SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham today hailed the passage of Senate Bill 6 sponsored by Sen. Pete Campos. The Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire Recovery Funds bill establishes a $100 million loan fund administered by the Department of Finance and Administration that will get shovel-ready public infrastructure projects like acequias, roads, and water treatment facilities funded and under construction. Eligible entities including local governments can borrow from the fund for FEMA Public Assistance-approved projects, and the state will be reimbursed upon completion.

“I commend the members of the Legislature for their timely passage of this bill to fund vital infrastructure projects in communities devastated by the Hermits Peak Calf Canyon Fires and flooding,” said Gov. Lujan Grisham. “These communities faced unimaginable losses last summer, and I am proud that our state is standing up for these communities to jump-start public infrastructure projects.”

“Gov. Lujan Grisham has expressed her wholehearted commitment to assist the people affected by the wildfires and floods in Mora and San Miguel Counties,” said Sen. Pete Campos. “The Legislature has astronomically risen to the occasion to help local governments in the affected area meet its dire needs caused by this year’s devastating disasters. The people of this region are grateful for the state’s quick response, and together, we’re focused on recovery.”

In 2022, Hermits Peak Calf Canyon fire, the largest and most destructive fire in state history, burned 341,471 acres of land, destroying hundreds of homes and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of New Mexicans. The subsequent monsoon season flooded acequias, washed out roads and culverts and damaged public infrastructure in the federally declared disaster.

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