Protecting Our Natural Environment

We don’t have a framework for protecting the ecological aspects of rivers and streams and that’s what I want to talk about today. We have failed to protect these natural values in our rivers, and my concern as we look toward the future is what sorts of steps Congress should take to stem further damage and to help us restore our rivers and streams. My first point is that New Mexico should manage water demand rather than investing in large-scale water projects. My second recommendation and that is restoration. Restoration of the state’s rivers is something we had begun to a limited degree using state funds under a WRRI program, but the program did not have statutory authorization and there is a question as to whether or not we can continue it