FARMINGTON — A measure being championed by a San Juan County legislator that would create a dedicated source of funding for land conservation, outdoor recreation infrastructure, historic preservation and wildlife protection cleared another significant hurdle earlier this week.
Senate Bill 9, which would create the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund, was introduced by New Mexico State Sen. Steve Neville, R-Aztec. The measure would provide recurring funding to a half dozen state agencies, including New Mexico State Forestry, the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish, the New Mexico Tourism Department and New Mexico Soil and Water Conservation districts for various projects that are part of the existing state programs.
Neville said the bill calls for setting aside $100 million for a permanent fund, with part of that money being doled out to those agencies each year.
“The big deal with this bill is matching federal dollars,” he said, explaining that state funding would unlock millions of dollars in federal grants that the state is missing now.
Some of those grants require as little as a 33% state match, he said, and they are versatile enough to cover all sorts of issues that are becoming a greater concern in New Mexico — including firefighting, soil erosion, water contamination and drought.
“We have some serious conservation issues,” Neville said. “This will allow us to make serious attempts at fixing some of those problems.”
Neville noted that while the bill has statewide implications, it would be particularly important for the Farmington area because of the funding possibilities it might create for such attractions as the Glade Run Recreation Area and the Quality Waters fisheries on the San Juan River.
The bill passed the full Senate by a 33-7 vote on Feb. 14, then landed in the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee. It cleared that the committee on Feb. 28 and now likely awaits a hearing in the House Appropriations Committee, Neville said.
Jesse Deubel, the executive director of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, a 109-year-old, Albuquerque-based organization that advocates for sound wildlife management, access to public lands and protection of waters, said his group is working hard to secure passage of the measure this session.
“It’s very, very near the top,” he said of his organization’s priorities. “In fact, it probably is the No. 1 priority of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation.”
Both Neville and Deubel noted that the effort to get a permanent source of funding secured for such programs is New Mexico goes back at least five years. None of those efforts bore fruit, but the unprecedented budget surplus that state lawmakers are dealing with this year has increased hopes that this year could be the year the measure crosses the finish line.
Deubel said the bill’s strength is the broad coalition of interest groups that have been put together to support it, a list that includes wildlife groups, fishing groups, farmers and ranchers, environmental organizations and others.
“It provides insight into what can be done when groups and individuals work together to achieve a common goal,” he said, noting that the experience of seeing the coalition built has given him hope for the future.
“We’ve got groups that rarely work well together and come together on this,” he said. “ … We’re all in agreement. For that reason, I think we have a very good chance of success in this session.”
Nevertheless, Deubel acknowledged that he had heard some lawmakers express reservations about the specific provisions of the bill in committee hearings. In particular, some legislators are not convinced that it is appropriate to use money from the fund for land acquisition, a key provision of the bill.
But Deubel said that provision was included as part of the grand bargain that brought those diverse groups together.
“It was kind of a beautiful process, to be honest,” he said, referring to the negotiations that led to the creation of the measure.
He acknowledged that certain lawmakers might not like the specific components of the bill, but he said he didn’t think those concerns would rise to the level of opposition to the measure.
Deubel, after all, has his own reservations about the bill – its size. He believes it needs to be funded to the tune of $350 million — nearly four times its current size — in order to provide an adequate, permanent source of funding. The fund would effectively operate as an endowment, with its earnings being allocated annually to state agencies.
“This is a historic opportunity,” he said of the amount of money legislators have at their disposal in this session. “A budget surplus of this size doesn’t come around often.”
He said he hopes lawmakers are open to the idea of increasing the size of the fund when the measure goes before the House Appropriations Committee. At the very least, he said, he would like to see the fund established at $150 million — the amount at which dispersals to state agencies can begin.
Neville said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has been a reliable supporter of the bill, and he expects her to sign it if it reaches her desk. He said the Feb. 28 vote in the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee was likely its the most difficult remaining hurdle, so he is very optimistic about its chances of being approved and signed into law this session.
The session will end at noon on March 18.
Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com.
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This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Measure would lead to creation of Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund
