Roundhouse Roundup‘30 by 30’ faces pushback: An initiative by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to conserve at least 30% of all lands in New Mexico by 2030 would face a major roadblock under legislation two Republican lawmakers are spearheading.
The bills introduced by Sens. Pat Woods of Broadview and Steve McCutcheon II of Carlsbad would restrict the New Mexico Game and Fish Department and the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department from acquiring land for preservation.
“We have fundamental disagreement about what conservation means,” McCutcheon, a former Eddy County commissioner who joined the Legislature this year, said in a statement.
“To the progressives, conservation means you put a fence around land and let it rot or burn. To the farmer, the rancher and anyone who wants to see our beautiful state preserved for our children, it means responsible stewardship,” he said. “No bureaucrat will ever understand how to better use the land than those whose legacy is dedicated to managing it.”
One of McCutcheon’s bills would remove the energy agency’s authority to acquire conservation or agricultural easements. Woods’ bill would require the State Game Commission to obtain approval from the Legislature and others, including acequia associations, prior to acquiring land or water rights.
“The voters deserve to have a say when the state plans to buy vast swaths of land,” Woods said in a statement. “One politician should not be able to use taxpayer dollars to bolster a political agenda.”
‘Campos for composting’: The New Mexico Department of Agriculture would assess the viability of a statewide composting program under a bill that received unanimous bipartisan support Thursday in the Senate Conservation Committee.
Senate Bill 79 would appropriate $65,000 to the department to convene a group to develop recommendations for a “viable, voluntary and incentive-based” composting program, said Sen. Pete Campos, D-Las Vegas, the bill’s sponsor.
Robb Hirsch, co-founder of the New Mexico Healthy Soil Working Group, called composting a “tremendous opportunity” for New Mexico that provides “so many benefits.”
“It helps support soil health and regenerate the land. It helps infiltrate and retain water. It helps entrepreneurial economic small-business activity, and it helps divert waste from the landfills and, by doing so, prevents methane emissions and also lowers water pollution,” he said. “I could go on and on about the benefits of composting.”
Lawmakers lauded the effort.
“I like that Campos is for composting,” Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, D-Albuquerque said.
Water fund help: Advocates for water projects scored a victory Thursday when members of the House Agriculture, Acequias and Water Resource Committee voted 6-0 to approve House Bill 201, which would appropriate $150 million to the state Water Project Fund.
The money would let the Water Trust Board, which falls under the New Mexico Finance Authority, “fund projects for which there is not sufficient funding through dedicated revenue sources,” according to the bill’s fiscal impact report.
Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers praised the bill, saying it will help communities struggling with water access. It goes next to the House Appropriations and Finance Committee for consideration.
Proud grandpa, bad grandpa: Sen. Greg Nibert, R-Roswell, beamed with pride Thursday as he carried his first grandson at the Capitol, evoking fond memories from the year prior.
Nibert said he learned he became a grandfather during the 2023 legislative session. After a long committee hearing when Nibert was still a member of the House, he said he returned to the chamber for a floor session, which was already underway.
House Speaker Javier Martínez advised Nibert not to sit down, prompting Nibert to wonder if he was in trouble.
Martínez instead informed Nibert his grandson, Edward, had been born at Eastern New Mexico Medical Center in Roswell that day, March 1, 2023.
“Then they flashed his picture up on the board, so that was how I found out that my first and possibly only grandson arrived on this Earth,” he said. “Today is Edward’s first time up to the Capitol.”
After taking photos with the baby in the Senate gallery, Nibert quickly handed him off to his father.
“He is definitely ripe,” Nibert said as he passed the baby off.
“He does not do diapers,” Jeff Nibert said about his dad. “He’ll take him around until he starts stinking.”
“Bad grandpa. Bad grandpa,” the senator joked.
An open process: About 125 students from Eldorado High School in Albuquerque toured the state Capitol on Thursday as part of a field trip tied to their AP Government and Politics class. Teacher Sean Thomas said he is trying “to empower students to engage in the political process” through the tour. The students visited both chambers and spoke to some representatives from the Albuquerque area.
Senior Levent Jové, who turns 18 later this week, said the tour gives students the chance to see how the legislative process works. Seeing people who represent him — “they’re just like us” he said of the citizen Legislature — makes it more comfortable to approach them about issues he believes in, like more funding for crisis intervention training for law enforcement.
Senior Iris Eisenman, 17, said the visit helps her “understand how connected you can be to our state government. It’s more open than you think.”
Talking to her representatives, she said, proves “you can influence change if you are dedicated,” which is important “as a teen moving into adulthood.”
Quote of the day: “My wife is a vegetarian, has been for over almost 50 years. I don’t eat vegetables, but I like to grow vegetables for her.” —Sen. Carrie Hamblen, D-Las Cruces, during discussion of a proposal to create a statewide composting program.
Sen. Greg Nibert, R-Roswell, poses with his grandson Edward at the state Capitol Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. Photo by Daniel J. Chacón/The New Mexican
