HOUSE MEMORIAL 80

51st legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2013

INTRODUCED BY

James Roger Madalena

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO DISCUSS AMELIORATING THE IMPACT OF INTERSTATE 25 WHERE IT PASSES THROUGH THE LANDS OF THE PUEBLO OF SANDIA.

     WHEREAS, the Sandia people have lived in the area that is now known as the Pueblo of Sandia for over seven hundred years; and

     WHEREAS, the Pueblo of Sandia is a sovereign nation; and

     WHEREAS, the Sandia mountains are the source of spirituality for the Sandia people; and

     WHEREAS, interstate 25 north of Albuquerque, one of the most heavily trafficked highways in the state, bisects the Pueblo of Sandia's lands in the shadow of the Sandia mountains; and

     WHEREAS, the traffic on interstate 25 travels at very high speeds; and

     WHEREAS, on numerous occasions, automobiles involved in serious traffic accidents have left the highway and ended up on pueblo lands; and

     WHEREAS, there are many tribal houses near interstate 25; and

     WHEREAS, the proximity of interstate 25 to these houses poses a safety hazard as well as a constant source of noise pollution, noxious fumes and debris; and

     WHEREAS, interstate 25 intrudes on the privacy of the pueblo, disturbing the pueblo's tranquility; and

     WHEREAS, the proximity of the highway particularly impinges on the privacy of members of the pueblo who live near the interstate; and

     WHEREAS, the federal highway administration of the United States department of transportation has indicated that noise barriers built along highways can reduce the amount of sound from the highway by up to one-half; and

     WHEREAS, the federal highway administration also reports that noise barriers result in cleaner air and healthier lawns and shrubs at homes near the highway; and

     WHEREAS, a wall or other barrier on interstate 25 where it crosses pueblo lands would add to the safety of the houses neighboring the interstate; and

     WHEREAS, the Pueblo of Sandia has long been a good partner in state-tribal relations, with a history of engaging in constructive negotiations for the good of all of the people of the state; and

     WHEREAS, the State-Tribal Collaboration Act mandates communication and collaboration between state agencies and Indian nations, tribes and pueblos;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the state department of transportation be requested to discuss efforts to mitigate the effects of noise and other pollution and improve safety where interstate 25 crosses the Pueblo of Sandia, including the possibility of constructing a security wall or noise barrier; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the state department of transportation and the governor of the Pueblo of Sandia.

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