Category: Obama Administration

Environment New Mexico: Latest Gulf Rig Explosion Should Prompt Permanent Ban on New Offshore Drilling

September 2, 2010 by Democracy for N...

At around 10:00 AM Eastern this morning, another oil rig exploded into in the Gulf of Mexico. According to Coast Guard reports, the accident took place 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana on the Vermilion rig 380, which is owned by Houston-based Mariner Energy. Thirteen workers were on the rig at the time and all are reported to be safe.

In response to the latest oil rig catastrophe, Sanders Moore, advocate for Environment New Mexico, released the following statement urging an end to new offshore drilling and our dependence on oil:

“We are stunned to hear of yet another rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico -- President Obama should need no further wake-up call to permanently ban new drilling. He should drastically strengthen oversight of the existing offshore oil industry to prevent more accidents like the one today, but also permanently protect the coasts where we don’t drill now.

$64.9 Million Headed to NM to Keep Teachers in the Classroom

September 1, 2010 by Democracy for N...

U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall today issued a statement reporting that the U.S. Department of Education has released $64.9 million to help close New Mexico’s budget gap, and keep approximately 1,000 teachers in classrooms around the state.

“Nothing is more important to a child’s education than having good teachers in the classroom. When teachers are fired, classroom sizes increase, other teachers are overloaded, and students are forced to try to learn in challenging environments,” Bingaman said. “New Mexico’s students will benefit greatly from this nearly $65 million boost to New Mexico schools.” “

You can’t put a price on educating our children. By making sure we keep teachers in their classrooms instead of unemployment lines, we are ensuring the foundation of our future economic vitality,” Udall said. “Keeping our educators at work, where they serve our state best, is a top priority and this funding will do just that.”

Governor Bill Richardson released a statement today applauding the news.

Acoma Pueblo Community Center Funded by ARRA-Rural Development Now Open

August 25, 2010 by Democracy for N...

USDA Rural Development State Director Terry Brunner (right) joined Acoma Pueblo Governor Chandler Sanchez and Congressman Harry Teague in dedicating Acoma’s new $13.1-million community building yesterday. The $12,609,600 loan and $500,000 grant to construct the new facility were made possible through funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

According to a statement released by Rural Development, the project is one of the largest ARRA-funded community facilities projects in the State of New Mexico. The funding is administered by USDA Rural Development’s Community Facility Program, which provides rural communities financing for these types of community buildings.

Udall & Bingaman Host NM Broadband Summit; $73M in Grants, Loans Announced

August 16, 2010 by Democracy for N...

Senators Tom Udall and Jeff Bingaman today co-hosted a New Mexico Broadband & Smart Grid Summit in Moriarty that featured the announcement of more than $73 million in grants and awards to expand broadband services to rural, underserved areas of New Mexico.

More than 300 people attended the summit at the Moriarty Civic Center, according to a statement released by the Senators. The summit included panel sessions featuring experts on the challenges and opportunities facing New Mexico as it works to overcome the digital divide and harness broadband technologies to promote economic growth, energy independence and health care delivery. Udall led the first panel session, titled “Wiring New Mexico for the Future;” while Bingaman led the second panel, titled “Bringing Broadband to Energy -- Smart Grid in New Mexico.”