More about WEU
Water is New Mexico’s most valuable resource. Its scarcity often leads to
conflicts among water users and sometimes between water users and the natural environment.
Using New Mexico’s Constitution, statutes and interstate compacts as our guide,
the Attorney General’s Office seeks a balance between the needs of man and
nature. The Water, Environment and Utilities Division represents the State of New
Mexico and its officials in cases thought to be of particular legal significance
to New Mexico. In addition, the Division provides legal advice to the Office of
the State Engineer and the Interstate Stream Commission, and monitors litigation
carried out by attorneys working for those agencies who have been granted special
commissions by the Attorney General to represent the State of New Mexico.
Protection of New Mexico’s scenic and fragile environment is a priority of
the Attorney General’s Office. The division works closely with the New Mexico
Environment Department, the Office of the Natural Resources Trustee, law enforcement,
and others to protect our environment. This work is directed toward restoring environmental
damage, recovering compensation for damages to our natural resources, and criminally
prosecuting those who break our environmental protection laws.
Utility rates New Mexicans pay and the quality of service they receive are additional
concerns of the Attorney General’s Office. The division actively pursues the
Attorney General’s responsibility to represent residential and small business
utility consumers by participating in electric, gas, and telecommunications cases
that impact large numbers of New Mexicans. The cases may be a rulemaking, a rate
case, an effort by a utility to be deregulated, or one of many other issues that
affect utility consumers. Additionally, the Division is authorized to represent
the State of New Mexico in utility matters before the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).