New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

New Mexico House Bill HB362 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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28	28	HOUSE BILL 362
29	29	57
30	30	TH LEGISLATURE
31	31	-
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33	33	STATE
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35	35	OF
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37	37	NEW
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39	39	MEXICO
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42	42	FIRST SESSION
43	43	,
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45	45	2025
46	46	INTRODUCED BY
47	47	Jack Chatfield
48	48	AN ACT
49	49	RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENT; CREATING A RAINFALL ENHANCEMENT
50	50	PILOT PROJECT TO BE CONDUCTED BY THE ROOSEVELT SOIL AND WATER
51	51	CONSERVATION DISTRICT; REQUIRING REPORTING; MAKING AN
52	52	APPROPRIATION.
53	53	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
54	54	SECTION 1. [NEW MATERIAL] RAINFALL ENHANCEMENT PILOT
55	55	PROJECT--CREATED--ADMINISTRATION.--
56	56	A. The Roosevelt soil and water conservation
57	57	district shall create, develop and administer a three-year
58	58	"rainfall enhancement pilot project". The purpose of the
59	59	project is to demonstrate the efficacy of rainfall enhancement
60	60	as a mechanism to mitigate the effects of climate change and
61	61	drought.
62	62	B. The public interest, health, safety, welfare and
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90	90	necessity require scientific experimentation in the field of
91	91	artificial nucleation, commonly known as rainfall enhancement
92	92	or rainfall augmentation, and scientific efforts to develop and
93	93	increase natural precipitation of rain, snow and moisture in
94	94	any form contained in the atmosphere within the state are
95	95	encouraged in order to develop, conserve and protect the
96	96	natural water resources of the state and to safeguard life and
97	97	property.
98	98	C. The Roosevelt soil and water conservation
99	99	district and the board of regents of New Mexico state
100	100	university shall enter into a joint powers agreement for the
101	101	state climatologist and university extension services to
102	102	review, analyze and validate data from the rainfall enhancement
103	103	pilot project to create evidence-based weather modification
104	104	demonstration projects using current and evolving scientific
105	105	methods of rainfall enhancement and test the relative benefits
106	106	of those methods and the potential environmental risks.
107	107	D. All water derived as a result of rainfall
108	108	enhancement shall be considered a part of the natural water
109	109	supply in the same sense as if no rainfall enhancement pilot
110	110	project had been conducted, and any water so derived shall not
111	111	be subject to new appropriations but shall be administered and
112	112	distributed to users in accordance with existing water rights.
113	113	E. The act of rainfall enhancement pursuant to a
114	114	project funded in whole or in part by the state of New Mexico
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143	143	or authorized by the board of regents of New Mexico state
144	144	university shall not be the basis of any claim of liability.
145	145	SECTION 2. [NEW MATERIAL] REPORTING.--The state
146	146	climatologist and extension services shall:
147	147	A. establish forms and criteria for reporting data
148	148	and recordkeeping and cause a permanent record to be kept of
149	149	all pertinent data related to the rainfall enhancement pilot
150	150	project or research related to other factors that may be
151	151	affected by rainfall enhancement activities;
152	152	B. report annually the results of the rainfall
153	153	enhancement pilot project to the appropriate legislative
154	154	interim committee; and
155	155	C. make a final report to the governor and
156	156	legislature making recommendations for improvements to and the
157	157	necessity of continuing the rainfall enhancement project.
158	158	SECTION 3. APPROPRIATION.--Three million six hundred
159	159	thousand dollars ($3,600,000) is appropriated from the general
160	160	fund to the board of regents of New Mexico state university for
161	161	expenditure in fiscal years 2026 through 2028 for the Roosevelt
162	162	soil and water conservation district to develop and administer
163	163	a rainfall enhancement pilot project. Any unexpended or
164	164	unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2028
165	165	shall revert to the general fund.
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