[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 27 (Friday, March 11, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 11, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
            INTRODUCTION OF RIO PUERCO WATERSHED ACT OF 1994

                                 ______


                          HON. BILL RICHARDSON

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 10, 1994

  Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce the Rio Puerco 
Watershed Act of 1994. This legislation, which is being introduced 
today in the Senate by Jeff Bingaman, will improve water quality within 
the Rio Puerco watershed and help restore the ecological health of the 
Rio Grande.
  Extensive ecological changes have occurred in the Rio Puerco 
watershed including erosion of agricultural and range lands and loss of 
biological diversity and available surface water. This damage has 
seriously affected the economic and cultural well-being of the area. 
The threat to the Rio Puerco watershed below the junction of the Rio 
Puerco with the Rio Grande is especially severe. Not only has the water 
quality been decreased, but the excessive sedimentation threatens the 
water storage capacity and life expectancy of the Elephant Butte Dam 
and Reservoir system.
  The stress to the Rio Puerco watershed from the loss of native 
vegetation, introduction of exotic species and alteration of riparian 
habitat is complicated by the interlocking land ownership of the area 
which includes private, Federal, tribal trust and State ownership. To 
address the many conflicting issues affecting protection of the area, 
my bill establishes a Rio Puerco Management Committee. This committee 
will include representatives from the Rio Puerco Watershed Committee, 
affected tribes and pueblos, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of 
Reclamation, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, the 
Soil and Conservation Service, the State of New Mexico, as well as 
private landowners.
  In addition to authorizing the creation of a management committee, 
the Rio Puerco Watershed Act of 1994 provides for the long-term 
protection of the river by--first; requiring the Secretary of Interior 
to prepare a plan for restoration of the watershed within 2 years of 
enactment; second, requiring the Secretary of Interior to report to 
Congress 2 years after the date of enactment and biennially thereafter 
on the accomplishments of the management program and proposals for 
joint implementation efforts; and third, authorizing a lower Rio Grande 
habitat study to include the habitat of the Rio Grande from Caballo 
Lake to the Gulf of Mexico.
  Mr. Speaker, the continued health of our environment is too important 
to ignore. The introduction of this legislation today signals Congress' 
willingness to address natural resources protection issues head on. But 
it will not be until legislation such as the Rio Puerco Watershed Act 
and other legislative attempts to protect our environment are signed 
into law that we can truly claim to be protectors of the environment. I 
call on my colleagues in the House to join me in this effort and 
support the responsible, effective protection of our precious natural 
resources by supporting the Rio Puerco Watershed Act of 1994.

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