US Deputy Secretary of the Interior Tommy Beaudreau says the Biden Administration is working hard to protect water resources in New Mexico and across the country.
Beaudreau was in Santa Fe on Friday as the keynote speaker at the Next Generation Water Summit.
He says the recent tentative agreement regarding water usage of the Colorado River will go a long way in protecting the environment and the states including New Mexico that use it.
“You can look at the bathtub rings in Lake Mead and understand or access or have a visual on what climate change is doing to this country in a way that isn’t always accessible to all Americans,” he said. “So it’s right that it gets the attention and focus it does but I also understand that the Colorado River is just one of many basins in the United States that are facing this same sort of crisis.”
Beaudreau says the deal shows the American people that the region can come together with solutions and collaborative solutions in dealing with water scarcity.
He says the area also has to work on other challenges dealing with climate change. Beaudreau says through the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the Bureau of Reclamation is investing $8.3 billion over five years on durable water infrastructure projects.