NM Gov vetoes bill creating wildfire suppression and post-wildfire fund, perplexing sponsor

By Patrick Lohmann
​Courtesy of Source NM

Smoke from the South Fork and Salt fires blots out the sun Tuesday along NM Highway 70 outside of Tilley, NM. (Photo by Danielle Prokop / Source NM)

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s veto of a bill creating state funds for post-fire recovery and current wildfire suppression “deeply disappointed” House Bill 191 sponsor Rep. Nathan Small (D-Las Cruces), who is also one of the state budget’s main architects. 

Lujan Grisham said the $12 million the bill authorized didn’t provide enough money to even “put a dent” in post-wildfire recovery. Recovery from South Fork and Salt fires and ensuing floods last year in Ruidoso, for example, will cost more than $200 million, the governor noted in her veto message. 

Lujan Grisham also wrote that another new fund the bill created, designed to pay for the state’s wildfire suppression efforts, had no money in it at all and instead would have relied on federal reimbursements, “which have only gotten slower in recent months.”

Lawmakers approved the HB191 amid concerns about the federal government’s capacity to suppress wildfires in New Mexico and elsewhere, thanks to federal funding cuts, and as the state beefs up its own crews of full-time and volunteer wildland firefighters. Also, most of New Mexico is experiencing above-average wildfire potential this month and through the rest of the summer, according to the latest forecasts.

Small, who chairs the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, told Source New Mexico in a statement Monday that the governor’s veto was not just disappointing but also surprising given that the governor’s office was involved in crafting the legislation.

As for her specific objections, Small said the $12 million was a “starting point” that nonetheless would have “made a significant difference to New Mexicans who will face the devastating impacts of the next wildfires in our state.”

He also noted that while the governor vetoed the bill, she left its accompanying $12 million appropriation intact in the budget. As a result, money will “now sit unused” instead of helping communities respond and recover from wildfires, he said.

“Unfortunately, New Mexicans will pay the price for the lack of action this year, but my colleagues and I will continue to fight to protect our communities from the catastrophic wildfires that continue to threaten our people, businesses, and lands.”
Source has a pending request to the governor’s office to respond to Small’s comments and will update this story as necessary. 

State Forester Laura McCarthy, whose agency would have received the post-fire funds defended the concept behind HB191 as a way to budget for wildfire suppression, taking climate change into account and also preserving the governor’s ability to issue executive orders to pay for wildfire suppression on a case-by-case basis. 
But she also agreed with the governor’s criticism of the way HB191 created a fire suppression fund without putting any money in it.

“The Governor’s veto message made clear that without funding for HB191, creating a wildfire suppression fund that relies on federal reimbursements or payments for state crews when they are on out-of-state assignments, does not set the program up for success,” she said in an emailed statement.

Without the legislation, the state will have to pay for any costs to suppress wildfires this year through the use of executive orders, McCarthy said. The Forestry Division has said that is the wrong way for the state to proactively anticipate and budget for the “volatile but predictable expense” of wildfire suppression. Executive orders are handled on a case-by-case basis and capped at $750,000 at a time, often requiring multiple orders for the same natural disaster.
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McCarthy also said recruitment of state wildland firefighters is “going well,” and the state is anticipating full staffing ahead of increased wildfire activity expected in May and June.

​Despite the veto, Lujan Grisham noted that she signed Senate Bill 33, which creates guidelines and criteria for a new Wildfire Prepared Program, including grants and certifications for property owners to make structures less prone to wildfire damage. The governor said that bill achieves “similar objectives” to HB 191.

“I fully support a revamped process to fund both pre- and post-wildfire maintenance,” she said. “I hope the Legislature will provide a meaningful way to accomplish that goal during the 2026 legislative session.”

Which bills are now in law?
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The Legislature sent nearly 200 bills to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham during the 60-day legislative session. See which ones she signed, which ones she pocket-vetoed and which ones she vetoed with a message.

Bill numbers in italics have emergency clauses, which means they go into effect the moment the governor signs them.

(Partial screenshot) Table: Patrick Lohmann (Source NM)Source: NM LegislatureGet the dataCreated with Datawrapper

Click here to view the rest of the 10-page table in the original article.