Tom Udall

I am writing in support of S.312, Carson National Forest Boundary Adjustment Act.

S. 312 is an important bill for my community. It will adjust the boundaries of the Carson National Forest to include the 5,000 acre Miranda Canyon tract.

Adding Miranda Canyon to the forest will provide residents and visitors with enhanced opportunities to hike, hunt, mountain bike and generally enjoy the outdoors.

S. 312 is an important bill for my community.

I am very grateful that your Senate Energy and Natural Resources subcommittee is holding a hearing on this important piece of legislation for New Mexico.

I am very hopeful that this bill will move forward through the committee and Senate as quickly as possible.

It is not only illegal but immoral for IHS (and BIA, too) to structure their budgets in such a way that they cut only tribally administered IHS and BIA programs.

This is rank discrimination--racial discrimination--and it must stop.

Whatever the subcommittee chooses to do, the answer is, unequivocally, not to legislatively amend the Indian Self-Determination Act to cut off our rights to compensation for IHS's contract under-payments.

This is why TCC respectfully requests that the IHS appropriation for CSC be increased by $140 million above the President's recommended level.

The Government has a legal duty and trust responsibility to provide for the full staffing packages and the full contract support costs which the Government, by contract, has committed to pay.

I'm just very worried about the funding in our rural communities.

Well, these are State revenues. I mean, they are--what we're going to do in legislation is we're going to look at making sure you don't even get your hands on them at all.

And I think one of the things that's been so key is that you have stayed focused on water.

These State revenues are based on mineral development within State borders and are not Federal funds.

I want to applaud the President and you for putting in the budget the 1872 mining law reform.

Altering that bargain risks increasing conflict between the State and the Federal Government.

And so that's, it's a terrible tragedy, and they're really being hit hard now.

I heard Senator Reed comment on the disappointment in cuts to the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds.

I worked with Senator Murkowski and Senator Wyden on an amendment to the budget bill that brought 1872 mining law reform forward.

I'm working with Senators from other mineral revenue-generating States to formulate legislation that would address this issue.

This legislation would modernize and improve key elements of the EPA's Brownfields Program.

I am going to focus a couple of questions on the uranium pollution that has occurred on the Navajo Reservation and the Hopi Reservation, and this is a legacy issue that has been going on for many years.

I'd like to echo that disappointment.

I am concerned about the cuts to the Brownfields Program. This program leverages valuable private investment and pays dividends to economic prosperity.