April 7, 2021
Barring lawsuits, decision on diversion group’s fate nears Written by Geoffrey Plant on April 7, 2021
A new state law that’s set to take effect July 1 requires the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission to consult with the New Mexico Water Trust Board before it allocates any of the $80 million remaining in the N.M. Unit Fund to eligible water projects in the four counties of Grant, Hidalgo, Catron and Luna.
That’s an advisory role that had belonged to the New Mexico Entity of the Central Arizona Project, and it’s one the Entity may be prepared to fight over.
Letters the editor: On New Mexico legislation msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Bill to sideline diversion group passes committee Written by Geoffrey Plant on February 17, 2021
A bill that seeks to sideline the New Mexico Entity of the Central Arizona Project received a “do pass” recommendation by the state House Agriculture and Water Resources Committee on Saturday in a 5-3 party-line vote.
Committee member and District 15 Democratic state Rep. Dayan Hochman-Vigil attended Saturday’s hearing but did not cast a vote regarding House Bill 200.
District 50 N.M. Rep. Matthew McQueen, sponsor of the bill, titled “Water Trust Board Projects and NM Unit Fund,” explained the proposed law’s purpose to the committee, which met virtually via Zoom due to the pandemic, by telling them why he wanted to use a different title for the legislation.
February 12, 2021
Gila diversion group asserts primacy as legislation threatens Written by Geoffrey Plant on February 12, 2021
With a proposal in Santa Fe threatening its very existence, the New Mexico Entity of the Central Arizona Project the group that was formed in 2015 to build the ultimately unsuccessful Gila diversion project is having to defend the role it could play when it comes to administering the more than $80 million in the N.M. Unit Fund.
The massive pot of money is destined to be spent, per the 2004 federal Arizona Water Settlements Act, either on a ※New Mexico Unit,” i.e., a surface water diversion, or on ※other water utilization alternatives to meet water supply demands in the Southwest Water Planning Region of New Mexico.”
Legislation would replace Gila diversion group Written by Geoffrey Plant on February 3, 2021
A bill introduced last week in the New Mexico Legislature threatens to sideline the New Mexico Entity of the Central Arizona Project’s role in determining how the remaining money in the N.M. Unit Fund totaling more than $80 million is spent in four southwestern New Mexico counties under the terms of the 2004 federal Arizona Water Settlements Act.
The group’s consulting role is enshrined in state and federal statutes, but House Bill 200, titled “Water Trust Board & N.M. Unit Fund,” seeks to rewrite New Mexico water law and hand the Entity’s responsibilities for vetting water projects over to the New Mexico Water Trust Board.