Colorado State Archives

Executive Orders from the Administration of Governor Bill Owens 1999-2005

OWENS ANNOUNCES $1.2 MILLION IN GRANTS AWARDED TO ALAMOSA, CONEJOS AND COSTILLA COUNTIES

DENVER -- Gov. Bill Owens announced today during a visit to Southern Colorado that more than $1.2 million in Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance and Division of Criminal Justice Program funds have been awarded to community projects in Alamosa, Conejos and Costilla Counties.

Governor Owens traveled through Conejos and Costilla Counties last year when he observed the run-down state of some of the jails in the area. It was due to this visit that the Governor prioritized the distribution of funding for these projects.

"I witnessed first-hand the poor conditions of the jails in Conejos and Costilla Counties," said Gov. Owens. "The condition of the some of the buildings were uninhabitable and needed immediate renovation and restoration. I am pleased the state was able to offer financial assistance to these communities."

Costilla County has been awarded $168,000 in Energy Impact funds in addition to a $250,000 grant from the Division of Criminal Justice funds toward its jail renovation project.

Conejos County has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the Division of Criminal Justice and a grant of $300,000 from the Department of Local affairs toward the restoration of the Conejos County Detention center.

Alamosa has been awarded $310,000 in funds from the Department of Local Affairs. Approximately $200,000 of that is in community block grants to the Alamosa Boys and Girls Club. The remaining funds, $110,000, are for the Alamosa Downtown Revitalization project.

The Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance Program assists communities in offsetting the direct impacts of energy and mineral development and in meeting other needs indirectly related to such development.

Funds are administered from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and come from the state severance tax on oil, gas, carbon dioxide, coal and metals and from the state’s share of royalties paid to the federal government for the extraction of minerals and mineral fuels on federally-owned land.

The Colorado Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Justice administers funds that DPS receives from the U.S. Department Justice. Since 1996, the state has received $14.7 million for these projects.

Bob Brooks, executive director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs said, "Hundreds of projects have been made possible through the Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance program with severance taxes and mineral lease royalties paid by the oil, gas and mining industries. These industries are important to the state and to the communities in which they are located. They not only provide the energy we rely on, provide local jobs and inject dollars into the state and local economies, but through the taxes and royalties they pay into the Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance program, help local communities address other energy-related impacts."

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