Dear Stakeholders,

I am writing to thank you for your past support of the Eastern NM Rural Water System (Ute Pipeline Project).  So much is happening

federally to bring the project to fruition and I wanted let you know how we are trying to do our part at the state level.

As you may know, Senator Bingaman and Congress are within weeks or even days of  passing legislation that will authorize our project.

This important federal action is the state's signal to legislatively activate an entity that will own, operate, and manage the project on

behalf of its members. This includes outside financing and local, municpal, county and state support.

For over a year now I have been working with Senator Harden and key legislative leaders on a bill that will give stakeholders more comfort and certainty than that found in the current joint powers agreement. It will provide the authority and mechanisms to implement this vital infrastucture.

Numerous workshops have been conducted in member communities and the feedback has been overwhelmingly supportive.

The bill is not perfect. I myself have some concerns that I would like to see considered by the full legislature.  Consequently, I am not

pushing to have the bill become law this year.

My goal for the 2009 Legislative Session is to introduce the current version of the bill and open a dialogue with policy makers, opinion

makers, stakeholders and interested parties.

This project represents a bright future for eastern New Mexico citizens and businesses. I am willing to meet with anyone who is

interested in helping us make progress on this vital effort and encourage a collaborative approach by the stakeholders in bringing it

to fruition.

Thank you for your interest.  I would really appreciate your feedback on this legislation.  Please email me back with any comments you might have.

Representative Anna Marie Crook