HM 45

                                1  HOUSE MEMORIAL 45
                                2    57TH LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 2026
                                3  INTRODUCED BY
                                4  Joseph L. Sanchez
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                                10  A MEMORIAL
                                11   RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER FOR THE FUTURE OF RURAL
                                12   COMMUNITIES IN TAOS COUNTY AND THROUGHOUT NEW MEXICO AND
                                13   REQUESTING THE WATER QUALITY CONTROL COMMISSION TO HEAR THE
                                14   PETITION FROM TAOS COUNTY.
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                                16        WHEREAS, the supply of freshwater in New Mexico that is
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                                17   available for use by acequias, Indian nations, tribes and
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                                18   pueblos, consumers, agriculture, industry, renewable energy and
                                19   economic development and for delivery to Texas is expected to
                                20   diminish significantly over the next decade; and
                                21        WHEREAS, the Produced Water Act, passed in 2019, called
                                22   for the water quality control commission to adopt rules
                                23   relating to the use of treated produced water; and
                                24        WHEREAS, the governor's fifty-year water action plan
                                25   specifically calls for the adoption of preliminary water reuse
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                                1    rules to create a consistent and science-based regulatory
                                2    program for the treatment and reuse of produced water outside
                                3    of the oil and gas sector; and
                                4  WHEREAS, New Mexico has the opportunity to lead the
                                5    country in artificial intelligence and quantum computing
                                6    technology and to develop environmentally responsible models
                                7    for data center development for economic diversification; and
                                8  WHEREAS, the growth of artificial intelligence, quantum
                                9    computing and related technology requires energy and water
                                10   resources; and
                                11        WHEREAS, data centers supporting the use of artificial
                                12   intelligence, quantum computing and conventional computing
                                13   should be constructed in an environmentally and socially
                                14   sustainable manner that will not negatively impact New Mexico's
                                15   freshwater resources or negatively impact electricity use in
                                16   the state; and
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                                17        WHEREAS, the scientific evidence is increasingly clear
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                                18   that produced water can be effectively treated for beneficial
                                19   reuse as demonstrated by current and planned treatment and
                                20   reuse of produced water in California and Texas; and
                                21        WHEREAS, using produced water rather than freshwater to
                                22   meet the water demand from data centers will safeguard New
                                23   Mexico's freshwater resources; and
                                24        WHEREAS, rural communities in Taos county and throughout
                                25   the state have demonstrated admirable leadership in protecting
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                                1    freshwater resources but continue to face an uphill battle; and
                                2  WHEREAS, a petition for a rule allowing for the reuse of
                                3    treated produced water for industrial uses and delivery to
                                4    Texas is being developed by a resident of Questa in Taos
                                5    county; and
                                6  WHEREAS, time is of the essence for the water quality
                                7    control commission to hear this petition once it has been
                                8    submitted and to promulgate rules enabling the beneficial reuse
                                9    of treated produced water;
                                10        NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF
                                11   REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that it affirm the
                                12   scientific evidence enabling the beneficial reuse of treated
                                13   produced water and the importance of produced water as an asset
                                14   for economic development, reducing poverty in rural communities
                                15   and protecting freshwater resources in Taos county and
                                16   throughout the state; and
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                                17        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the water quality control
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                                18   commission be requested to consider the scientific evidence
                                19   relating to the beneficial reuse of treated produced water and
                                20   the petition from Taos county within ninety days of receipt of
                                21   the petition and that any hearings held in relation to the
                                22   petition be held in Questa; and
                                23        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
                                24   transmitted to the governor, the secretary of environment, the
                                25   secretary of economic development, the chair of the water
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                                1    quality control commission, the state engineer, the chair of
                                2    the interstate stream commission, the director of the Questa
                                3    economic development fund, the mayor of the village of Questa
                                4    and the members of the board of county commissioners of Taos
                                5    county.
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