WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall and U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich announced that the Department of Transportation has awarded more $14 million in grants to support air transportation in New Mexico. The grants, which were awarded to Alamogordo, Albuquerque, Lea County, Questa, Roswell and the New Mexico Department of Transportation, will fund repairs and maintenance, runway extensions, emissions reduction and strategic planning.

"This funding will not only help create jobs for New Mexicans, but it will help to make our airports safer and more efficient, and make air travel throughout New Mexico more accessible," Udall said. "Air travel is critical to New Mexico's businesses - regular and convenient access to all parts of our state helps expand economic development in rural areas. I will continue to push for resources to ensure that New Mexico airports have the tools they need to conduct maintenance, operate safely and continue to welcome the visitors that contribute to local economies throughout our state."

"These smart federal investments are critical to the safety and maintenance of local airports and the aviation industry in New Mexico," Henrich said. "Our airports attract businesses that result in job creation, especially in our rural communities. This funding will help increase commerce and travel to our state and enable long-term economic growth and development. Transportation is major economic driver for New Mexico and I'll keep working for it to stay that way. I'll continue to work closely with the Department of Transportation to push for needed investments in our airports and to keep these grant programs intact."

The following projects were awarded funding:

• Alamogordo-White Sands Regional Airport: $663,883 to extend a runway.
• Albuquerque International Sunport: $431,479 for Voluntary Airport Low Emissions (VALE) Infrastructure.
• Albuquerque International Sunport: $6,005,097 to rehabilitate a taxiway.
• Lea County Jal Airport: $70,000 to rehabilitate a runway.
• Questa Municipal Airport: $59,100 to install perimeter fencing and remove obstructions along a runway.
• Roswell International Air Center: $6.6 million to rehabilitate a runway.
• New Mexico Department of Transportation: $510,531 to update a comprehensive plan for the New Mexico airport system to help identify future air system needs.