured ‘priority
designation’ status for this Army Corps of Engineers project to reduce
flood risks along Oak Creek.
Highway 50 West
Region
- North Fork Gunnison
River (Delta County): Senator Salazar secured ‘priority designation’
status for an Army Corps of Engineers study on the restoration of
the North Fork of the Gunnison River. The aquatic ecosystem along
a stretch of the North Fork of the Gunnison River has been devastated
by decades of channelization, gravel mining, over-grazing, and encroachment.
Greater Denver
Metro Region
- $15 million for
the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Golden): NREL continues
to be a pioneer in renewable energy research and development. These
funds will be used for two projects at NREL: construction of an Energy
Systems Integration Facility dedicated to the design and testing of
renewable electricity and hydrogen systems, and fully integrated energy
systems; and for infrastructure expansion at NREL’s South Table Mountain
site.
- $1.5 million
for Carbon Sequestration Demonstration (Denver Metro): Advanced
clean coal technology with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS)
is a key solution for addressing climate change, and deep saline reservoirs
are considered the best opportunity to permanently store the large
volumes of CO2 that will be necessary for coal to remain a viable
long term energy option for our nation. This demonstration project
will test and demonstrate the feasibility of geologic CO2 sequestration
(permanent storage) in a deep saline reservoir in Colorado at a site
that could be used for permanent storage of CO2 emissions from a commercial-scale
clean coal (IGCC) power plant.
- $1.5 million
for Army Corps of Engineers Chatfield Lake Project Operations &
Maintenance: Funds will be used to renovate aging and under-designed
recreation facilities that often fail to meet basic public health,
safety, and accessibility standards.
- $1.2 million
for Army Corps of Engineers Cherry Creek Lake Project Operations &
Maintenance: Funds will be used to renovate aging and under-designed
recreation facilities that often fail to meet basic public health,
safety, and accessibility standards.
- $200,000 for
Army Corps of Engineers Chatfield Reallocation Investigation (Littleton):
The Chatfield Reservoir Reallocation Project will convert existing
water storage space to accommodate an additional 20,600 acre feet
of joint use water supply storage in Chatfield Reservoir, which will
be made available to municipal and agricultural users on the South
Platte River.
- $252,000 for
Army Corps of Engineers South Boulder Creek Floodplain Investigation
(Boulder): Recent technical analysis has determined that
several hundred homes in Boulder, which had been thought to be outside
of the South Boulder Creek floodplain, are now within the floodplain
and subject to flood damage. The construction of US Highway 36, the
major transportation link to Denver, in the late 1950s unknowingly
exacerbated the flooding problem. Funds will be used to help the City
of Boulder and the Army Corps of Engineers complete the reconnaissance
phase of the South Boulder Creek Floodplain Project and move into
feasibility studies.
- Goose Creek Restoration
Project (Boulder): Senator Salazar secured ‘priority designation’
status for the proposed Goose Creek restoration project along one
mile of the river area. The project will help improve water quality,
provide valuable wildlife habitat, and allow wildlife migration along
the corridor.
- Lower Boulder
Creek (Boulder): Senator Salazar secured ‘priority designation’
status for a Corps of Engineers project that will help restore natural
habitats along Lower Boulder Creek that have been degraded by gravel
mining operations and invasive species.
Funding for National
Energy Priorities
Additionally, at
the request of Senator Salazar, the FY09 Energy & Water Appropriations
Bill provides $27 billion in Department of Energy funding -- $1.1 billion
over the White House’s FY09 budget request. This spending includes:
- $1.9 billion for energy
efficiency and renewable energy programs -- $673 million more than
the White House’s request.
- $200 million for the
weatherization program, which was zeroed out by the White House.
- $300 million for advanced
vehicle technology.
- $167 million for the
integration of wind and solar power into the electric power grid.
The FY09 Energy & Water
Appropriations Bill now awaits action in the full Senate.
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