Udall named to House-Senate Conference Committee to finalize Interior and Environment Funding

Category: Non-Local News Releases Non-Local News Releases
Published: 14 September 2018 14 September 2018

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tom Udall, ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, was named to the conference committee that will finalize the fiscal year 2019 Interior & Environment Appropriations bill, which funds the Department of the Interior (DOI), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), U.S. Forest Service, and various other agencies.
 
The conference committee includes leaders of four House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees and held a key meeting today as it works to reconcile the differences between the two versions of the Interior & Environment funding bill that have passed the House and the Senate. Udall helped author the bill that passed the Senate, the first of its kind to pass the Senate and go to conference since 2009.

Udall secured major funding for New Mexico priorities, including the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), wildfire suppression and the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program, which is an important revenue stream for many counties in the state. In the Senate bill, Udall successfully fought off harmful anti-environmental provisions and cuts to the EPA, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Indian Health Service, which would have had devastating consequences for New Mexico and Indian Country. Udall championed strong resources for health care and education in Indian Country, arts and humanities programs, and public lands and national parks.
 
More information on the Senate bill that Udall helped author can be found HERE.
 
"I want to note what a remarkable achievement it is to convene a conference on the Interior Appropriations bill—for the first time in nearly a decade," Udall said today during today's meeting of the conference committee. "The package before us takes care of the programs our constituents back home care about, including national parks, public lands, water infrastructure, and environmental protection. This bill includes important increases for the Indian Health Service and arts and cultural programs, including the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities. And I'm proud that it maintains funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund—an important message as we work to pass a long-term reauthorization for the program."
 
"We need to pass a clean Interior bill and put these funds to work in communities back home," Udall said. "I know we can get there. So let's get to work."

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.