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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Stewart

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/31/08

HB 547

SHORT TITLE Bureau Of Geology Publications

SB

ANALYST Haug

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$50.0

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)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 547 appropriates $50.0 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of New Mexico

Institute of Mining and Technology to pay for Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources

publication expenses.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $50.0 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund. Any

unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2009 shall revert to the

general fund.

This request for funding was not submitted by NMIT to the New Mexico Higher Education

Department and was not included in the Department’s recommendations for FY09.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

According to the HED, the Bureau of Geology and Mining Resources (BGMR) possess an

internal publication program and system, complete with editors, design and layout personnel, and

House Bill 547 – Page

2

authors. The BGMR is able to self-produce books, maps, brochures, reports, and other

documents that support its mission. However, current budget restraints are not sufficient to

cover all costs associated with the larger, state projects pertaining to water resource issues. The

appropriation in HB547 would supplement the existing budget for publication expenses at

BGMR. The BGMR current has roughly four high-profile, substantially expensive publication

projects in their queue. Without the appropriation provided by HB547, BGMR estimates that it

will be able to publish only one of the four projects.

The BGMR, established by legislation in 1927, is a service and research division of the New

Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMIT). It acts as the geological survey for the State

of New Mexico with these main goals:

•

Conduct research and interact with State and Federal agencies and industry to facilitate

prudent exploitation of the state's geological resources.

•

Distribute accurate information to scientists, decision makers, and the New Mexico

public regarding the state's geologic infrastructure, mineral and energy resources, and

geohydrology (including water quantity and quality).

•

Create accurate, up-to-date maps (using GIS) of the state's geology and resource

potential.

•

Provide timely information on potential geologic hazards, including earthquakes,

volcanic events, soils-and subsidence-related problems, and flooding.

•

Act as a repository for cores, well cuttings and a wide variety of geological data. Provide

convenient physical and internet access for New Mexicans to such resources.

•

Provide public education and outreach through college teaching and advising, a Mineral

Museum, and teacher- and student-training programs.

The EMNRD states that the Mining and Minerals Division particularly has benefited greatly

from the use of maps and other publications provided by the Bureau.

GH/mt