Lawmakers introduce legislation after Trump administration announces decision to reverse Pecos Watershed mining withdrawal
“The Trump administration does not stand with the people of New Mexico, but we always will”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) and Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) have reintroduced their Pecos Watershed Protection Act after the Trump administration confirmed to Source New Mexico that it will reverse the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service’s decision to protect the Upper Pecos Watershed from new mining operations.
The Pecos Watershed Protection Act would permanently withdraw all federally managed minerals in the watershed from development — preventing the leasing, patent, or sale of all publicly owned minerals.
“The Trump administration’s decision to reverse the community-driven Pecos Watershed withdrawal is disturbing and insulting, especially after they canceled the only public meeting on the proposal. This is a rural community that overwhelmingly supports protecting the Pecos River. The Trump administration just blatantly disregarded that, and the value of the Pecos River with it,” Heinrich, Luján, Leger Fernández, and Stansbury said.
“The Trump administration won’t have the last word: We will continue to push for permanent protection of the watershed through our Pecos Watershed Protection Act. New Mexicans deserve clean water free from harmful mining pollution. The Trump administration does not stand with the people of New Mexico, but we always will,” the lawmakers stated.
Background on Heinrich, Luján, Leger Fernández, and Stansbury’s Advocacy to Protect the Pecos Watershed:
The Pecos Watershed Protection Act has been introduced every Congress since 2020 to protect portions of the Pecos Watershed in northern New Mexico from new mining claims.
In 1991, a toxic waste spill from a closed mine in the Upper Pecos Watershed caused more than 11 miles of fish kill in the river and resulted in decades and millions of dollars to clean up the mine. For years, there has been a community-led effort to protect the area from future mining claims to avoid similar threats and pollution.
In December 2024, Heinrich, Luján, Leger Fernández, Stansbury, and U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) sent a letter to the U.S. Forest Service strongly urging the completion of the initial steps of the mineral withdrawal process in the Upper Pecos Watershed. Completion of these initial steps was key to begin safeguarding the lands, waters, and way of life in the Pecos from the dangers of future mining claims for two years.
In response to their letter, President Biden’s BLM and Forest Service initiated a process to propose a 20-year withdrawal to help secure the region’s water and air quality, cultural resources, critical fish and wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities. The withdrawal, for lands in San Miguel and Santa Fe counties, encompassed multiple Pecos River tributaries, including Dalton Canyon, Macho Canyon, Wild Horse Creek, Indian Creek, and Doctor Creek.
On December 16, 2024, the BLM and Forest Service initiated a 90-day public comment period to gather input on the proposal. During the comment period, the two agencies were scheduled to host a public meeting for the proposed Upper Pecos River Watershed Protection Area withdrawal on February 26, 2025. This public meeting was cancelled by the Trump Administration on February 19, 2025, with no further explanation. Local supporters speculated the action was in response to Secretary Burgum’s Order No. 3418, which requires agency reviews of all protected public lands. Despite the cancellation, the administration has received hundreds of public comments in support of the administrative mineral withdrawal.
On April 7, 2025, reporting from Source New Mexico revealed the Trump administration plans to reverse the BLM and the Forest Service’s decision to protect the Upper Pecos Watershed from new mining operations.
Protection of the Upper Pecos Watershed has garnered widespread support from local leaders, farmers, business owners, acequia parciantes, Tribes, and recreationists alike.
The Village of Pecos, Santa Fe County, and San Miguel County have passed resolutions in support of the legislation.
###