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 San Luis 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 San Luis Valley in the bill. The funding Senator Salazar secured improves transportation, 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 San Luis Valley and will help build renewable energy infrastructure, make it easier for veterans to get the healthcare they have earned, and will provide additional tools for law enforcement to combat meth.” Below is a list of key projects that Senator Salazar included in the bill for the San Luis Valley: $275,000 for Costilla County Biodiesel Pilot Project: The Costilla County Economic Development Council Inc., (EDC) in partnership with the Costilla County Commissioners’ Office, has built a small-scale, vertically integrated, biodiesel production facility in Mesita, Colorado. The funds Senator Salazar secured would be matched with local funding sources to purchase additional equipment that will maximize the facility's capacity and improve production efficiency and automation. $22,325 to the City of Alamosa Police Department for the San Luis Valley Drug Task Force to combat meth usage. 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. $162,000 for the San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center in Alamosa: The funding Senator Salazar secured will support an information technology system upgrade, which will improve patient care in the Center’s pharmacy, laboratory, radiology and nursing departments. $2,214,800 to the Colorado Department of Transportation for resurfacing of State Highway 150 from U.S. 160 N. to the Great Sand Dunes: State Highway 150 is the main access road to the Great Sand Dunes National Park, which was designated as a National Park in September 2004. State Highway 150 has substandard shoulder widths and has not undergone any major construction work since 1983. The funding Senator Salazar secured will pay for a portion of a 16-mile resurfacing project, and upgrades to signs along the park’s entryway. 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. ###