Jeff Bingaman News

New Mexico tour companies, including those in Santa Fe, might have to increase their liability insurance coverage at the order of a state agency, an expense that sharply increases operating costs and may force at least one local operator to close her company.

A broad group of electric generation and transmission companies, municipal utilities, electric cooperatives and environmental groups wrote to Senate leaders Nov.

Legislation extending unemployment compensation has passed the U.S. Senate. If the bill becomes law, benefits will be provided for an additional 14 weeks to jobless workers nationwide; 20 weeks to those in states with unemployment rates of 8.5 percent or higher.

You may recall that GOP Senators have been on a mission to delay or quash legislation to extend unemployment benefits to those suffering in a struggling economy characterized by continuing job losses.

Four eastern New Mexico counties have been declared eligible for disaster assistance due to their proximity to Texas counties that are disaster areas due to drought and other problems.

What's in a name? That which we call a federal courthouse by any other name would smell as sweet.

ROSSLYN, Va., November 3, 2009 - In a press conference held today at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association announced ground-breaking consensus legislation, which will, for the first time ever, set federal efficiency standards for pole-mounted outdoor lighting.

In the Rockies today, western states will share in the federal stimulus funds designated to upgrade the nation's electrical grid; a Nevada judge tosses a Southern Nevada Water Authority pipeline plan; and a proposed nuclear power plant creates a flood of criticism in Utah.

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded more than $10 million to explore geothermal energy projects in New Mexico.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is releasing funding secured by Sen.

House Democrats reached agreement Wednesday on key elements of a health care bill that would vastly alter America's medical landscape, requiring virtually universal sign-ups and offering a new government-run insurance option for millions.

The Navajo Nation will receive $4.9 million in stimulus funding to develop a smart electrical grid.

On Wednesday I attended the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the economics of the Cap and Trade system in the Waxman-Markey House Energy bill.

WASHINGTON U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today reported that the Senate has approved key defense legislation that gives strong support to New Mexico's military installations and the state's two national laboratories.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar reaches for a pen to sign the Record of Decision, allowing the Navajo-Gallup Pipeline Project to move forward.

Lawmakers in the Cowboy State have invited their neighbors to parley on energy issues, and they're putting up more than $400,000 to pick up the tab.

WASHINGTON a ' The U.S. Senate has approved legislation that recognizes former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall for his contributions as secretary and for advancing the work of the Morris K. Udall Foundation.

Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy implemented a new memorandum of understanding that would allow the agencies to set standards for Energy Star, a federal program started in 1992 to oversee and promote energy efficiency for refrigerators, washing machines and other products.

By Sarah Lovenheim Third-quarter FEC filings illustrate the importance that Democrats -- and a few Republicans -- are placing on Majority Leader Harry Reid's 2010 reelection campaign.

The older you are, the more you usually pay for health coverage, and that's a difference likely to persist under the sweeping health care legislation that Congress is now considering.