Fiscal impact reports (FIRs) are prepared by the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) for standing finance

committees of the NM Legislature. The LFC does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of these reports

if they are used for other purposes.

Current FIRs (in HTML & Adobe PDF formats) are a vailable on the NM Legislative Website (legis.state.nm.us).

Adobe PDF versions include all attachments, whereas HTML versions may not. Previously issued FIRs and

attachments may be obtained from the LFC in Suite 101 of the State Capitol Building North.

F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Stewart

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/16/2007

HB 1196

SHORT TITLE

NM TECH Water Resource Assessment Coordination

Center

SB

ANALYST Moser

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$75.0

Non-Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

NM Department of Higher Education (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill1196 appropriates $75,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Regents of New

Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NM Tech) to pay for a Water Resource Assessment

Coordination Center. Any unexpended funds will revert to the General Fund at the end of FY08.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $75,000 contained in this bill is a non-recurring expense to the general

fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY08 shall revert to the

general fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

This request was not on the list of priority projects submitted by NM Tech to the

New Mexico Higher Education Department (NMHED) for review and was not included in the

Department’s funding recommendation for FY08.

The New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, established by legislation in 1927,

House Bill 1196 – Page

2

is a service and research division of NM Tech

. It acts as the geological survey center for the

State of New Mexico with these main goals:

•

Conduct research

and interact with State and Federal agencies and industry to facilitate

prudent exploitation of the state's geological resources.

•

Distribute accurate information

to scientists, decision makers

, and the New Mexico

public regarding the state's geologic infrastructure, mineral and energy resources

, and

geohydrology

(including water quantity and quality).

•

Create accurate, up-to-date maps

(using GIS

) of the state's geology and resource

potential.

•

Provide timely information on potential geologic hazards

, including earthquakes,

volcanic events, soils-and subsidence-related problems, and flooding.

•

Act as a repository

for cores, well cuttings and a wide variety of geological data. Provide

convenient physical and internet access for New Mexicans to such resources.

•

Provide public education and outreach

through college teaching and advising, a Mineral

Museum

, and teacher- and student-training programs.

•

Staff serve on a number of boards and commissions

within the state and the region

concerned with various geoscience-related issues.

A number of agencies exist statewide that deal directly with water resource issues. They include

the Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, the Office of Water Management, Los Alamos

National Labs, and Soil and Water Conservation Districts through New Mexico State University

just to name a few. At this time there is no coordination of the research and planning efforts of

these agencies and as such, our statewide water system remains disparate and lacks a cost

effective model according to a representative from NM Tech.

The specific purpose of this appropriation is to provide planning money for coordination of all

water research in the state including:

•

Future water delivery production for aquifers.

•

Create a statewide atlas of water resources.

•

Design a more efficient and cost-effective water plan for the state.

•

Develop a proposal and a plan for integrating processes to present to the state.

•

Travel and administrative cost of organizing all parties.

The Bureau of Geology and Mining Resources was selected to spearhead this effort because of

all the agencies involved have no regulatory mission.

GM/mt