Pete Domenici: “On this day, the Department of interior, the Attorney General for the State of New Mexico, the State Engineer, the…”

“On this day, the Department of interior, the Attorney General for the State of New Mexico, the State Engineer, the Interstate Stream Commission, the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District and the city of Albuquerque all reached a 3-year agreement regarding one of the endangered species, the Silvery Minnow on the Rio Grande River. There are many parties interested in the needs and recovery of the minnow and many groups have been working on river and riparian ecosystem restoration efforts upstream. The settlement proposal mentions that naturalized refuges are a necessary component of saving the silvery minnow and I remain committed to helping make that happen over the next three years. This agreement temporarily solves one of the most difficult to solve water problems on the Rio Grande. I can't think of an issue that affects more New Mexicans, for this reason I decided that it was essential that I be in New Mexico and therefore, necessarily absent.”