HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 44
47th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2005
INTRODUCED BY
Ben Lujan
A JOINT MEMORIAL
REQUESTING CERTAIN STATE AGENCIES TO STUDY WATER CONSERVATION AND WATER INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCING AND ADMINISTRATION TO DEVELOP A STRATEGIC WATER CONSERVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT PLAN TO SECURE A SUSTAINABLE WATER SUPPLY FOR NEW MEXICO'S URBAN, RURAL, AGRICULTURAL, INDUSTRIAL, RECREATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL WATER NEEDS.
WHEREAS, New Mexico is a semiarid state with a finite supply of ground water, a variable supply of surface water and an annual average precipitation of thirteen inches; and
WHEREAS, ninety percent of New Mexicans rely on ground water for their drinking water supply, and many aquifers are being exhausted; and
WHEREAS, it is estimated that the population of New Mexico will grow thirty-five percent in the next twenty-five years, which is the equivalent of the population of a city as big or bigger than the city of Albuquerque; and
WHEREAS, the state water plan provides that the state shall engage in a coordinated and concerted effort to promote conservation and efficient use of water in all water use sectors as one of the cornerstones of New Mexico's efforts to meet the state's present and future water needs; and
WHEREAS, the state water plan recognizes that the public's use of water for recreation and use of water for fish and wildlife habitat restoration are important to the state's quality of life and economic vitality; and
WHEREAS, it is estimated that there is a funding gap of two billion dollars ($2,000,000,000) in the financing of water infrastructure to meet the needs of the state's citizens; and
WHEREAS, New Mexico will need to meet this funding gap through a combination of local, state and federal funding sources as well as public-private partnerships; and
WHEREAS, the state water plan provides that the state should identify dedicated funding sources to leverage federal and other funding to pay for water-related projects; and
WHEREAS, the state water plan provides that the state shall identify, prioritize and fund water-related infrastructure and management projects that protect the state's water resources for New Mexico uses;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that a water conservation and infrastructure financing and administration task force be created that is comprised of eighteen members and assisted by a technical advisory team whose staff will be drawn from the following state bodies: the department of finance and administration, the New Mexico finance authority, the taxation and revenue department, the department of environment, the energy, minerals and natural resource department, the department of game and fish, the office of the state engineer, the interstate stream commission and the New Mexico department of agriculture; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall consist of four members appointed by the governor, one of which the governor shall designate as the chair of the task force; six members of the legislature, of which three shall be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and three shall be appointed by the president pro tempore of the senate; and eight members of the public, appointed by the New Mexico legislative council, representing the following interests: municipalities; counties; mutual domestic water consumer associations; commercial irrigated agriculture; acequias; Indian nations, tribes and pueblos; the environment; and recreation; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall, in consultation with the technical advisory team, gather and distill information, develop strategic options and adopt recommendations for a strategic water conservation and infrastructure financing and administration plan that will promote the state's economy, natural resources and quality of life. Specifically, the task force, in consultation with the technical advisory team, shall:
A. evaluate the potential for water savings from water conservation and efficiency improvements in New Mexico's urban, agricultural and industrial sectors and watersheds; the cost-effectiveness of water conservation and efficiency improvements, including estimates of the unit cost of conserved water; and additional benefits, such as mitigation of the social and environmental impacts from development of new water supplies using dams, pipelines and desalination;
B. identify and evaluate the pros and cons of different funding mechanisms for a dedicated recurring state fund for financing water conservation and infrastructure, including a statewide water user fee, gross receipts tax, income tax, property tax and public-private partnerships, considering the equity issues associated with who pays and bears the burden of water financing, how much each user pays in proportion to use and the impacts of the funding mechanism on water use and the state's economy;
C. evaluate how water rights for public use and benefit, such as recreation, fish and wildlife habitat restoration, and compact obligations should be obtained, funded and administered within the state; and
D. evaluate the need to coordinate, consolidate or restructure the existing state funds for financing water projects and the roles and responsibilities of the executive and legislative branches in administering these funds, considering the need to develop uniform criteria for evaluating and prioritizing water projects and equity issues associated with distribution of funds among water sectors, across basins and between different water projects; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force submit a report of its findings and policy recommendations to the governor and legislature no later than December 1, 2006; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, the president pro tempore of the senate, the New Mexico legislative council, the department of finance and administration, the New Mexico finance authority, the department of taxation and revenue, the department of environment, the energy, minerals and natural resource department, the department of game and fish, the office of the state engineer, the interstate stream commission and the New Mexico department of agriculture.
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