[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 112 (Friday, July 13, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1505-E1506]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                NEW MEXICO WATER PLANNING ASSISTANCE ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 10, 2007

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 
1904, the New Mexico Water Planning Assistance Act. I would like to 
thank my colleague from New Mexico for her work on this legislation and 
on the issue. It is an extremely important issue to us in New Mexico, 
and throughout the Southwest.
  Like other states in the arid west, New Mexico suffers from water 
scarcity. Drought often impacts municipal water supply, agricultural 
water supply, and increases volatility in high fire-risk areas. 
Economies and ecologies alike are threatened when scarce water 
resources are not properly managed. Ensuring careful management of this 
precious resource is a top priority in communities throughout New 
Mexico. This bill would allow New Mexico communities to unite under 
statewide water plans, formulated from comprehensive statewide research 
and quantification of water resources.
  Through grants and technical assistance from the Bureau of 
Reclamation and the U.S. Geological Survey, this bill authorizes 
funding for resource mapping and studies assessing the quality and 
quantity of both surface and groundwater throughout the state. The bill 
further allocates funds to develop models for several of the state's 
rivers, many of which are threatened by overuse and excessive 
impoundment. This year, the Rio Grande was included in the World 
Wildlife Fund's list of the

[[Page E1506]]

world's top 10 most threatened rivers, and the Santa Fe River was 
listed as the Nation's Most Endangered River this year by American 
Rivers. Research and conservation along these rivers will positively 
impact New Mexicans and the greater southwest region.
  This bill will provide New Mexico with information and resources that 
will enable the state to sustainably manage and conserve its precious 
water resources. By facilitating comprehensive surface and groundwater 
studies, this bill will allow New Mexicans to make sound decisions on 
water resource management that will impact the entire southwestern 
United States.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill is an important step towards sustainable water 
management in New Mexico and the Southwest. A comprehensive approach to 
hydrologic resource management is necessary to confront the challenges 
of New Mexico's growing communities and precarious fluctuations in 
climate. This bill provides New Mexico with the tools needed to meet 
these challenges in a sustainable manner, and I urge its passage.

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