As N.M. Experiences Unprecedented Wildfires, Congresswoman Stansbury Calls for Immediate Climate and Water Action

WASHINGTON — As active wildfires displace thousands of New Mexicans, U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01) highlighted the urgent need to respond to drought accelerated by the climate crisis with innovative water and climate legislation during a House Science Space and Technology Committee hearing. 

The hearing addressed the recently released series of Working Group reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 2022 warning that humanity must act immediately to cut carbon emissions by 2025 or face increasing aridification, food insecurity, pandemics, and rising sea levels.  

“Today's hearing could not possibly be more timely or more important on a topic that has such consequences to our communities and to our planet,” said Rep. Stansbury. “Across my home state of New Mexico, our communities are experiencing a devastating drought–in fact–the worst drought in over a millennia, and unprecedented wildfires, including over a dozen wildfires across our state months before fire season. 

“That's why I am proud that over the coming weeks we'll be introducing two bills to help address these issues in New Mexico and across the country, including a Rio Grande Basin bill which will help to address the long-term resilience of the Rio Grande River and a National Water Data Act in order to address critical issues around water data and information.” 

As a state legislator in the New Mexico House of Representatives, Rep. Stansbury passed a number of key pieces of legislation on climate and water, including the bipartisan Water Data Act, which created a nationally-leading framework for leveraging the power of data to transform water management. The success of the Water Data Act has attracted partnerships across the state and the country, including the WaterSMART program and other federal, state, Tribal and local entities, research institutions, and non-profit organizations. 

Rep. Stansbury’s full remarks as delivered are below:  

Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman, and thank you all for joining our panel today.  

Today's hearing could not possibly be more timely or more important and on a topic that has such consequences to our communities and to our planet. Across my home state of New Mexico, our communities are experiencing a devastating drought in fact, the worst drought in over a millennia, and unprecedented wildfires, including over a dozen wildfires across our state months before fire season.  

The science is clear–climate action cannot wait and we must take decisive action now to address both the causes of climate change and its impacts while investing in the sustainability and the resilience of our communities. This means making bold investments in diversifying our economy, addressing our carbon footprint and investing in our infrastructure, our natural resources management and our clean energy future while ensuring that our communities have the tools and resources they need, and a seat at the table to meet the moment.  

The IPCC reports that we're discussing today, as we've heard this morning, outlined the consequences of inaction and the worsening impacts especially to our water resources, and especially across the western United States. In New Mexico we have a saying that agua es vida–that water is life, because it is the vital resource in the arid Southwest upon which everything else depends. Our communities are aware of the impacts of climate change because they are already experiencing them right now this year with this drought.  

And as a member of this committee, as well as the Natural Resources Committee, we are working very hard to try to address these issues on the ground, but have not even begun to scratch the surface because our communities do not have the basic information and tools that they need to make decisions everyday to respond to this crisis as it is unfolding across our communities and make long term plans. We need those resources to safeguard our communities.  

As a water resources professional, I've worked in water resources science most of my career and am proud water nerd as I often say. I know through my decades of work on this issue, that we have to provide the best data and tools to our communities, and to collaborate and use community-based processes to tackle these challenges.  

That's why I am proud that over the coming weeks we'll be introducing two bills to help address these issues in New Mexico and across the country, including a Rio Grande Basin bill which will help to address the long-term resilience of the Rio Grande River and a National Water Data Act in order to address critical issues around water data and information. 

A summary of the IPCC Report is available here.