Less than a week after news broke that the State of New Mexico might halt improvements to the North Belen interchange, which when complete will allow development west of Los Chavez, Belen business leaders and legislators are fighting to save the funding.

Last week the Valencia County News-Bulletin reported that Sen. Michael Sanchez asked for the interchange improvements be placed on a list of capital outlay projects that could have their funding cut.

The interchange funding cut is a part of SB182, a bill that reverts money from hundreds of capital outlay projects around New Mexico back into state coffers to address the state’s $600-million budget deficit. The North Belen interchange funding is only one of many Valencia County projects on the list.

The bill has passed the Senate and is now in the House.

According to Sanchez, the money should be pulled because the project has “gone nowhere,” with the senator pointing to a recent denial of a federal loan guarantee for Signet Solar, a solar technology company seeking to build a manufacturing plant west of Los Chavez, potentially creating 600 jobs.

This morning, local business leaders in industry, service and retail, met to discuss ways to fight for the funding, agreeing in principle that the interchange improvements are key to ensuring Signet Solar builds in Belen.

“This project is extremely important for the growth and development of Belen,” the business leaders wrote in a letter addressed to Sanchez and others.

They ask Sanchez for “cooperation and support for this project, its funding and completion.”

Belen mayoral candidate Tibo Chavez Jr., who was present at the meeting, began circulating a petition two weeks ago calling on government officials to fight for the 600 jobs, calling the solar manufacturing plant the most important economic development for Belen since the railroad.

Belen City Councilor Rudy Jaramillo, who was also at the meeting, said Belen needs work to keep the funding in place to help employ people who have lost jobs.

At the same time, two of Valencia County’s legislators are working at the legislature in Santa Fe to strip the project from the bill that could cut it.

Reps. Elias Barela and Andrew Barreras say they want to protect the project funding to protect the 600 local jobs that come with it.

“These jobs are incredibly important to the immediate economic recovery of the area, and to creating long-term prosperity for hardworking people in Valencia County,” Barreras said. “We have to protect this funding, because it is our responsibility not to stand in the way of that kind of economic development, especially in these difficult economic times.”

Barela holds a similar sentiment, saying Sanchez’s proposal is a job-killer.

“We have all the respect in the world for Sen. Sanchez, who has done more than anyone to support this community,” Barela said. “However, our number one priority is to create jobs, and this proposal threatens to kill 600 new, high-quality jobs with good pay. For that reason, we will fight to ensure that the necessary funding is there.”

With the bill now in the House, Barreras and Barela are working to remove the interchange money from the chopping block.

During last year’s special session, the interchange funding was also at risk of being cut, but Barela, who met with the governor and others, restored the funding.

“While it is important to balance the budget, the best way to create economic recovery is to create jobs, and that is what’s at stake if this funding disappears,” Barreras said.

If Barela and Barreras are unable to remove the project from the bill, Gov. Bill Richardson might line-item veto it from the bill. Signet Solar’s intent to locate in Belen was highlighted by Richardson as a success of his administration at the start of this year’s legislative session.

This page was published on February 15, 2010 at 2:02pm and is filed under Budget, Economy, Infrastructure, Rancho Cielo.