The New Mexico Acequia Association will be engaged in the upcoming 2022 legislative session. This year, the legislature will convene for a 30-day session, which is focused on passing budget legislation as well as key priorities of the Governor.
NMAA is working on a list of budget priorities as follows:
• $400,000 increase in recurring funding for the Acequia and Community Ditch Fund (ACDF) the purpose of which is to ensure equitable engagement in the water right adjudication process
• $4.5 million to the Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) for a 3 year project to conduct a statewide acequia infrastructure assessment including analysis of climate resilient designs for acequia irrigation systems.
• $2.5 million to the ISC for shovel-ready projects and $5 million to the Acequia and Community Ditch Infrastructure Fund (ACDIF) to plan, design, and construct acequia projects over a 3 year timeframe.
• Create an Acequia Bureau at the ISC and add 2.0 FTE for implementation of the ACDIF.
• Create a Policy Analyst Position, 1.0 FTE to the New Mexico Acequia Commission.
Additionally, NMAA will be monitoring all legislation with a focus on water, agriculture, conservation, and infrastructure. We update our 2022 Acequia Legislative Tracker daily during the 30 day session.
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