SENATE MEMORIAL 60

54th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2020

INTRODUCED BY

Elizabeth "Liz” Stefanics and Pete Campos

 

 

 

 

 

A MEMORIAL

RECOGNIZING THE CULTURAL, RECREATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPORTANCE OF PECOS CANYON AND THE UPPER PECOS WATERSHED AND OPPOSING EXPLORATORY DRILLING PROJECTS PROPOSED FOR THAT AREA.

 

     WHEREAS, Pecos canyon is the ancestral homeland of the Pecos Pueblo; and

     WHEREAS, the people of the Pueblo of Cochiti, the Pueblo of Jemez, Kewa Pueblo, the Pueblo of Pojoaque and the Pueblo of San Felipe continue to exist as sovereign communities in and around the Jemez and Sangre de Cristo mountains; and

     WHEREAS, Pecos canyon attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year to hike, camp, fish, picnic, bird-watch, hunt and generally recreate; and

     WHEREAS, local businesses in the village of Pecos and the surrounding communities rely upon recreational visitors; and

     WHEREAS, local outdoor recreation businesses rely upon the pristine waters of the Pecos river and the solitude offered by Pecos canyon and its surrounding wild lands; and

     WHEREAS, the headwaters of the Pecos, Gallinas and Mora rivers and dozens of their tributaries are key water sources for acequias; and

     WHEREAS, the headwaters of the Pecos, Gallinas and Mora rivers and dozens of their tributaries are key water sources for farmers, the village of Pecos, the city of Las Vegas and other surrounding communities; and

     WHEREAS, Indian creek, Doctors creek and Macho creek contain populations of the Rio Grande cutthroat trout, the state fish of New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, Pecos canyon is home to the Holy Ghost ipomopsis, a federally endangered plant, and the Mexican spotted owl, a federally threatened species; and

     WHEREAS, numerous species of cats, bears and ungulates reside in Pecos canyon; and

     WHEREAS, climate change has adversely affected New Mexico and will continue to have adverse effects on New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, mining contributes to greenhouse gas emissions at the source and as a consequence of increased industrial activity in general; and

     WHEREAS, the Pecos wilderness is one of the most visited wilderness areas in New Mexico, enticing tens of thousands of visitors every year; and

     WHEREAS, in 1991, a spring snow melt event carried contaminants from a previous mining operation into the Pecos river, killing over ninety thousand fish; and

     WHEREAS, the cleanup of the 1991 contamination event has cost the taxpayers of New Mexico at least twenty-eight million dollars ($28,000,000); and

     WHEREAS, the village of Pecos has recovered from this contamination event and established itself as a destination for outdoor enthusiasts; and

     WHEREAS, the cleanup of the previous mining operation is ongoing; and

     WHEREAS, there is a pending application with the mining and minerals division of the energy, minerals and natural resources department for permission to undertake exploratory drilling with up to thirty drill pads and holes at eighty-four potential locations in the area of Pecos canyon and the upper Pecos watershed; and

     WHEREAS, exploratory drilling operations often adversely affect the surrounding environment, including ground and surface waters; and

     WHEREAS, United States Senator Martin Heinrich opposes the exploratory drilling in the Pecos canyon area; and

     WHEREAS, Assistant Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Ben R. Lujan opposes the exploratory drilling in the Pecos canyon area;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that Pecos canyon and the upper Pecos watershed be deemed an inappropriate place to conduct an exploratory drilling operation and for activities associated with an exploratory drilling operation; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor and the secretary of energy, minerals and natural resources.

- 4 -