Water, energy, conservation and more on the interim agenda for legislators

The Rio Grande at Isleta Blvd. and Interstate 25 on Sept. 7, 2023. (Photo by Anna Padilla for Source New Mexico)

The interim Water and Natural Resources Committee met in Santa Fe on Tuesday to discuss a proposed schedule and list of topics to address before the legislature meets again for 60 days in 2025.

Even with a shorter interim session and shorter meetings, members said there’s plenty of ground to cover with water issues, energy and climate concerns across New Mexico.

Interim committees are bipartisan, with members from both chambers. They hear reports from New Mexico agencies, tour locations and suggest legislation for the upcoming session. Lawmakers and agency staff usually meet outside of the Roundhouse in communities across the state.

So far, there are set dates, but some locations are still being determined.

The meeting and locations are set for meetings on July 22-23, August 26-27, September 26-27, October 28-29 and a final November 25-26.

They will be “day and a half” meetings.

Interim committee chair Rep. Matthew McQueen (D-Galisteo) said he’d tell lawmakers “soon” when he’d set the locations for the meetings in July, September and October. Currently the August meeting will be held at the New Mexico Technical Institute in Socorro and the final November meeting will be held at the Roundhouse.

Potential meeting sites floated by committee members on Tuesday include the Red River and Questa area, Rio Rancho or Corrales, Hobbs and Las Cruces.

McQueen said he planned to “dial back” the work during this interim,acknowledging that it was an election year and lawmakers have “campaigns to attend to,” in addition to other responsibilities.

He proposed that meetings would fall under large topics: water, energy and conservation to start.

Members on the committee made a few suggestions for additional umbrella topics.

Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez (D-Albuquerque) brought up air quality and health. She pointed to the American Lung Association’s failing grades of New Mexico’s highest populated counties.  Both Bernalillo and Doña Ana Counties received “F” grades for ozone and particle pollution, according to the study.

Sen. Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque) recommended the topic of climate, and said her office was working on research about “where we are, where we’ve been and where we oughta go,” on the topic.

Sen. Pat Woods (R-Clovis) asked if the committee would examine if recent legislation such as the Community Solar Program and the Water Data Act, were enforceable and that agencies were meeting their goals on the new laws.

Lawmakers also asked for progress updates on the New Mexico Energy Transition Act, weather monitoring programs and hydrogen development plans. There was also discussion about legislation to address PFAS testing in private water wells.

Fire and water

McQueen emphasized he wanted the interim sessions to go deeper on topics, rather than cover a wide range.

Multiple lawmakers responded and said they wanted to dive into wildfire and local water infrastructure concerns.

Older and often failing water infrastructure creates problems for rural drinking supplies, but also fire suppression, said. Rep. Susan Herrera (D-Embudo). She said the state should consider a separate fund to address infrastructure needs.

“We’re not going to capital outlay our way out of this,” Herrera said regarding the state’s process to send money to local communities. “It’s going to take some real investment from the state into this.”

Finally, lawmakers said they wanted updates on various water litigation – whether tribal water rights, or the Rio Grande settlement agreement still pending a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court .

Sen. Joe Cervantes (D-Las Cruces), recommended that Attorney General Raúl Torrez should make a presentation to the committee regarding staff and efforts on water litigation before the New Mexico Department of Justice.

McQueen said the interim committee wanted to see more policy presentations from the executive, noting that the Strategic Water Supply – a $500 million plan to buy treated brackish water and oil and gas wastewater to sell for other uses – was originally “a line in a budget.”

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He emphasized he wanted to see a bill from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office on the proposal if brought forward in the next session.

Sedillo Lopez agreed.

“While it’s not good to have legislation without funding, it’s also not good to have funding without legislation, and we have both,” she said.

McQueen told the committee he would take additional suggestions over the next couple of days and that the full iterimin agenda and meeting locations would follow.

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