in Catron County

Three major laws, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the American Rescue Plan, passed during President Biden’s first two years in office, make game-changing investments in our community, tackle the pressing challenges that New Mexicans face, and build economic prosperity for all. 
Watch this space for more local news about the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
AIRPORTS
New Mexico’s 46 airports are key economic drivers for our state,”
​~Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM)
Reserve Airport
  • '21 and '22 funding = $223,000 for improvements to the airport.
  • Improvements may include runway rehabilitation, shade structure, fencing, remodeled pilot lounge, and a self-service fuel tank.
ROADS & BRIDGES
South Fork Negrito Creek Bridge
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This project will replace an existing bridge structure on Forest Route 141 (MP 24.36) over the South Fork Negrito Creek. Construction will be summer of 2024.
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The South Fork Negrito Bridge was constructed in 1959 and is past its design life of 50 years.  Its replacement will have a similar structure plus an added bridge rail, guardrail, and paving on each side of the bridge to keep rocks and debris off the deck. See more here.

The Infrastructure bill will also fund $276,393 in utility work at 0.3 MI SW of Junction 537-NW.​
RESILIENCE: HABITAT RESTORATION
Gila National Fish Passage Program
The funding is distributed over five years beginning in 2022, providing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in the Gila National Forest.
The National Fish Passage Program restores rivers, protects wildlife, and rebuilds economies. Across the country, millions of barriers are fragmenting rivers, blocking fish migration, and putting communities at higher risk to flooding. Improving fish passage is one of the most effective ways to help conserve vulnerable species while building safer infrastructure for communities and improving climate resilience.

In a healthy aquatic ecosystem, animals move in all directions throughout the water: upstream and downstream, within the water column, and across waterbodies. When that ability to move freely is blocked by a culvert, dam, or other instream barrier, it can lead to species declines, disruption to the ecosystem, and dangerous conditions for surrounding communities.  The program works with communities to remove obsolete and dangerous barriers and permanently eliminate public safety hazards which increases flood resilience and saves money in long-term repair and replacement costs.

​See a resource for landowners and public lands managers to improve fish passage and connect water sources. 

BROADBAND
​Western New Mexico Telephone Company Inc. will receive $35 million to provide high-speed internet and connect people, businesses and farms in Hidalgo, Catron and Grant counties. See more here.  

You may be eligible to receive a monthly discount on an internet service plan. Sign up here: Affordable Connectivity Program.
It really is our infrastructure moment for a generation. 
– Sen. Martin Heinrich
You can save $$ by electrifying at home thanks to the
​Inflation Reduction Act 
​Learn more here!  ​  
MEDICARE RECIPIENTS BENEFIT
  • caps on out-of-pocket annual prescription costs,
  • expanded eligibility for premium subsidies,
  •  for the first time Medicare will be able to begin negotiating pricing for some drugs.
  • a $35 monthly cap for insulin!
RURAL RESIDENTS BENEFIT
  • An improved rural electrical grid, to make sure it remains strong and resilient for decades and to avoid the kind of blackouts we’ve seen in Texas.
  • Climate-smart agricultural funding that supports farmers while reducing pollution and emissions.
  • Support for rural electrical co-ops and renewable energy projects, USDA conservation programs, and debt relief for distressed farmers.
  • New Mexico tribes will receive expanded broadband, guaranteed loans, money to mitigate drought, and funding for projects such as fish hatcheries
BUSINESSES BENEFIT
  • Tax credits for 159,000 small businesses in New Mexico to improve energy efficiency, install solar power and buy clean trucks and vans for commercial fleets
  • Businesses can “stack” credits. For instance, on top of a 30% tax credit, a developer can earn more credits by paying the prevailing wage for labor, using apprenticeship labor, or using U.S.-made steel and aluminum.
  • For every federal dollar ($2.3 billion available for NM), the public and private sector will spend $2-$3, making it a $10 billion deal.
  • Between now and 2030, $15 billion will be invested in new and existing businesses that will generate and store clean power in New Mexico.
  • 8,000 small businesses and self-employed adults in New Mexico now qualify for lower premiums through the Affordable Care Act.
ALL OF US BENEFIT
  • Wildfire prevention and protection of water sources.
  • A rebate program to help make our homes safer and greener with insulation and windows, solar panels, heat pumps, and by replacing old fossil-fuel appliances.
  • Restoring fairness to our tax code: attending to the backlog of paperwork that’s allowed the ultra-rich to avoid paying what they owe. Plus a 15% corporate minimum tax rate that will allow us to plan for our country’s future and build an economy that works for all Americans.
The Inflation Reduction Act will provide a historic investment in a clean energy economy.
​–Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) 
You lived through the fastest recovery in three decades!
All because of the 
​​American Rescue Plan
THE ECONOMY RESCUED
The U.S. had the fastest recovery of any nation in the world.
  • New Mexico’s unemployment rate fell to 3.5% in December 2022 from 8.2% in January 2021
  • New Mexico added 70,000 jobs due to the American Rescue Plan
  • New Mexicans applied for 51,000 new Small Business Applications, the highest 2-year total on record.
  • Hispanic unemployment saw its fastest 1-year drop and reached its lowest annual rate ever in 2022 nationwide.
  • Restaurants rescued. 602 New Mexico restaurants received vital relief through the American Rescue Plan's Restaurant Revitalization Fund
FAMILIES & YOUNG PEOPLE RESCUED
  • Working families got tax relief: 252,000 families with 420,000 children In New Mexico benefited from the ARP’s Child Tax Credit.
  • 56,000 New Mexico students received 145,000 Internet-connected devices (including hotspots) to close the homework gap
  • Emergency Rental Assistance was provided to thousands of hard-pressed renters in New Mexico
    • 73,000 payments to help families meet their ongoing rent and utility costs
    • 60,000 payments to help families address past due rent and utility bills
  • 93,000 New Mexico college students received direct financial relief through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Program in 2021 to help them stay enrolled and cover their bills in 2021.
PEOPLE RESCUED
  • An expanded Earned Income Tax Credit provided up to $1,500 of tax relief to an estimated 134,000 New Mexico workers without dependent children
  • 41,000 more New Mexico homes and businesses will receive affordable, high-speed internet through the American Rescue Plan's Capital Project Fund
  • Over 230 million Americans are fully vaccinated, up from 3.5 million when President Biden took office.
  • 46,000 New Mexicans saved hundreds of dollars on their health premiums from the American Rescue Plan. With the Inflation Reduction Act's extension of these savings, 41,000 New Mexicans signed up for quality, affordable care in the 2023 ACA open enrollment period.
COUNTIES, CITIES AND TRIBES RESCUED
Direct pandemic recovery funds were provided to the county, cities, municipalities, and tribes to avoid cuts and to invest in public safety, housing and the workforce, e.g., 
  • Catron County, $685,000
  • Reserve, $63,000
SCHOOL DISTRICTS RESCUED
Reserve Independent Schools, and other school systems received recovery funds for academic recovery, student mental health and to reopen schools safely.
More jobs have been created in one year than in our nation’s history.
​– Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-NM
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