Weather Modification Program

SB 126 was a straightforward appropriations bill that would have allocated $1,200,000 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of New Mexico State University for expenditure in fiscal years 2022 and 2023. The funds were designated for the New Mexico Department of Agriculture to develop and administer a weather modification program.

The bill contained no programmatic details, definitions, reporting requirements, or regulatory framework—it was purely a funding mechanism. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2023 would revert to the general fund.

The bill did not specify what type of weather modification activities would be conducted, did not address water rights implications, and did not include liability provisions. These elements would presumably have been developed administratively by the Department of Agriculture or addressed in subsequent legislation.

SB 126 was introduced by Senator Pat Woods during New Mexico's 2021 regular 60-day session. The bill was referred to two committees: the Senate Conservation Committee (SCONC) and the Senate Finance Committee (SFC).

The Conservation Committee reported the bill favorably with a Do Pass recommendation on February 10, 2021. However, the legislative history shows no further action after the SCONC committee report. The bill apparently never advanced to the Senate Finance Committee for consideration, or if it did, no action was taken before the session ended on March 20, 2021.

The bill's failure to advance beyond its first committee referral, despite receiving a favorable report, suggests it may have been a lower priority measure that ran out of time in the legislative calendar, or that it lacked support from Finance Committee leadership or the broader Senate.