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119-hr-8616119th CongressWALLET

Caja del Rio Protection Act

Sponsored By: Representative Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3]

Introduced

Summary

This bill would create two adjacent federally managed units in New Mexico — a 67,163-acre Special Management Area in the Santa Fe National Forest and a 17,837-acre National Conservation Area on Bureau of Land Management land. It focuses on permanent conservation and requires Indigenous participation and protections for cultural, spiritual, and ecological values.

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  • Interested Indian Tribes gain formal roles in planning and management, contracting opportunities, preserved access for traditional and religious uses, and confidentiality protections for Indigenous knowledge.
  • Public users face strict travel limits. The bill bans new permanent roads except where it allows them and limits motorized use to designated routes set in management plans, and it authorizes hunting zones and temporary closures after consultation.
  • Ranchers keep existing grazing rights subject to reasonable regulation. The bill authorizes land acquisition, designates withdrawals from entry and mineral and geothermal leasing in the Withdrawal Area, and allows ecological restoration plus fire, pest, and disease control measures.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

5 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.

New Caja del Rio protected areas

If enacted, the bill would create the Caja del Rio Special Management Area (about 67,163 acres) in the Santa Fe National Forest and the Caja del Rio National Conservation Area (about 17,837 acres) on BLM land. If enacted, the bill would withdraw Federal land in these covered areas from public land entry, mining, and mineral and geothermal leasing, subject to valid existing rights. If enacted, any Federal land acquired inside the covered areas would be withdrawn on the date of acquisition.

Tribal management and cultural protections

If enacted, the bill would let the Secretary contract with interested Indian Tribes or tribal organizations to carry out management and administrative functions in covered areas. If enacted, the Secretary could provide technical and financial help to tribes to build capacity for those contracts. If enacted, enrolled tribal members could collect plants and mineral resources for noncommercial traditional uses, and Indigenous knowledge or sacred-site locations could be withheld from public disclosure with tribal consultation.

Protect Buckman water infrastructure

If enacted, the bill would confirm that existing water rights and rights-of-way for Santa Fe County, the city of Santa Fe, and the Buckman Direct Diversion Board are not affected. If enacted, the Secretary could grant new permits or rights-of-way to build water supply infrastructure up to one mile from the historic Buckman area inside the Special Management Area. If enacted, the bill would also require the Secretary to follow State law procedures to obtain any new water rights not in existence on the date of enactment.

New road and grazing rules

If enacted, the bill would require management plans and travel rules that limit motorized vehicle use to designated roads and decommission undesignated roads within three years. If enacted, the Secretary must file maps with Congress and ensure law enforcement capacity for matters under the Secretary's jurisdiction. If enacted, grazing that was established before enactment could continue, but grazing would be subject to reasonable regulations and applicable law.

State-federal land exchange process

If enacted, the bill would direct the Secretary to try to start a land exchange with New Mexico within 18 months, swapping identified BLM land for specified State trust parcels. If enacted, exchanged lands must be appraised by an independent appraiser agreed to by both parties, and unequal values could be equalized by cash payments or acreage adjustments with cash deposited in the Federal Land Disposal Account.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3]

NM • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1]

    NM • D

    Sponsored 5/11/2026

  • Rep. Vasquez, Gabe [D-NM-2]

    NM • D

    Sponsored 5/11/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
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