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- By Native News Online Staff
Native Vote 2026. On Monday, Deb Haaland, a candidate for New Mexico governor, rallied at the Roundhouse with land grant and acequia community leaders to support funding for land grant and acequia infrastructure. During the event, Haaland announced her support for House Bill 21, the Land Grant-Merced Acequia Infrastructure Act, which is currently under consideration in the Legislature.
Haaland has long supported traditional land and water management systems that play a critical role in protecting natural and water resources in northern New Mexico and ensuring continued community access to those resources. Discussion at the event focused on the role acequias play in sustaining water resources across the state.
“Acequias are not only living history, they are neighbors caring for land and water together which is critical in a time when water is threatened by natural disasters and climate change,” Haaland said. “Protecting them will not only support our northern communities, it will strengthen local governance, and preserve New Mexico’s heritage. It’s essential infrastructure for a changing environment. Let’s invest in what makes our state strong.”
Since launching her campaign for governor, Haaland has toured land grants and met with acequia communities to discuss local needs and traditional land- and water-stewardship practices. She visited Morphy Lake in Mora County to see firsthand the impact of wildfire on the watershed. Haaland also outlined her priorities for strengthening New Mexico’s water infrastructure at the Next Generation Water Summit this summer, including modernizing groundwater management in overdrawn basins, expanding stormwater capture systems statewide, and offering competitive grants to farmers for modern irrigation technology.
Haaland has a record of supporting rural communities. As secretary of the Interior, she added acequias to traditional community water organizations eligible for water management engagement. Under her leadership, the Bureau of Land Management strongly supported the Land Grant-Merced Traditional Use Recognition and Consultation Act, legislation Haaland cosponsored while serving in the U.S. House that would improve consultation and communication between federal agencies and New Mexico land grant communities. She also oversaw hundreds of millions of dollars in investments in major rural water infrastructure projects, including funding for the New Mexico Acequia Association to support water resilience.
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