NM Gov. largely accepts Legislature’s spending plans as veto deadline passes - By Patrick Lohmann and Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham kept her veto pen mostly sheathed this year when it came to signing off on the Legislature’s plan to spend $10.2 billion dollars and make infrastructure investments.
Wednesday at noon marked the deadline for the governor to approve, modify or reject the state budget and other legislation passed in the 30-day session that wrapped up last month. All told, she signed 69 bills, including the budget, capital outlay bill and tax package, with relatively minor revisions. She vetoed one bill outright and pocket-vetoed another.
The lack of vetoes this year is much different than last year’s veto deadline day. The governor gutted the tax package and vetoed 35 bills in 2023. Twenty-one of those vetoed bills were “pocket vetoed,” meaning they were sent to the desk, but not signed within 20 days.
“I want to thank New Mexicans for their input during the budget process, as well as state lawmakers for sending this carefully considered bill to my desk,” the governor said in a news release after she signed the budget and capital outlay bill, which funds long-term projects and is primarily for new construction and infrastructure.
Lawmakers and the governor have touted the record budget and new laws as historic due to their big investments in housing, shrewd use of an oil and gas revenue windfall and major spending on road maintenance and repairs, among other things.
Lujan Grisham also signed several bills aiming to improve public safety, increase criminal penalties and limit the spread of gun violence. She has said she’s still considering whether to call a special legislative session to do more to address crime, however.
Below are more details on what revisions, if any, the governor made to bills that spend money:
THE BUDGET
The governor signed the $10.21 billion budget on Wednesday. It’s a 6.8% increase over last year, a slight reduction in spending growth that lawmakers said takes heed of economists’ projections of a slowdown in oil and gas tax and royalty revenue in the Permian Basin.
The budget keeps reserves at 32.5%, a “near-record high,” according to the governor’s office. Lawmakers rolled out new programs this year that invest much of a $3 billion surplus into trust funds or endowments meant to keep revenues stable amid the boom-bust cycle of oil and gas.
The governor released 10 pages of line-item vetoes for the state’s spending plan, but there are few cuts to any particular expenses. The language the governor crossed out mostly relates to requirements that officials across state agencies report the results of programs funded in the budget or that adds additional restrictions.
“I have vetoed parts of the General Appropriations Act that impermissibly attempt to create substantive law,” the governor wrote in her veto message, as well as “reporting or other requirements that do not exist in substantive law.”
Those types of policies contained in the budget, she said, citing a 1988 state Supreme Court opinion, should be enacted via the legislative process, not in the budget.
One line item she removed on those grounds would have required money appropriated to the state public education department not be used to require school districts to meet for 180 days a year. That was a bipartisan amendment added to the budget on the House floor, and the Senate kept it in.
Some other reporting requirements the governor nixed related to 16 pilot projects that will cost taxpayers $216 million over the next three years. Those projects range in cost from $1.5 million, including for suicide prevention training, to $60 million, which will pay tuition and fees for students getting workforce training classes at some state colleges.
Rep. Nathan Small (D-Las Cruces), chair of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, sponsored legislation creating the fund for these three-year pilot programs, saying the Legislature had a key role in evaluating whether those programs are successful and worthy of more funding later.
Reached Wednesday evening, Small said he did not think the governor’s vetoes threaten the Legislature’s oversight of the programs.
Lawmakers “are still going to be rigorously focused on transparency, accountability, and implementation for these programs, so that we can ensure they are effective and our taxpayer dollars are being well spent,” Small said in a text message.
CAPITAL OUTLAY
The governor vetoed $557,000 – or .04% – of the Legislature’s $1.5 billion capital outlay spending bill, which funds construction projects, infrastructure, equipment, and other multi-year investments.
She said several of the projects lack proper planning or are not ready to move forward. She also vetoed projects cheaper than $10,000, saying those could be funded elsewhere.
The bill also spends $71 million on statewide colleges and universities, $45 million on local courts, $44 million on jails and prisons and $39 million on water projects, and more.
Some projects the governor vetoed include $80,000 for a pedestrian walkway in the Santa Fe botanical garden, $100,000 for a portable building at Guadalupe Montessori school in Silver City and $200,000 for parks in central Albuquerque.
This year, thanks to the influx of new money, the Legislature is paying the entire capital budget with cash, instead of borrowing for it.
POCKET VETOES
Unlike last year’s veto frenzy, just two bills failed to get the governor’s signature this year, according to a Source New Mexico review of the governor ‘s and New Mexico Secretary of State websites.
One, Senate Bill 217, would have added $82 million to the state’s severance tax permanent fund, a reserve fund financed with taxes on oil and gas extraction. Lujan Grisham said she was not convinced the bill, sponsored by retiring Sen. Nancy Rodriguez (D-Santa Fe), is “necessary” at this time.
“It is important we continue to save for the future; and we have been doing a lot of good work in this area, the results of which I would like to see more fully realized before making additional distributions,” the governor said in her veto message.
Another bill was pocket-vetoed. That bill, sponsored by Sen. Leo Jaramillo (D-Española) initially would have allocated $35 million for law enforcement training and recruitment. But it was introduced late in the session, and a Senate committee nixed the spending from the bill before sending it on.
New Mexico ranks last when it comes to education. Will a mandatory 180 days in the classroom help? - By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press
New Mexico has adopted a new rule mandating that school calendars consist of at least 180 days, with top state officials saying Thursday that the goal is to get students more learning time in the classroom and improve academic outcomes.
Public Education Secretary Arsenio Romero told reporters the change is just one of many things his agency is implementing as it works to pull New Mexico up from the bottom of national education rankings. He pointed to structured literacy programs in kindergarten and earlier grades, technical education and internship opportunities for older students and summer programs that can help keep students on track.
"We've been the last and the worst performing state in the union. We know that this isn't reflective of who we are, and we're going to do everything we can to challenge and change that," he said. "This is about what's doing what's right for kids, even if it's hard."
Consideration of the 180-day proposal began last year, spurring much opposition from teacher unions and Republican lawmakers who voiced concerns about everything from districts losing local control to teachers having to work longer hours and more days.
Many of the complaints centered on the ability of districts — particularly those in rural areas —- to retain four-day weeks.
Romero said the feedback and the debates had over the last few months helped to make what he described as a stronger rule, noting that there's flexibility that will allow for four-day weeks as long as districts can show increases in academic performance.
Reaching that bar might be difficult for many schools given the results of last spring's standardized testing. The results showed just 38% of tested students were proficient in reading, marking a slight uptick from the previous year. Statewide math proficiency was stagnant at 24%.
The results prompted a letter from Romero to districts calling for more accountability throughout the state's education system.
New Mexico passed legislation in 2023 increasing the number of hours students needed to be in school from roughly 1,000 hours to 1,140 hours. The change meant several districts around the state had to lengthen the school day or add more days to meet the requirement. The legislation also allowed space for professional development for teachers within a normal school day.
Republican legislative leaders were among those to send letter to the state Public Education Department about their concerns over the 180-day requirement. They argued that the rule would circumvent the intention of the legislation to add instructional time and would further burden districts.
Sen. Crystal Brantley, a Republican who represents rural areas in southern New Mexico, said the adoption of the rule comes as a surprise given the pushback from school administrators, teachers and legislators on both sides of the aisle.
"My local superintendents are still combing through the details, but based on my early conversations with them, significant issues and questions remain," she told The Associated Press. "I believe those best suited to make these decisions are those closest to the students, and as such, I will continue to oppose efforts by PED to seize more control from our school boards and administrators."
The Public Education Department said the new rule will be in effect for the school year that begins this fall.
Senate passes bill to compensate Americans exposed to radiation by the government - By Mary Clare Jalonick And Jim Salter Associated Press
The Senate passed legislation Thursday that would compensate Americans exposed to radiation by the government by renewing a law initially passed more than three decades ago.
The bill by Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., would expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to include more people who believe their illnesses were caused by that exposure. While many Republicans have balked at the cost — an estimated $50 billion, according to Hawley's office — the senators have argued that the government is at fault and should step up.
Hawley stood outside the Senate before the vote with advocates for the legislation, several of whom have been diagnosed with cancers or who have family members who have been diagnosed. He said it's "hard to look them in the eye" and say they were poisoned by their government, "but we're not going to be there for you."
The bill passed the Senate 69-30, with 20 Republicans and all but two Democrats voting in favor. But its prospects in the House are uncertain.
Uranium processing in the St. Louis area played a pivotal role in developing the nuclear weapons that helped bring an end to World War II and provided a key defense during the Cold War. But eight decades later, the region is still dealing with contamination at several sites.
In July, an investigation published by The Associated Press, The Missouri Independent and MuckRock showed that the federal government and companies responsible for nuclear bomb production and atomic waste storage sites in the St. Louis area were aware of health risks, spills, improperly stored contaminants and other problems but often ignored them.
While it is difficult to prove definitively that residents' illnesses were caused by the waste, the advocates argue that there is more than enough evidence that it has sickened people in the area.
"I am a two-time breast cancer survivor," said Missouri state Rep. Chantelle Nickson-Clark, a Democrat who represents Florissant, an area that sits along the creek that was contaminated by nuclear waste in the 1960s. "I lost my mother to breast cancer, an aunt to breast cancer. Two cousins that are breast cancer survivors, a nephew that had a cancerous brain tumor and other genetic mutation deficiencies in my family. I'm here to represent a community that has been underserved, undervalued, underrepresented and unheard."
President Joe Biden signed an executive order in 2022 extending RECA for two years, but it expires in June. Hawley's bill would extend the law for five years and expand coverage to include people in Missouri as well as Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alaska and Guam.
The White House indicated Wednesday that Biden would sign the legislation.
"The President believes we have a solemn obligation to address toxic exposure, especially among those who have been placed in harm's way by the government's actions," the White House said in a statement.
Others worried about the cost. The taxpayer advocacy group Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget said that the legislation should include budget offsets to pay for it.
"Compensation may very well be warranted for individuals harmed by the government's nuclear activities, but the substantial deficit impact of the legislation is concerning and unnecessary," the group said in a statement.
The vote was a rare up-or-down roll call on standalone legislation as Congress is busy trying to fund the government. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced that he would put the bill on the Senate floor last week amid negotiations on the spending package.
Hawley would not say if he had threatened to hold up the spending bill over his legislation, which was included in a massive defense bill last year but stripped out at the last minute. But he said he had pledged to use "every tool at his disposal" to get the bill passed.
Persuading the GOP-led House to take up and pass the legislation could be more difficult. Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., is among those pushing for the measure.
In St. Louis, nuclear waste stored near Lambert Airport made its way into Coldwater Creek in the 1960s. Many people who live near the meandering creek believe the contamination is responsible for cancers and other illnesses, though experts say connecting radiation exposure to illness is complicated. Cancer concerns also have been raised by people in nearby St. Charles County, Missouri, where uranium was processed and a large quarry became contaminated, resulting in a Superfund cleanup.
In 2022, a St. Louis County grade school closed amid worries that contamination from Coldwater Creek got onto the playground and inside the building. The Army Corps of Engineers announced this week that it is testing a few homes near the creek after high radiation levels were found in their backyards.
After the report by AP and the other news agencies last year, Hawley introduced an amendment to the annual defense bill that would have extended the law. It also would have provided health care coverage and compensation to so-called "downwinders" exposed to radiation during weapons testing in several new regions, as well as to people in Missouri who were exposed to the nuclear waste. But it was removed during negotiations with the House.
Advocates for the bill who traveled to Washington for the vote said it represents hope for them and their families as they have been burdened with medical costs.
Christen Commuso, who works for the advocacy group Missouri Coalition for the Environment, said she has dealt with many health issues, including thyroid cancer, and has had to at times ration her care because it is so costly.
"It's not about putting money in my pocket," Commuso said. "It's about providing me the ability to get the care that I deserve and need."
What to know about the 'Rust' shooting case as attention turns to Alec Baldwin's trial - By Morgan Lee, Associated Press
Now that jurors in New Mexico have convicted a movie weapons supervisor of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of the Western film "Rust," attention will turn to the actor's own trial.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer of the film, was pointing a gun at Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal on a movie set outside Santa Fe in October 2021 when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the gun fired.
Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge ahead of his July trial date.
The film's weapon's supervisor, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, faces up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine after her conviction Wednesday on the same charge. A sentencing date has not been set. She was acquitted of an evidence tampering charge.
Here are some things to know as the case against Baldwin nears:
WHO WAS HALYNA HUTCHINS
Hutchins, who was 42 when she died, grew up on a remote Soviet military base and worked on documentary films in Eastern Europe before studying film in Los Angeles and embarking on a promising movie-making career.
She described herself in social media posts as a "restless dreamer" and "adrenaline junkie." Before "Rust," her credits included the crime drama "Blindfire," the horror film "Darlin" and the 2020 thriller "Archenemy."
Friends and family said she was well-liked and had a magnetizing personality.
Hutchins parents and sister responded to Gutierrez-Reed's conviction by saying they've always wanted accountability for her death.
"We look forward to the justice system continuing to make sure that everyone else who is responsible for Halyna's death is required to face the legal consequences of their actions," according to a statement from their attorney, Gloria Allred.
The filming of "Rust" moved to Montana after Hutchins' death under an agreement with her husband, Matthew Hutchins, that made him an executive producer.
BALDWIN INDICTED
Prosecutors dismissed an earlier involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin after being told the gun he was holding might have been modified before the shooting and malfunctioned.
A new analysis of the gun opened the way for prosecutors to reboot the case.
A grand jury indicted Baldwin on the same charge in January. The indictment alleges Baldwin caused Hutchins' death — either by negligence or "total disregard or indifference" for safety.
If he's convicted, the charge carries a potential prison sentence of up to 18 months.
PATHWAYS FOR PROSECUTION
The indictment offers prosecutors two alternative standards for the charge against Baldwin. One would be based on the negligent use of a firearm.
The more recent gun analysis, conducted by Forensic Science Services in Arizona, calls into question Baldwin's version of events. It concluded "the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver."
An FBI expert testified at Gutierrez-Reed's trial that the revolver used by Baldwin was fully functional with safety features when it arrived at an FBI laboratory. The expert said he had to strike the fully cocked gun with a mallet and break it in order for it to fire without depressing the trigger.
A second alternative for prosecutors is to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Baldwin caused Hutchins' death without due caution or "circumspection," also defined as "an act committed with total disregard or indifference for the safety of others."
BALDWIN'S DEFENSE
Baldwin's attorneys say Hutchins' death was a terrible tragedy, and prosecutors are misguided in their attempts to secure a conviction against him.
Gutierrez-Reed's attorney, Jason Bowles told jurors in her trial that Gutierrez-Reed was being used as a convenient scapegoat for "Rust" producers, including Baldwin. Bowles suggested Baldwin went off-script when he pointed the weapon at Hutchins.
Investigators found no video recordings of the shooting.
Messages seeking comment from Baldwin's spokesperson and a lawyer were not immediately returned Wednesday.
Governor signs $10.21 billion budget bill - By Megan Myscofski, KUNM News
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a new, $10.21 billion state budget into law Wednesday. That is an almost 7% increase in recurring spending from last year.
It also maintains reserves at a level that’s about a third of the budget.
Wednesday was the last day for the governor to sign or veto legislation from this year’s legislative session. While information is still rolling out, the secretary of state’s website currently says she has signed 69 bills into law.
The Legislature passed 72 bills this year. If the governor takes no action on a bill, that is known as a pocket veto, and she is not required to say why she chose not to sign.
The budget includes a 3% raise for state employees.
It also includes about $20 million for homelessness initiatives and $90 million for literacy programs.
About $100 million will go towards water and wastewater projects as well as $540 million for road improvements and $300 million for the Conservation Legacy Permanent Fund.
Judge sentences 4 defendants in US terrorism and kidnapping case to life in prison, appeals planned - By Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press
A U.S. judge on Wednesday sentenced four family members to life in prison for convictions stemming from a federal terrorism and kidnapping case that began in 2017 with the search for a toddler who went missing from Georgia and was later found dead when authorities raided a squalid compound in northern New Mexico.
The sentencing comes months after jurors convicted the four defendants in what prosecutors had called a "sick end-of-times scheme."
The defendants were unsuccessful in their arguments that the severity of the sentences violated their constitutional rights. That will be just one of the arguments they plan to bring up when appealing their convictions. At trial, they suggested that the case was the product of "government overreach" and that they were targeted because they are Muslim.
The fifth defendant — Jany Leveille, a Haitian national — avoided being part of a three-week trial last fall by pleading guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and being in possession of a firearm while unlawfully in the United States. Under the terms of her plea agreement, she had faced up to 17 years in prison.
Judge William Johnson sentenced her to 15 years, noting that Leveille had received treatment for a diagnosis of acute schizophrenia that followed her arrest in 2018. She had undergone competency evaluations and began taking medication.
"The facts are so horrendous. But also with Ms. Leveille, this is the first time there has been any acceptance of responsibility" among the defendants, the judge said, noting that it was significant that Leveille apologized to the toddler's mother and to her co-defendants.
Prosecutors said during the trial that it was under Leveille's instruction that the family fled Georgia with the boy, ending up in a remote stretch of the high desert where they conducted firearms and tactical training to prepare for attacks against the government. It was tied to a belief that the boy would be resurrected and then instruct the family which corrupt government and private institutions needed to be eliminated.
Some of Leveille's writings about the plans were presented as evidence during the trial. She was described as a spiritual leader for the group.
Leveille addressed the court Wednesday, saying it was her 41st birthday and now that she can think clearly, it sickens her to think about what happened because of her delusions and the voices she was hearing.
Prosecutors said it was unclear when Leveille's mental health issues began to manifest.
Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, the boy's father and Leveille's partner, was convicted of three terrorism-related charges. Wahhaj's brother-in-law, Lucas Morton, also was convicted of terrorism charges, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and kidnapping that resulted in the boy's death. Wahhaj's two sisters — Hujrah and Subhanah Wahhaj — were convicted only on the kidnapping charges.
Defense attorneys for the sisters argued that a life sentence was grossly disproportionate to the crimes their clients were accused of committing and that the women had no control over the situation. Prosecutors disputed those claims.
Johnson said he was bound by the federal kidnapping statute, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison when such a crime results in death. The statute dates back nearly a century to the abduction of the son of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife, Anne.
While some federal sentencing statutes have evolved over time, Johnson said a precedent has been set by the U.S. Supreme Court and circuit courts in limiting judges' discretion in such instances. Prosecutors added that there have been no federal cases in which the mandatory sentence for a deadly kidnapping case has been overturned due to questions of constitutionality.
In a complex case that took years to get to trial, jurors heard weeks of testimony from children who had lived with their parents at the compound, other family members, firearms experts, doctors and forensic technicians.
Authorities raided the family's compound in August 2018, finding 11 hungry children and dismal living conditions without running water. They also found 11 firearms and ammunition that were used at a makeshift shooting range on the property on the outskirts of Amalia near the Colorado state line.
The remains of Wahhaj's 3-year-old son, Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj, were found in an underground tunnel at the compound. Testimony during the trial indicated that the boy died just weeks after arriving in New Mexico and that his body was kept for months with Leveille promising the others that he would be resurrected.
An exact cause of death was never determined amid accusations that the boy, who had frequent seizures, had been deprived of crucial medication.
Abdul-Ghani's mother, Hakima Ramzi, appeared by video Wednesday and offered a tearful plea for the judge to impose the maximum sentence.
The grandfather of the boy is Muslim cleric Siraj Wahhaj, who leads a well-known New York City mosque. He stood up in court Wednesday and delivered a simple message to his children and the other defendants.
"I'm saying to you I forgive you," the elder Wahhaj said, adding that he didn't think they intended for the boy to die. "We're human beings and we make mistakes."
His daughters began to cry, and Leveille hung her head low.
Despite February snows, New Mexico drought to continue - By Danielle Prokop,Source New MexicoAs much of New Mexico enters its driest (and often windiest) season, the drought blanketing much of the state will persist, according to national and local forecasts.
Recent snows have boosted high-elevation snowpacks, which were below the average at the start of the winter season. Current snowpacks for the Rio Grande headwaters are near normal, with some of them above average.
But even good news is not enough to make a dent in drought impacts. This warmer and often-dry winter poses concerns for water making it into streams and rivers, and increases fire risks from the forests to the grasslands.
“Everything points to March being a wetter month. But wetter is not wet in New Mexico,” said Andrew Mangham, a hydrologist at the Albuquerque office of the National Weather Service. “Wetter means in a lot of parts of the state that monthly average precipitation can range from a 10th of an inch to a third of an inch – so, wetter than that doesn’t necessarily translate to five inches of water coming down and fixing our water supply.
Forecasters predict the atmospheric trends will tilt back towards La Niña this summer, loading the dice for patterns of warmer and drier weather in the Southwest.
“Generally, La Niña is not good news for drought outlook and replenishing water supply reservoirs,” Mangham said.
DROUGHT CONDITIONS
Nearly 98% of the state is experiencing some intensity of drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, which already increases fire danger and lower soil moisture.
Current forecasts don’t hold much hope for relief.
Tom Bird, a forecaster with the National Weather Service office in Santa Teresa, said southern New Mexico and far west Texas should see droughts persist and not improve, as little rain or snow are expected for March, April or May.
“But below-normal for March and April especially, is next-to-nothing anyway,” Bird said.
The Southeast portion of the state has been under the most extreme drought conditions, since at least September. Continued soil degradation poses threats to farming and ranching in the southeastern portion of New Mexico and increases the risk of dust storms, said Dave DuBois, the state Climatologist.
“We’re concerned about the agricultural impacts and wind erosion,” DuBois said.
Dust storms pose grave threats, with one person losing their life in aseven-vehicle crash last week outside of Roswell. In 2017,six people died in a 25-car pileup on Interstate 10 near Lordsburg.
Last year’s surprise snows in March offered a boost of runoff for much of the bosques, crops and riparian ecosystems in the late spring. But by summer, the seasonal monsoon storm patterns failed to appear after a ridge of high pressure prevented storm formations. After the ‘non-soon’ season came a dry autumn.
DuBois said even as New Mexico and Colorado’s snowpacks are near or above average, it was still smaller than last year.
“But I guess I can’t complain if we’re near normal,” he said.
Snow isn’t instant drought relief, said Tony Anderson, a Cheyenne, Wyoming-based hydrologist for the National Weather Service, during an Intermountain West Drought presentation in late February.
“It’s hard for me to translate snow into drought relief until I see that snow turn into liquid water,” Anderson said. “It’s kind of like money that’s owed to me. Until that check hits the bank and clears, I don’t count that as an asset just yet.”
FIRE WATCH
Last summer was the second driest on record for the last 128 years, followed by a dry autumn, said Kerry Jones, a meteorologist for the U.S. Forest Service office in Santa Fe. While winter has had a decent showing, New Mexico is about to enter peak fire season. “Fire season is almost year round, somewhere in the state,” Jones said.
There’s some hope that rain or snow may “stay active,” in northern and eastern New Mexico during March, he said, but fire concerns increase with warmer temperatures and more wind.
“It’s the driest time for a lot of the central and western parts of the state, but it’s definitely not the case for the east and northeast,” Jones said.
The high plains areas of Eastern New Mexico, which can experience thunderstorms with little rain, and the Interstate 25 corridor from Raton to Las Vegas down through Albuquerque are top of the list.
“Those are the areas of most immediate concern,” Jones said.
WATER SUPPLIES
Most of the Rio Grande’s water starts as snow in the mountains of the San Juans and Sangre De Cristo mountains in southern Colorado and New Mexico. Much of the snow is at higher elevations, often making it more powdery and less moist.
“The snow water equivalent at those higher altitudes can be a little bit lackluster,” Mangham said.
Elephant Butte, the state’s largest reservoir, is only at 25% of its 2.2 million acre feet capacity, as of the most recent Bureau of Reclamation measure last week. That’s well below the average for this time of year, at just over 60% full.
Less water in rivers means shorter irrigation seasons for farmers and have massive ecological impacts, Magham said, such as limiting water releases for fish spawning downstream.
But there’s still a lot we don’t know, such as how the monsoons will behave this year.
“Monsoon prediction is notoriously difficult,” he said. “Things look pretty rough right now in terms of water supply, things look pretty bad in terms of fire season. But a lot of that could turn around, if we get a strong monsoon season.”