Recently, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich talked with KRWG News about his advocacy for an updated port of entry in Santa Teresa. The Senator also shared more about his efforts to get federal investments to southern New Mexico. Anthony Moreno continues his conversation with Senator Heinrich to learn more.
Transcript:
Anthony Moreno: Whatever happens at the border seems to have a ripple effect on our border communities, with an updated Santa Teresa Port of Entry, how do you plan on working with local governments in New Mexico and border communities to ensure that whatever happens at the port of entry and the updated infrastructure is not impacting those communities negatively.
Senator Heinrich: Well, that's precisely what we want to do, right? We want to make sure that those surrounding communities get the benefit of additional economic development, additional jobs, additional manufacturing, but not have to shoulder the responsibility for all the other issues that are associated with the border. So simultaneously with this effort to more than triple the size of Santa Teresa, we are working very closely with other communities from Las Cruces all the way over to a Hidalgo County to make sure that I use my position on the Appropriations Committee to fund projects that allow them to bolster their public safety, their law enforcement, their fire department, all of the infrastructure that is important in border communities.
Anthony Moreno: Another issue that some border communities in that area have voiced is concern with safe, clean drinking water. We've seen the City of Sunland Park, some communities have voiced their concerns about that. Is that's something that's on your radar right now and is there anything you're communicating with local governments and cities there to address that issue?
Senator Heinrich: Very much so. In fact, my staff is meeting with the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority to talk about the arsenic challenges and some of the other things we have with clean drinking water and we want to be a resource for all of the communities across the border to help them to meet their responsibilities, to their constituents and, you know, nothing is more important, I think to those communities than clean water.
Anthony Moreno: There's certainly a lot of excitement about economic development in that region and companies interested in investing in Santa Teresa. But with that growth does other concerns. For example, in our region, in that area, there is the concern of air quality. Do you see this advancement at the port of entry being able to include any sort of solutions in that area?
Senator Heinrich: Well, I think we should be developing clean from the start, right? So, when we expand to new operations, we should be thinking about how to power those operations with clean electrons. We should be thinking about transportation from a clean fuels perspective, and so, this is an opportunity once again too rather than shoehorning in solutions after the fact, think about what do we want the future to look like in Southern New Mexico. And as we build out this infrastructure, how do we ensure that that is what we actually get?
Anthony Moreno: I want to move on and talk about some other issues. Your office recently announced many projects across Southern New Mexico that are getting funded and a big one is what's happening at our military facilities in Southern New Mexico, specifically, a White Sands Missile Range. Can you share with us some of those projects that you're excited about?
Senator Heinrich: Oh, you bet, so one of the things we're excited about is a headquarters fire station at White Sands that's over an $8 million project that we were able to get funded in the recent military construction bill. Another project is to renovate and expand the guided missile building at White Sands, that's between five and six million dollars, in terms of that project, we've been really focused on directed energy, so there are other projects within the high energy laser systems bucket that we are funding at White Sands as well. So, there are a number of projects like that that are specific to southern New Mexico. We also have we're able to fund some things over in Roswell, a health facility in particular that I'm thinking of that serves the New Mexico National Guard. So, public safety, our military installations and our National Guard are very much a focus for me on the Appropriations Committee.
Anthony Moreno: US Senator Martin Heinrich, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us.
Senator Heinrich: It's my pleasure.
This is the final part of a two-part conversation with U.S. Senator Heinrich and KRWG News.
