New Mexico State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn will hold a public meeting in Lordsburg on June 2 to solicit feedback on U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s application for a 35-year right-of-way easement for the maintenance of certain existing roads on State Trust Lands in Luna and Hidalgo Counties, as part of the agency’s Tactical Infrastructure Maintenance and Repair (TIMR) program.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has identified approximately 27 road miles in their right-of-way application, including 24 road segments on 9 separate existing roads across the two counties. The agency is also requesting the right to periodically pass and repass over these roads for the purpose of maintaining and repairing existing roads on adjacent lands owned by others, including the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
“I have the constitutional authority and fiduciary responsibility to administer and generate revenue from New Mexico’s State Trust Lands in the best interests of our beneficiaries, which include public schools, universities and other important public institutions,” said Commissioner Dunn. “Our public meeting in Lordsburg on June 2 will give State Trust Land beneficiaries, lease holders and community members an opportunity to learn more about U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s request and to provide a venue for public comment on their application.”
Commissioner Dunn personally viewed several of the roads in question during a visit to New Mexico’s Bootheel on May 24. As part of their application, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is requesting that Commissioner Dunn exercise his discretion to reduce or waive the bond amount for damages that might occur as a result of the agency’s activities on State Trust Lands. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is also requesting that Commissioner Dunn waive the requirement to submit a survey plat and that he limit any costs to the administrative costs required by the State Land Office to process and approve U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s application for right-of-way.
The public meeting on U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s right-of-way application will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, 2016, at the Old National Guard Armory behind the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office, 720 E. 2nd Street, Lordsburg, New Mexico 88045. The general public is also encouraged to submit public comments by June 16 via the State Land Office’s web site at www.nmstatelands.org or by mail to the State Land Office in Santa Fe.
The State Land Office is responsible for administering 9 million acres of surface and 13 million acres of subsurface estate for the beneficiaries of the state land trust, which includes schools, universities, hospitals and other important public institutions.