PRIA Logo™
119-s-4458119th CongressWALLET

Caja del Rio Protection Act

Sponsored By: Senator Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]

In Committee

Summary

Permanently protects Caja del Rio landscapes and expands Indian Tribe participation in their management. The bill creates 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 to conserve cultural, spiritual, ecological, and historic values and to increase Tribal roles in preservation and planning.

Show full summary
  • Indian Tribes: Tribes with historic connections keep guaranteed access for cultural, spiritual, medicinal, and traditional food and material gathering. Tribes can contract to perform management duties, receive technical and financial support, and may be designated cooperating agencies.
  • Local governments and water systems: Santa Fe County and the City of Santa Fe retain existing rights to drinking water infrastructure. The Secretary may grant new permits for water infrastructure or recreation within one mile of the Buckman settlement area.
  • Public users and land managers: Road building and motorized use are limited to mapped or plan-designated routes, undesignated roads must be decommissioned within 3 years, and the covered area is withdrawn from most mining and leasing laws.

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

6 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.

Protections for Santa Fe water

If enacted, the bill would preserve existing rights and rights-of-way for Santa Fe County, the City of Santa Fe, and the Buckman Direct Diversion Board to repair, operate, maintain, replace, or expand drinking water infrastructure. The Secretary could also grant new permits or rights-of-way to build water supply work within one mile of the historic Buckman settlement area inside the Special Management Area, as long as the work fits the Act's purposes.

Existing grazing permits allowed to continue

If enacted, grazing that was established before the date of enactment would be allowed to continue in covered areas. Continued grazing would be subject to reasonable regulations, policies, and practices the Secretary considers necessary and must be consistent with the conservation purposes of the area.

Tribal access and sacred protections

If enacted, the Secretary would be able to contract with interested Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations to perform management functions and to give technical and financial help to build tribal capacity. Enrolled tribal members culturally linked to the land would be allowed to collect plants and mineral resources for noncommercial traditional and cultural uses, and normal federal quantity limits would not apply unless the Secretary finds a new limit is needed to protect resources. The Secretary would also be barred from disclosing Indigenous knowledge or sacred-site locations that were not public before enactment or that could risk harm or invade privacy; that information would be exempt from the Freedom of Information Act.

New rules for roads and access

If enacted, the Secretary would must make a travel management plan for the Conservation Area within 1 year and full management plans for the SMA and Conservation Area within 3 years. Motorized vehicle use would be allowed only on roads shown on the Map or in approved travel plans, with narrow exceptions for administration, emergencies, tribal cultural practices, and grazing. New permanent roads would generally be banned and any undesignated roads must be decommissioned within 3 years (including revegetation and blocking vehicle access).

New Caja del Rio protections

If enacted, the bill would create the Caja del Rio Special Management Area (about 67,163 acres) and the Caja del Rio National Conservation Area (about 17,837 acres). The bill would withdraw federal land in the covered area from new mining claims, mineral leasing, mineral materials sales, geothermal leasing, and some public-land disposals, subject to valid existing rights. The Secretary would try to negotiate a land exchange with the New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands within 18 months, using approved surveys and appraisals and equalizing value by cash or acreage.

Stronger law enforcement and penalties

If enacted, the Secretary would be required to ensure an adequate law enforcement presence in the covered area for matters under the Secretary's control. Management plans could include higher penalties for unauthorized acts like vandalism, damage to cultural sites, or unlawful shooting. The provision would not change tribal civil or criminal jurisdiction.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]

NM • D

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM]

    NM • D

    Sponsored 4/30/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
Back to Legislation