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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Tripp
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
1/19/08
HB 155
SHORT TITLE NM Tech Decision-Makers Conferences
SB
ANALYST Haug
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY08
FY09
$75.0
Recurring
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Higher Education Department (HED)
Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources Department (EMNRD)
No Response
New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology (NMIMT)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
House Bill 155 appropriates
$75.0
from the general fund to the Board of Regents of New Mexico
Institute of Mining and Technology for the Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources to conduct
the decision-makers field conferences.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of
$75.0
contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund. Any
unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year shall not revert to the
general fund.
HED states that this request was not submitted by New Mexico Institute of Mining to the New
Mexico Higher Education Department for review and is not included in the Department’s
funding recommendation for FY09.
pg_0002
House Bill 155 – Page
2
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
The HED states that the primary objective of the conference is to offer decision makers a
firsthand outdoor learning experience concerning vital earth science issues. Over the past six
years the following topics have been covered:
•
Water and water shed issues in Santa Fe and the Los Alamos areas
•
New Mexico energy issues
•
New Mexico Mining issues
•
Water issues along the Pecos River and the middle Rio Grande
The 2009 conference is scheduled to cover geological hazards in the Albuquerque area as well as
water and natural resource issues, climate change and border issues.
According to EMNRD, since 2001, the New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources
has been conducting annual, three-day field conferences for influential New Mexico decision
makers - legislators, government agency directors, appointed and elected commissioners,
educators, citizen advocates and business leaders. The primary objective for the conferences is
to present decision makers with the opportunity to learn first-hand about current issues, problems
and solutions concerning vital earth science and hydrologic issues in New Mexico. Each
conference is focused on a particular topic that is relevant and timely for decision makers. For
example, in 2005, the focus of the conference was on mining issues in New Mexico. Attendees
traveled to various mine sites around the state and interacted with businesses and community
leaders. They were given informative presentations by scientist and policy experts, who made
credible, well-balanced, succinct presentations. The goal is to inform decision makers and not
lobby them for any particular position.
EMNRD states further that the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD)
assists the Bureau of Geology as needed in coordinating logistics, finding speakers and offering
technical expertise when the topic is within EMNRD’s purview. Each conference has been met
with overwhelming support and accolades from all sectors as being an excellent opportunity for
decision makers to learn about how they can influence positive outcomes to sometimes difficult
and pressing issues facing New Mexico. The Bureau obtains funding from a variety of public
and private sources for the conferences.
GH/nt