This interactive workshop had a panel of three former members of the 2022 State Engineer’s Water Policy and Infrastructure Task Force, Phil King, Ladona Clayton, and Norm Gaume. The panelists are working together currently as NM Water Ambassadors. The Water Ambassadors joint purpose is to advocate for all the water task force recommendations. The panelists each presented their highest priorities for water funding and policy, and why. The joint funding requests to the 2024 Legislature of Dr. Ladona Clayton, Executive Director, Ogallala Land and Water Conservancy, and Norm Gaume, P.E. (ret), President, Water Advocates, are available here.
The Interstate Stream Commission’s proposed rule to implement New Mexico’s Water Security Planning Act overreaches its legal bounds and undermines regional authority. This article exposes the rule’s structural flaws—and offers a better path forward: pause rulemaking, empower local councils, and restore lawful, science-based water planning across the state.