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Committee discusses $7 million for River Stewardship program; tabling motion moves funding through budget process
Summary
Multiple conservation groups and NMED representatives testified in support of river restoration funding; committee members asked about project types, reporting and impacts on ranching; the panel tabled the standalone appropriation and said the funding will be handled through House Bill 2.
Representatives and agency staff heard detailed testimony on the River Stewardship Program and a $7 million funding matter identified in committee discussion. Presenters described projects that restore river habitat, improve water quality and leverage federal funds for rural communities, while committee members pressed for details on project activities and potential effects on land users.
Steve Roman, owner of Keystone Restoration Ecology, said the funds are used to match local and federal dollars and described projects in Los Alamos and Taos that used large stone structures and plantings: “We did a big project for Los Alamos County where they had $500,000 to restore road, but without restoring the stream through Los Alamos Canyon and dredging the reservoir, the road would wash away.” Stephen Fry of Amigos Bravos and Emily Wolf of American Rivers testified that the program supports jobs in rural restoration and that demand exceeds current funding. Todd Lopez of Rio Grande Return described leveraging every state dollar to attract additional work and hiring local, often tribal and rural workers.
Committee members asked whether projects could disrupt water rights or livestock access. In response agency presenters and restoration practitioners said projects are developed with permittees and local stakeholders; some projects use temporary or permanent fencing as a restoration tool but staff characterized large-scale exclusions that would force ranchers to walk miles to water as unlikely. Dan Roper, testifying as a restoration practitioner, said projects typically work with grazing permittees “in partnership…about everything from the design to their own objectives” and emphasized collaborative planning.
After discussion the committee adopted a motion to table the $7 million standalone motion. The chair characterized the funding as one use of House Bill 2 public‑safety/watershed resources and said the matter will proceed through budget processes. Several members thanked presenters and emphasized interest in expanding projects statewide, particularly in southeast New Mexico.
