As September comes to a close and autumn settles in, I've been looking back at the amazing things I've seen New Mexicans achieve this summer.
Over the last two months, I traveled around our state to see how people across New Mexico are using Recovery grants and other federal funding opportunities to create new jobs, boost our economy, strengthen our infrastructure and nurture innovation.
We've been hit hard by this recession, but our state's resilience is showing in our small businesses and our entrepreneurs.
From Las Cruces to Taos, from Acoma to Santa Fe, I saw New Mexicans laying the groundwork for a prosperous future through projects big and small. Stops along my trip included:
- Sapphire Energy in Las Cruces, which is using a $100 million Recovery grant to cultivate clean, home-grown energy from algae in a biorefinery that will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
- Los Alamos National Lab, where a $200 million Recovery grant funds hazardous waste clean up projects.
- The Taos County Economic Development Corporation, which will receive a $300,000 multi-year grant to spur small business growth.
- Villa Alegre in Santa Fe, where $9 million in Recovery grants means the construction of 144 homes for low-income families and seniors.
- The Southwest Conservation Corps in Acoma, which put young people to work this summer as part of a Recovery project.
Watch the video above to see these and other great projects across New Mexico.
In the Senate, I've been working to establish policies that help revitalize New Mexico. Many of the projects I visited over the last few months were created or sustained by the Recovery Act we passed in early 2009. We recently pass a small business jobs bill that is helping New Mexico's businesses start investing and innovating again. And I'm fighting for energy legislation that puts incentives in place to help us build a clean energy economy.
I'll be visiting more projects like these over the coming weeks and seeing more of the great folks across our state that are moving New Mexico forward.
