Bill Has Money For Area Projects

NEWS FROM THE WEST

A joint House and Senate conference committee has finished negotiations on the FY 2006 Interior appropriations bill, which includes money for projects in the Albuquerque area, according to a news release from Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M.

Among them:

* The Valley Utilities project, $1 million to extend city sewer access to developed areas in the North and South valleys.

* The Middle Rio Grande (Bosque) Program, $550,000 for research and management.

* The National Environmental Respiratory Center, $500,000 through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Science and Technology program to support research on the health effects of air pollution.

* Arsenic Technology Research and Development, an EPA program, $3.3 million.

* The Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute, $5.7 million.

Domenici is a senior member of the Senate committee involved in negotiations. The bill funds the Interior Department, Forest Service, Indian Health Service, EPA and related agencies. The bill has to pass in the House and Senate.