Governor names 7 new members to stream commission
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed seven new members to the Interstate Stream Commission, replacing members appointed by previous administrations.
An eighth member, Mark Sanchez, was already chairman of the board and was reappointed by the governor. State Engineer John D’Antonio, who was appointed by the governor in February, is the ninth member of the commission, according to state statute.
The new appointees are Paula Garcia, Mike Hamman, Stacy Timmons, Aron Balok, Bidtah Becker, Greg Carrasco and Tanya Trujillo.
“Our water is our most precious natural resource,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement. “These individuals are tasked with upholding the people’s trust and providing for a sustainable future of that resource.”
The commission, according to its website, has “broad powers to investigate, protect, conserve, and develop New Mexico’s waters including both interstate and intrastate stream systems.”
Members of the commission are not subject to confirmation by the state Senate and serve six-year terms. The departing seven members were thanked for their service and removed via the governor’s executive authority Friday, according to the Governor’s Office.
Under former Gov. Susana Martinez, the commission saw staffing shortages. Three members of the commission resigned in 2017, citing “great concern for lack of direction from the State Engineer and adherence to New Mexico State Statutes.”
A few months earlier, the Society of Professional Journalists gave the commission the “Black Hole Award” for violations of the Open Meetings Act and for failing to release public documents.