Heinrich Pushes Budget Priorities For Acequia-Irrigated Lands, Wildlife, Agriculture In New Mexico

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) participated in a Senate Appropriations Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing to review the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget request for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

VIDEO: Heinrich Pushes Budget Priorities For Acequia-Irrigated Lands, Wildlife, Agriculture In New Mexico [HD DOWNLOAD LINK HERE]

During the hearing, Senator Heinrich requested that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack ensure drought remains an eligible cause of loss for Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) payments for acequia-irrigated lands that hold immense cultural and economic importance of in New Mexico. Secretary Vilsack acknowledged the need for a permanent solution to this issue and committed to reviewing the policy to ensure it is administered consistently.

Senator Heinrich also expressed the need for Secretary Vilsack to convene an emergency meeting of the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) interagency task force, noting “I would urge you to consider convening that task force because the potential impacts here are enormous.”

Additionally, Senator Heinrich recently introduced the bicameral Agriculture Resilience Act alongside U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) to set a plan to achieve net-zero emissions in U.S. agriculture by 2040. “The bill would expand voluntary USDA conservation programs, bolster some new and existing state soil health programs like the Healthy Soils Program in New Mexico, boost USDA climate research, and increase investments in on-farm renewable energy,” said Heinrich.

Secretary Vilsack confirmed that he believed these efforts would help New Mexico farmers and ranchers meet the goal of net-zero emissions in agriculture while also becoming more resilient to extreme weather events.