U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs Committees

 

2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

 

 

For Immediate Release

January 10, 2006

CONTACT:    Cody Wertz – Press Secretary

                        202-228-3630

Jen Clanahan – Deputy Press Secretary

                        303-455-7600


 ‘X’ Marks the Spot: Sen. Salazar Applauds USGS Announcement Placing National Operations Center in Denver

DENVER, CO – Colorado is now the premier national mapping center of the United States. Today, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced it would proceed with plans to consolidate agency geospatial operations at a new National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) at the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood. The metro-Denver location was championed by United States Senator Ken Salazar and other member of Colorado’s congressional delegation in 2005. Senator Salazar was informed of the final approval by the Department of the Interior earlier today.

“I am very pleased with today’s decision by the U.S. Geological Survey,” said Senator Salazar. “As I have always said, Colorado’s workforce is second to none, especially when it comes to the kind of specialized training the USGS needs and the public expects. This is a victory for Colorado, the USGS and the Nation’s taxpayers.”

In May 2005, Senator Salazar and Congressman Bob Beauprez wrote to Charles “Chip” Groat, Director of the USGS, urging USGS to locate the NGTOC in Denver and citing its proximity to labs including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), and major GIS-oriented companies and corporations, as well as the USGS Rocky Mountain Mapping Center (RMMC) in the Denver Federal Center.

In September 2005, USGS approved the location of the NGTOC in Denver. However, in October 2005, Senator Salazar learned that the Department of the Interior was holding up the locating decision for the NGTOC and conducting a review. Senator Salazar, along with Senator Wayne Allard and Congressman Beauprez, immediately contacted Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton to urge her to consider the independent merits and value of the Denver location over any possible political pressure. Today, Asst. Secretary for Water and Science in Dept. of Interior, Mark Limbaugh, informed Senator Salazar that the review had been completed and the Denver site decision upheld.

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