As deadline nears, governor signs bills aimed at expanding, protecting NM water supply

SANTA FE — With a bill signing deadline rapidly approaching, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday ratified bills aimed at boosting and protecting New Mexico’s water supply.

The measures were among 41 bills signed during the day by the governor, who faces a Friday deadline to act on legislation approved during this year’s 60-day session.

Lujan Grisham held a news conference to tout the water-related legislation, including a bill authorizing the state to purchase treated brackish water in order to bolster its overall freshwater reserves.

That bill, House Bill 137, is a key part of the governor’s 50-year water plan for New Mexico, which sits on huge underground reserves of brackish water that must be treated before it can be used.

In its initial form, the Strategic Water Supply Act would have also authorized the state to purchase treated produced water from oil and natural gas operations, but that provision was stripped out amid opposition from legislators and environmental groups. Oil and gas operators also had concerns about a proposed produced water fee.

During Tuesday’s news conference, Lujan Grisham said opposition to purchasing produced water has softened over the last several years but acknowledged there’s still ample opposition.

“Clearly I have some work to do with the legislators and the advocates,” the governor said.

Rep. Susan Herrera, D-Embudo, called the bill signings a “huge new day for New Mexico,” which has long grappled with how to use limited surface water resources.

“This has been an amazing year for water legislation,” Herrera added.

A total of $40 million was appropriated by lawmakers in a separate bill still awaiting the governor’s signature for brackish water projects, along with $19 million to improve aquifer mapping around New Mexico.

Meanwhile, Lujan Grisham also signed a bill giving New Mexico greater control over regulating streams, rivers and other surface water in the state, along with two measures aimed at bolstering protections against toxic chemicals that have been detected at high levels in plants and wildlife around Holloman Lake near White Sands National Park.

“This is a real turning point, I think, for taking back control of our water, of what consumer products are coming into homes and teaching people how to treat New Mexico and its environment,” state Environment Secretary James Kenney said during Tuesday’s news conference.

Meanwhile, the signing of the 41 bills comes a day after Lujan Grisham signed 60 other bills in a flurry of action.

A total of 68 bills are still awaiting the governor’s signature with the clock ticking toward Friday’s bill signing deadline, including a $10.8 billion spending plan for the budget year that starts in July and a measure requiring lobbyists to disclose more information about their activities at the Roundhouse.

Any bills not signed by the governor before the deadline are automatically vetoed under what’s known as a pocket veto.