{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://vasquez.house.gov/media/press-releases/vasquez-heinrich-lujan-welcome-infrastructure-law-investment-southline", "Vasquez, Heinrich, Luj\u00e1n Welcome Infrastructure Law Investment In Southline Transmission Project In Southern New Mexico", "2024-10-03", "2024", "2024-10", "Democrat", "House", "NM", "Gabe Vasquez", "V000136", "vasquez.house.gov", "vasquez", "https://vasquez.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. \u2014 U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) and U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.) welcomed the U.S. Department of Energy\u2019s (DOE) announcement that its Grid Deployment Office (GDO) is investing $1.5 billion for five electric transmission projects\u2014 including the Southline Transmission Project in southern New Mexico.\n\nThe funding will come from the Grid Deployment Office\u2019s (GDO) Transmission Facilitation Program (TFP), a revolving fund program established by the Infrastructure Law that Heinrich, Luj\u00e1n, and Democrats in the New Mexico Congressional Delegation championed into law. The TFP helps overcome the financial hurdles facing transmission development through a number of innovative financing mechanisms.\n\n\u201cFrom my first day in office, I have worked to support generational projects like Southline that realize New Mexico\u2019s potential to help power our clean energy future. This investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will connect high voltage transmission from Las Cruces through Hidalgo County, opening up incredible potential for renewable energy development in our district,\u201d said Vasquez. \u201cI will always work to bring transformational investments to our district that help provide good, high paying jobs for our rural communities.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe investments that we unlocked through our Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act are solidifying New Mexico\u2019s leadership in building a cleaner, healthier, and more affordable energy future,\u201d said Heinrich. \u201cHigh-voltage transmission projects like Southline will be the backbone of our clean energy transition, delivering carbon-free power generated in New Mexico to market. They will also create high-quality careers that New Mexicans can build their families around, in their home communities. To get more transmission projects like Southline and SunZia built faster so we can connect more large-scale clean energy and storage projects onto the grid, it\u2019s critical that Congress pass transmission permitting reform. I will continue pressing leaders from both parties to pass legislation to get that done.\u201d\n\n\u201cInvesting in transmission projects is critical to deliver reliable, affordable, clean energy to communities across New Mexico,\u201d said Luj\u00e1n. \u201cThis investment in the second phase of the transformative Southline project will help boost our power grid, bring good-paying clean energy jobs to our state, and lower energy costs for New Mexicans and residents in the Southwest. I\u2019m proud to have helped secure this federal investment through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and I will continue to unlock federal resources to advance clean energy projects across our state.\u201d\n\nWith this funding, Southline will construct the second phase of its project: a new 108-mile, 345 kV high-voltage alternating current line that will deliver 1,000 MW of new, bidirectional capacity between Hidalgo County, New Mexico and Las Cruces, New Mexico.\n\nIn August, Heinrich, Luj\u00e1n, and Vasquez also welcomed $1.8 million from DOE for the City of Lordsburg. As a community hosting the Southline Transmission Project, the City will launch the Lordsburg Revitalization Project, a comprehensive investment to renovate downtown Lordsburg and bolster economic development; create opportunities for small businesses; and catalyze job growth. This grant was made possible through the Inflation Reduction Act, which was passed by Democrats in the N.M. Delegation, and is funded through DOE\u2019s Transmission Siting and Economic Development Grant Program, a new initiative designed to overcome state and local challenges to expanding transmission capacity while also supporting communities along major new and upgraded lines.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:57:20Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://vasquez.house.gov/media/press-releases/vasquez-heinrich-lujan-welcome-infrastructure-law-investment-southline"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.74626219086349, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}