Water infrastructure and agriculture
Gubernatorial candidates and budget items highlight water as critical: moving and managing northern water for southern needs without harming agriculture, plus grants so farmers and ranchers can save and efficiently use limited water. Oil-revenue budgets and capital outlay create space for water projects but also competition with other priorities.
What should New Mexico’s priority be for water infrastructure?
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Sources
Deb Haaland (via New Mexico In Focus / PBS) — https://www.pbs.org/video/nm-election-2026-the-governors-race-qdztkz
But the big one that I think -- that I'm just really going to into is water infrastructure. So being responsible with the water in northern New Mexico so that we can transfer as much as possible down to southern New Mexico so that it doesn't have an adverse effect on agriculture is going to be a critical plan
NMSU Government Relations — https://govrelations.nmsu.edu/NMSU-2026-Legislative-Session-Summary-Highlights.pdf
$10 million for grants to implement projects that improve farmers' and ranchers' ability to manage, save and efficiently apply limited water resources for agricultural production.
Positions on this issue · liberal → conservative
- Large public investment in water transfer, conservation, and equitable regional sharing
- Fund major water infrastructure plus farm efficiency grants to protect agriculture
- Support targeted water projects balancing urban, rural, and ag needs
- Favor local and agricultural water rights with limited new state transfer schemes
- Minimize state-led water projects and leave allocation mainly to existing rights markets