Gov. Susana Martinez's administration says the federal Department of Veterans Affairs has given the green light to establish a state-owned veterans cemetery in Gallup.
State Veterans' Services Secretary Timothy Hale says the federal agency plans to award a grant to finance the cemetery. A final grant award hinges on Congress and the president reaching an agreement on a federal budget.
Hale says groundbreaking could start next spring and the goal is open the cemetery in the spring of 2016.
The cemetery will meet standards for a national cemetery and is expected to cost at least $5 million. The federal government will pay to develop the cemetery but the state will cover its operations.
The state has pending applications for similar cemeteries at Angel Fire, Carlsbad and Fort Stanton.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.