Urgent call to action: Speak up for New Mexico’s waters!

In recent years, the U.S. Supreme Court has issued decisions with profound impacts on the waters of New Mexico. Rolling back 50 years of Clean Water Act protections, 95% of New Mexico’s waterways now no longer have federal protections. Although these impacts are nationwide, the Land of Enchantment is arguably the most vulnerable in the country.

We need your help to speak up for New Mexico’s waters Tuesday, January 28^th!

Exacerbating these federal rollbacks is the fact that New Mexico currently does not have a state-led surface water permitting program in place. This means that the New Mexico Environment Department must wait until a pollution event occurs and react to it, rather than being able to proactively prevent pollution events through permitting. This legislative session we can put in place authorities needed to establish this permitting program. But we need your help!

Can you stand up for New Mexico’s waters Tuesday, January 28^th by expressing support for SB 21 and 22?

Two bills up before the Senate Conservation Committee at the New Mexico State legislature this Tuesday, starting at 9am. One bill – SB 22 – is focused on authorities to permit waters no longer federally protected under the Clean Water Act. The second bill – SB 21 – will put in place authorities to take over permitting for those waters still federally protected. New Mexico is one of only 3 states that currently leaves this up to the Environmental Protection Agency. Together these bills, sponsored by Senator Wirth and Representative Ortez form a complete permitting program and needed protections for our most precious resource.

Take action in-person:

We need your support for SB 21 and SB 22 in the Senate Conservation Committee on Tuesday, January 28^th at 9am. You can attend in-person at room 311 at the New Mexico State Capitol.

You can park at the parking facility nearby, but it fills up fast, so get there early!

Take action virtually:

You can also attend virtually via this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82404382748 Webinar ID: 824 0438 748

Making your comment:

There will be a limited number of public comments allowed, so you may or may not get a chance to speak. If you would like to speak, you can say something simple like:

“My name is ___ and I am from ___. I am here to today to ask you to support SB 21 and SB 22. These bills are critical to protecting New Mexico’s waters.”

You can personalize it by adding why water is important to you and your family or use some of the talking points below.

Thank you to Senator Wirth, Representative Ortez, and the New Mexico Environment Department for moving forward a solution to ensure our rivers and streams are protected.
The governor identified establishing a state-led surface water permitting program as a key priority in her 50-year water action plan, as did the Water Policy and Infrastructure Taskforce in their recommendations released in 2022. The legislature has appropriated funds over the past few years to get this going, let’s take the next step to protect New Mexico’s waters with SB 21 and SB 22.
Currently up to 95% of New Mexico’s rivers and streams are vulnerable to pollution and degradation. We must establish a permitting program to ensure our most precious resource is protected for future generations.
Without protections, industries and development can pollute or destroy wetlands and streams risking contamination of drinking water and making New Mexico communities more vulnerable to severe drought and flooding.
A New Mexico surface water permitting program will restore protections that had been in place for decades under the Clean Water Act, while accounting for needs unique to New Mexico.

Thank you for your support!

If you have any questions, please contact Tricia Snyder: tricia@nmwild.org, 575-636-0625.