New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Monday that it will use interest-free loans to help municipalities in the arid Southwest repair or replace public infrastructure damaged by wildfires and subsequent flooding. signed.
The act follows last year’s historic Hermit’s Peak-Calf Canyon fire, making it the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s recorded history.
What started as a U.S. government-mandated burn in early April has grown into a giant blaze that blackened more than 530 square miles. Hundreds of homes were lost in northern New Mexico.
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A subsequent report by the U.S. Forest Service said its employees had made multiple miscalculations, used inaccurate models, and underestimated aridity conditions. They say it will last for decades.
Congress and President Joe Biden have approved about $4 billion in recovery funds. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is still establishing a claims office.
Democratic Governor of New Mexico, Michelle Lujan Grisham, signed a bill guaranteeing interest-free loans for wildfire and flood recovery. (Robert Browman/The Albuquerque Journal via AP, File)
The just-signed state law grants counties, cities and local governments $100 million to undertake projects such as the Mora County water treatment plant and the roads, bridges and fences in Las Vegas that displaced thousands of residents last spring. Securing dollar loans.
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In a tweet Monday, the governor said, “This funding will help us quickly rebuild and repair our infrastructure so that our community can continue to heal.
The New Mexico Department of Finance administers the loan program.
Proponents of the bill have previously said that state funds would go to projects that FEMA indicated would be covered under federal guidelines. This means that FEMA funds can later be used by local governments to repay state loans.
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The U.S. Forest Service has resumed controlled burning operations across the country after a 90-day suspension to review prescribed fire policies and procedures.