Latest news with #StrategicWaterSupplyAct
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Strategic Water Supply Act halfway through Legislature
Mar. 7—SANTA FE — A push to incentivize market treatment and reuse of brackish water is now halfway through the Roundhouse. The executive-backed Strategic Water Supply Act, proposed in House Bill 137, passed on a 57-4 through the House on Friday. It would allow the state to enter into contracts with or award grants to projects that treat and reuse brackish water — 652-1,303 trillion gallons of which exist in New Mexico, according to the Environment Department. The bill when first introduced included the treatment and reuse of produced water, or wastewater, from oil and gas operations. But legislators removed that provision and are only focusing on the saline water component to help appease some policymakers and environmentalists. "We have tried to listen to legislators who have had deep concerns," said bill sponsor Rep. Susan Herrera, D-Embudo. Herrera also declined to block a Republican amendment to the bill to ensure people can and have time to protest against brackish water reuse projects. This year's $10.8 billion budget proposal sets aside $40 million for the strategic water supply program, should the legislation pass. It also appropriates $19 million for the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology to conduct aquifer mapping and $4 million for New Mexico State University to continue studying water reuse and treatment technology and projects. The appropriation is $35 million less than the bill initially sought. The Strategic Water Supply Act began as a $500 million bill last year, and legislators have since watered it down to accommodate concerns around the feasibility of the program. The state can get started with $40 million, said Rebecca Roose, infrastructure advisor to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. "We would like to see more of an investment in this area," she told the Journal after the bill's passage. "We think the need is there. We think the opportunity and potential is there." Roose added that although produced water isn't a part of the Strategic Water Act anymore, the state is committed to continuing to work this year and beyond "on getting the regulatory provisions in place and continuing to invest for treatment and reuse." The executive's office could come back for legislative market incentives in the future, she said, or the market could take off on its on once the regulations are in place. "We won't know for sure until we get there," Roose said. Lujan Grisham said in a statement Friday afternoon that the legislation is a "forward-thinking approach" to managing water. "By developing New Mexico's brackish water resources, we're charting a new course that balances economic opportunity with responsible stewardship of our freshwater supplies," she said. The four votes against the bill came from Democratic Reps. Marianna Anaya, Dayan Hochman-Vigil and Patricia Roybal Caballero, all of Albuquerque, and Angelica Rubio of Las Cruces.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Scrapping produced water reuse to get Strategic Water Supply Act across finish line
Feb. 22—A major change to a bill that would commercialize the treatment and reuse of saltwater resources seems to have swayed more legislators into supporting the effort. The legislation passed its second of three House committees unanimously Saturday. House Bill 137, known as the Strategic Water Supply Act, would allow the state to dole out money and enter into contracts with entities that treat and reuse brackish water — saline water found in places like underground aquifers. Previously, the legislation would've allowed reuse projects for produced water, a toxic byproduct of oil and gas operations. But after the bill narrowly passed its first committee, with a Democrat voting against it because of its produced water components, bill sponsors decided to compromise on the legislation: They took out all of its produced water components. Bill sponsor Rep. Susan Herrera, D-Embudo, told the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee that New Mexico needs every drop of water it can get as it expects a decreasing water supply in future decades. In a statement Friday, she said the Strategic Water Supply Act is too important to let its produced water provisions cause its failure. The change swayed some legislators, such as Rep. Miguel Garcia, D-Albuquerque, who said he initially opposed the bill but was sold on it with its changes. However, Rep. Matthew McQueen, D-Galisteo, who's been wary of the effort, said he appreciates the work done on the bill, but it doesn't fix climate change. Brackish water isn't located "everywhere we need water to be," he said, and treatment will be expensive. Brackish water projects are estimated to cost between $3 million and $107 million, according to a November feasibility study from the New Mexico Environment Department and an environmental research organization. The costs are significantly less than those of produced water projects, which would range between $13 million and $667 million. The state wouldn't be fronting all those costs. It would have the ability to enter into contracts or award grants for treated brackish water projects, pulling from a $75 million strategic water supply program fund HB137 would create. "What the state receives in return is saving freshwater resources while providing a new or alternative water resource to projects that align with state goals," said Rebecca Roose, state infrastructure adviser, in response to McQueen. New Mexico's brackish water resources are largely undeveloped due to the high costs as well as a need to construct wells to access the water, according to the feasibility study. Three basins are particularly fruitful for alternative water supply options: the Española Basin in Santa Fe, the Mesilla Basin in southern New Mexico and the Albuquerque Basin. McQueen also said he's consistently heard the state isn't buying and selling water, but still has concerns with how the state would be supporting private entities rather than public entities. Projects could include reusing water for green hydrogen production, data centers and solar panel manufacturing, according to NMED. He questioned how the public can get involved in the project process, to which Roose said projects require tribal consultation and a community benefit plan. "I think the opportunities for public input are vague. ... There's not a clear public role in this process," McQueen said, still ultimately voting in support of the bill. The legislation also seeks $28.7 million to continue aquifer mapping. The feasibility study noted the state needs a better characterization of brackish water resources to "understand the treatment processes needed," so more data collection is necessary. A lack of sufficient information was the cause for many environmental advocacy organizations still opposing the bill. "While there is progress in the removal of produced water, the intent of this is purely based in economic development and a pathway to commodify brackish water without proper scientific understanding and appropriate legal framework," said Julia Bernal, executive director of Pueblo Action Alliance. Rep. Rod Montoya, R-Farmington, said this isn't new technology, using processes like reverse osmosis to treat water. About two-thirds of states in the U.S. have at least one desalination plant, according to the NMED feasibility study, with neighboring state Texas having 52 plants — the third-most in the nation. "If drought conditions persist, this is a good answer for folks who rely on acequias, who rely on ditches all across the state of New Mexico, and especially as I have no idea going forward how much we're going to be fighting with the state of Texas over water," Montoya said. Pursuing produced water reuse later Herrera said she hopes to revisit produced water legislation next year instead, and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham "remains committed to advancing research for produced water treatment," according to a Friday news release. HB137 also asks for $4 million so New Mexico State University, which has a produced water research consortium, can continue its research and technology development for water reuse projects, both on brackish and produced water. Since the bill is only focused on brackish water now, Roose said the intent is for the state-funded research to primarily focus on brackish water. McQueen said he's concerned that the bill doesn't have language specifying that. "We're essentially funding the existing (produced water) research, but we're sort of-kind of saying, 'Well, now you should focus on brackish water,'" he said. "My concern would be the ... (rationalization) to include produce water because potentially, going in the future, that could be included under this program."
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill aimed at reducing strain on freshwater reserves returns to legislative session
SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – One of the governor's top priorities this session is protecting New Mexico's water supply. A key bill she's backing, that proposes recycling brackish and industrial water was heard in its first committee on Thursday. Story continues below Crime: Man accused in shooting outside Isotopes Park pleads guilty to separate drug charges New Mexico: Bill aims to make New Mexico a major hub for trade in the United States Don't Miss: Crayola brings back 8 retired colors: Here's what they are During Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham's State of the State address, she announced the Strategic Water Supply Act was back on the table after failing last session. Now, the lawmakers supporting the bill say they're hopeful it will be different this year. 'The reason that I'm carrying this bill is because climate change is real. I've seen things in the past five years that I've never thought imaginable,' said Rep. Susan Herrera, (D-Embudo). Rep. Herrera said she's seen firsthand the effects of climate change, spurring drought and drying up community acequias. Now, she's carrying a bill for the governor that aims to alleviate the strain on limited freshwater supplies in the state by recycling brackish and industrial water. 'I think we need to use all the water resources that we have and it's part of the 50-year water plan and we keep trying to you know, trying to promulgate rules that lead to better water quality and this is part of that,' said Herrera. Last year, the governor announced a 50-Year Plan to address freshwater shortages in the state as a response to the prediction that New Mexico will have 25% less water available in that time. One of the key pieces of that 50-Year Plan would fund water recycling projects with private and public entities. Brackish water reserves at least 2,500 feet below the surface would be treated using a desalinization process and leftover water from oil and gas industries would be cleaned up and stored. These recycled resources would then be used for clean energy projects, advanced manufacturing, and even putting out wildfires. Some local leaders and community members said this bill is needed as water becomes more scarce. 'We're kind of like the hub for the eastern part of the Navajo Nation and three or four different small communities in the area and we have people that are hauling water daily because of their wells going dry and it's just heartbreaking to see,' said Denny Herrera, Mayor of Cuba, New Mexico. Others were concerned about the costs. 'I don't think that the taxpayers should be funding the bill to clean up the mess of the oil and gas industry. We shouldn't incentivize them in recycling that water and not contaminating more of our water,' said Zack Withers, an opposer of the bill. The bill would also charge oil and gas producers a fee of five cents per barrel of treated water to fund strategic water projects. The bill was heard in its first committee on Thursday but the vote was postponed. Rep. Herrera said they will be bringing it back to the table with some changes. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
