Senate panel kills bill to keep Gila flowing free
Senate committee kills bill to keep Gila River flowing free
By Staci Matlock The New Mexican SantaFeNewMexican.com
Farmers, sportsmen, environmentalists and elected officials packed the Senate floor Thursday evening to make impassioned pleas on both sides of a controversial issue surrounding the Gila River. The issue: Divert it and save the water — or let it flow freely to Arizona.
On a 6-4 vote, the Senate Conservation Committee killed a bill that would have focused money on conserving water in southwestern New Mexico instead of diverting the river. The measure, SB 89, would have required the Interstate Stream Commission to put $82 million in federal funding toward conservation projects before building a river diversion.