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

SPONSOR Ulibarri

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/24/08

HB

SHORT TITLE

NM Tech Ground Water Research

SB 106

ANALYST Cox

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$400.00

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Higher Education (HED)

New Mexico Energy & Minerals (EMNRD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 106 requests a $400,000 appropriation from the general fund to the Board of Regents

of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMT) to be expended in FY09. The

monies are directed to the geophysical research center to expand its atmospheric and ground

water research capacities.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

A request was submitted by NMT to the New Mexico Higher Education Department for review

and is included in the Department’s funding recommendation for FY09.

The appropriation of four hundred thousand dollars ($400,000) 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.

Senate Bill 106 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The Geophysical Research Center (GRC) is a state-funded research organization, part of New

Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology’s (NMT) Research and Economic Development

Division. Hydrology and geophysics faculty members in the Department of Earth and

Environmental Science are each partly funded by the GRC, allowing them to devote large

portions of their time to research. The GRC is also a partner in the operation of the NMT IRIS

PASSCAL Instrument Center, a principal facility of the Incorporated Research Institutions for

Seismology.

The primary mission of the GRC is to carry out research in areas related to and affected by

water, placing emphasis on atmospheric, surface, underground water and air quality. The high

standard and excellence of the GRC-based Hydrology Program has served as a catalyst for

collaborations with universities, national labs and federal and state agencies in hydrology and the

related fields of geology, chemistry, biology, and engineering. These studies are especially

important to the Southwest in understanding issues related to long-term sustainability of water

resources.

NM Energy and Minerals states that SB 106 could have a potential positive impact on the Oil

Conservation Division‘s (OCD) ability to perform its duties under the Oil and Gas Act and

Water Quality Act. The additional appropriation could ultimately result in additional, useful data

regarding the groundwater and hydrogeology of New Mexico.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

NM Energy & Mineral notes that this appropriation relates to HB 84 and SB 2, which also

provide for funding of research and analysis of water and geology in New Mexico with the

potential to yield data that might be helpful to the OCD in performing its duties. SB 2 also

appropriates funds specifically to New Mexico Tech; however this bill is specific to funding for

the expansion of a particular geophysical research center at the facility, whereas the other two

bills provide funding for other specific purposes [New Mexico aquifer mapping (SB2) and water

quality and availability (HB 84)].

PRC/mt