Salazar Announces Funding for Western Colorado Included in House Passed Omnibus

Washington, D.C. – Congressman John Salazar supported, and the House of Representatives passed, the FY2009 Omnibus Spending bill today – the first major hurdle to complete the often delayed spending bills.  The measure now moves to the Senate.

Congressman Salazar secured several important Western Colorado priorities in the spending measure.   

“This funding will help our Western Slope communities fight the spread of meth, rebuild an airport runway, fund roads and bridges, and training for Western Colorado medical personnel.  I am honored to have supported these efforts and I will continue to work to secure the necessary funding for projects that will improve our infrastructure and strengthen our economy,” said Congressman Salazar.

7th Judicial District Methamphetamine/Drug Task Force: $350,000
Funds would be used to purchase electronic surveillance equipment to monitor drug transactions, portable radio repeater to provide better radio coverage, safety equipment for officer entering drug-related (primarily meth production) environments, educational outreach program to take to local high schools, training and related expenses.

Garfield County Regional Airport: $475,000
Garfield County has received an increased number of larger category aircraft necessitating the need to increase the runway and safety area standards at the Garfield County Regional Airport (RIL).  This is a safety issue for the airport.

SH 13 South of SH 64 Rio Blanco Divide: $475,000
The SH 13 corridor is a major transportation link for traffic between I-70 to US 40 in western Colorado and I-80 in Wyoming. Currently, SH 13 is substandard in width with no existing paved shoulders. With the dramatic increase in oil and gas exploration throughout western Colorado, SH 13 has seen significant increases in heavy truck and commuter traffic. SH 13 has become a main artery to access the drilling areas in northwest Colorado. This project is considered a high priority with the Northwest Transportation Planning Region (TPR).

I-70 CO River Bridge: $475,000
This Colorado River Bridge (G-04-BA) is located on the westbound lanes of I-70 which provides critical transportation of goods and services for local, state, regional and national purposes. During an inspection it was found that the middle pier of the bridge is experiencing considerable structure scouring problems. I-70 is a critical east-west corridor for travel in the United States. With the dramatic increase in oil and gas exploration in western Colorado this segment of I-70 (approximately 20 miles east of Grand Junction) has seen significant increases in truck and commuter traffic.

St. Mary’s Hospital: $95,000
By 2015, Mesa County is expected to grow by 25 percent.  This level of growth creates increased need for patient care capacity and services which exponentially increases the need to attract and retain highly qualified and specialized clinical staff, most critically nurses and family physicians.  As the major clinical training site for western Colorado, St. Mary’s endeavors to provide clinical training opportunities but has not had the space or technology to adequately address the current and worsening future shortage of nurses and family physicians through medical education.  This funding will be used for training and to purchase training equipment for clinical and nursing students as well as practicing physicians and nurses seeking continuing education and certification.