DOI Announces $60 Million for Drought Resilience in the Rio Grande Basin

On May 10, 2024, DOI announced $60 million to facilitate climate resiliency and water security in the Rio Grande Basin. DOI will enter cooperative agreements with the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to support water conservation and drought resilience projects for communities below Elephant Butte Reservoir and in West Texas. This funding will go towards programs that will benefit communities identified as socioeconomically disadvantaged and vulnerable to climate change based on the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. Section 50233 of the IRA appropriates to the DOI, through the Commissioner of Reclamation, $4 billion for grants and other funding for public entities and Indian tribes to conduct specific drought mitigation activities.