Hermits Peak–Calf Canyon Fire aid moves to governor’s desk
Members of the House of Representatives unanimously voted to approve a bill appropriating $100 million to communities devastated by the historic Hermits Peak–Calf Canyon Fire.
Since the Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 6 last week, the measure now goes to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for her signature.
The bill has an emergency clause, meaning it goes into effect immediately after the governor signs it.
The governor announced her plan to provide the funding for counties and municipalities hit hard by the fire in her State of the State address at the start of this year’s 60-day legislative session.
“We’re trying to get access to this money right away,” Rep. Joseph Sanchez, D-Alcalde and one of four sponsors of the bill, told House lawmakers Tuesday.
Not surprisingly, the bill was one of the first to be approved by both the House and the Senate in this year’s session — a signal lawmakers felt pressure to act quickly as communities in the fire zone await federal aid.
The $100 million will go through the local government division of the state Department of Finance and Administration to provide zerointerest reimbursable loans to repair infrastructure “damaged by fire, flooding, or debris flows caused by the Hermits Peak–Calf Canyon Fire,” according to the bill.
Sanchez said that could include work on roadways, bridges and water systems.
The fire, which was the largest in New Mexico history, burned more
than 341,000 acres in the mountains northwest of Las Vegas, N.M. It was the result of federally prescribed burns gone awry and consumed homes, businesses and livelihoods. People in the area said it has placed financial, emotional and physical stress on local governments, which had to contend with its effects and ensuing flooding in the summer.
Sanchez said because the federal government took responsibility for starting the blaze, communities in the fire zone — including Mora and San Miguel counties — already are applying for help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is charged with administering nearly $4 billion in federal aid for New Mexico communities.
Under questioning from Rep. Jim Townsend, R-Artesia, Sanchez said New Mexico “should get” the $100 million back from local governments
that later get FEMA aid.
But Sanchez added: “I don’t know if there is 100 percent guarantee” New Mexico will get reimbursed once FEMA funds arrive.
Sanchez explained to lawmakers other New Mexico communities affected by different fires last year — including the Black and McBride fires — are not eligible for the emergency FEMA aid available to survivors of the Hermits Peak–Calf Canyon Fire because the federal government did not play a role in those blazes.
Rep. Ambrose Catsellano, D-Las Vegas, said SB 6 “is going to help our entities help our people get back to some normality.”
The 66-0 vote came after less than 20 minutes of debate on the House floor.