http://youtu.be/9t79rP37FxY
(LAS CRUCES) -- United States Senator Tom Udall is making his way through southern New Mexico meeting with leaders in border communities about improving the environment.
Udall is heading an environment and public works committee field hearing talking about the unique environmental challenges the border area faces.
“The administration budget request has been ten million for border environmental infrastructure fund over the last couple of years for 2012. The house proposed zero. The senate met the budget request to ten million and so the final bill provided only five million for this year,“ he said.
Udall is bringing together local, state, federal, and bi-national leaders working on the issue.
“Six years ago the budget was fifty million dollars and budgets are tights and that’s a big drop. That’s a real big drop and I think the point should be out there that we have a lot of needs and we need to make the case to Washington,“ he said.
The public hearing is organized to evaluate Border 2012, an innovative bottom-up program of environmental improvement and health protection and emphasizes the continuing need for water infrastructure in the border region.
Udall plans to continue the conversation all week outside Las Cruces, meeting with leaders in Deming, Lordsburg and Silver City.
