John Chenoweth: “Mr. Speaker, H.R. 434, introduced by former Congressman Bill Richardson, the current Ambassador to the United Nations…”

“Mr. Speaker, H.R. 434, introduced by former Congressman Bill Richardson, the current Ambassador to the United Nations, would provide a land conveyance for the village of El Rito and Jemez Springs in New Mexico. Both of these towns have important needs that deserve the attention of the committee. I support the desire of the gentleman from New Mexico [Mr. Redmond] to see that El Rito receive land for a public cemetery and Jemez Springs to obtain one acre of land within the town in order to construct a much needed fire substation. It is my understanding that in 1993 the Jemez National Recreation Area was carved out of the Santa Fe National Forest and this transformed Jemez Springs from an obscure little village located in the Santa Fe National Forest to a little community housing over 1 million visitors annually. Without much imagination, we can see how this would cause significant problems for any community. The gentleman from New Mexico [Mr. Redmond] has continued the fine labors of Mr. Richardson, who worked extensively with the Forest Service and local communities to fashion this solution. I commend the gentleman from New Mexico [Mr. Redmond] and urge passage of this bill.”