Climate Change
New Mexico Headed to (Water) Bankruptcy Court?
The State Constitution requires the State to balance its annual budget, which prevents financial bankruptcy. However, the State is hurtling towards water bankruptcy in many of the State’s distinct hydrologic regions.
Read MoreMiddle Rio Grande Plain Truths–Please Email Senate Finance Committee Members
2021 will bring a wake-up call that will be hard to ignore. We must pivot to cooperatively face our existential water supply issues. The days and years of reckoning are upon us.
Read MoreWater Advocates–Outreach to ISC Re: Water Planning
Water Advocates comment publicly regarding the NM Interstate Stream Commission’s water planning study session. The comments identify essential elements of a meaningful NM water planning process.
Read MorePursuing Water Equity for Underserved Communities
Pursuing water equity is a moral project. Addressing water equity is often absent from conversations about the sustainability of our water resources. It is unfortunate not all of the important issues facing water challenges revolve around water quality. There is broad consensus that equity refers to just and fair inclusion–a condition in which everyone has the opportunity to participate and prosper.
Read MoreRio Grande Basin Study is Moving Forward
The Rio Grande Basin Study is beginning to feel more tangible. Over sixty people attended Reclamation’s quarterly “All Partners” meeting held Dec. 4. After a presentation on in-progress climate assessment research and a coming agricultural adaptation workshop, the discussion focused on the detailed draft plan for the three-year …
Read MorePlanning for water scarcity and our changing climate
Interstate Stream Commission members agree the need for effective water planning is urgent. Yet two years into this administration, the staff is not yet focused on “helping New Mexicans plan for water scarcity and a changing climate.”
Read MoreState Water Actions Urgently Required
Leadership and unprecedented actions are needed to prevent a Rio Grande Compact violation in 2021. Serious water planning can no longer be neglected. The legislature is requested to take five actions.
Read MoreNearly Half of the U.S. Is in Drought. It May Get Worse.
The New York Times published an article on October 15 “Nearly Half of the U.S. Is in Drought. It May Get Worse.” Nearly half of the continental United States is gripped by drought, government forecasters said Thursday, and conditions are expected to worsen this winter across much of the Southwest and South. Mike Halpert, deputy…
Read MoreA Climate Crossroads With 2 Paths: Merely Bad or Truly Horrific
The New York Times has published “Climate Disruption Is Now Locked In …” an extensive article addressing our options moving forward. While said about climate change, two quotations stand out and are directly applicable to water issues in New Mexico: “There’s too much complexity and, frankly, too much that needs to be changed, that we’re…
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