The bill amends several sections of New Mexico water law to increase penalties for violations related to water rights and compliance orders. Specifically, it raises the maximum civil penalty for violations from $100 to $3,400 per day, with a higher penalty of $10,000 per day for violations directly related to the illegal recovery or use of stored water. Additionally, the bill clarifies that compliance orders issued by the state engineer will only be effective against the person named in the order and allows for the possibility of civil penalties to accrue from the date of the notice of violation.

Furthermore, the bill introduces provisions for the suspension or revocation of licenses by the state engineer upon notice and after a hearing, in cases of violations related to the conditions of a bond maintained for the license. It also allows the state engineer to recover damages and civil penalties in civil suits for breaches of water law, with the maximum penalty increased to $10,000. Overall, the bill aims to strengthen enforcement mechanisms and increase accountability for violations of water regulations in New Mexico.

Statutes affected:
introduced version: 72-2-18, 72-5A-12, 72-12-14