By Howard Hutchinson

January 1, 2020

On December 20, the Secretary of Interior David Bernhardt raised cheers from the ranks of the radical environmental community by denying a request for an extension to reach a Record of Decision to meet the deadline for the additional funding as defined by the Arizona Water Settlements Act (AWSA).

The December 20 letter from the Office of the Secretary stated, “The slow pace of progress by the State since the passage of the Act shows a lack of urgency and priority by the State for delivering water supplies to rural communities that could be served by the project.”

The letter further stated, “It's a disappointment this project, that would bring critical water supplies to rural communities in New Mexico, has faced such scrutiny and a lack of support from the State of New Mexico. ----- The State's lack of action undermines the importance of the water supplies provided by the NM Unit in ensuring that rural communities in southwestern New Mexico have the water security necessary to thrive and grow.”

New Mexico State Engineer Steve Reynolds and New Mexico Governors and Congressional delegations fought for years in the 1960s to restore water rights for the Gila and San Francisco Rivers lost to Arizona and California during the Supreme Court adjudications of lower Colorado River water.

One has to wonder what has changed in the intervening years. Former Governor Richardson, Governor Grisham with Senators Udall and Heinrich and Representative Small have delayed planning by imposing a constant stream of moratoriums and budget restrictions.

The Secretary’s letter pointed to these deliberate obstructions by stating, “It's a disappointment this project, that would bring critical water supplies to rural communities in New Mexico, has faced such scrutiny and a lack of support from the State of New Mexico……..The State's lack of action undermines the importance of the water supplies provided by the NM Unit in ensuring that rural communities in southwestern New Mexico have the water security necessary to thrive and grow.”

The Secretary chose to adhere to the strict language of the AWSA in reaching the decision. While the southwestern counties, communities and citizens have valiantly pushed for restoring the lost water the state of New Mexico, radical environmentalists and the Bureau of Reclamation have obstructed and delayed development of the water.

One unfortunate element of the Secretary’s decision letter was inclusion of false talking points from the opponents and misinformed. It is apparent that D.C. bureaucrats far removed from the project areas chose to quote the opponents by stating, “Even today, a feasible project with necessary funding and contractual commitments has not been identified to enable project success.” A number of the local projects have been carefully thought out and will likely go forward.

The success of the radical environmentalists is that New Mexico and southwestern counties lose the up to 62 million federal dollars to construct water enhancement projects. The decision letter encourages the CAP Entity to continue forward by stating, “Because the extension applies only to funding under Section 212(j) of the Act, the Entity retains the option to pursue the NM Unit with other funding sources, including funds available under Section 212(i) of the Act. The Department understands the importance of developing water infrastructure in the West, especially to communities and farms in southwestern New Mexico.”

Howard Hutchinson is Chairman of the San Francisco Soil and Water Conservation District and a member of the New Mexico CAP Entity.