ABOUT THE RURAL SUMMIT
Join rural, frontier and tribal leaders, community champions, and federal and state partners for two days of in-depth discussions on Infrastructure, Economic Development, Healthcare (Behavioral Health), Public safety (EMS), Agriculture (Acequia and food insecurity), and natural resources (Oil & Gas and Renewable Energy).
For decades, our rural, frontier and tribal communities have been overlooked or forgotten. From the Southwest to the East Coast, tribal villages and reservations in between, from the rust belt and our agricultural rich Midwest, these communities have seen debilitating job loss and opportunity, crumbling infrastructure and vast attrition.
New Mexico’s rural communities are diverse microcosms stretching from our immigrant populations living in the colonias areas along the border; to our agricultural rich communities along the Rio Grande; to our generational Hispanic families in northern NM; to our sovereign tribal nations, and our oil and gas communities in northwest and southeast NM.
Our hope is that the information gleaned from this summit will inform legislative discussions and interim work to craft legislation that finally and fully understands rural needs and priorities.
In recent meetings Rep. Roger Montoya and Isaac Dakota Casados have had with White House and administration officials, they believe The New Mexico Rural Summit "could be a road-map for addressing inequity in rural America and ensuring funds from the Infrastructure and Jobs Act meet rural communities in this great time of need"–which hasn’t seen a major investment since the Eisenhower administration.
In my 6,000 sq mile district, rural inequity is vast. On day one, I vowed to fight like heck to ensure rural communities were uplifted. I am hopeful this summit will help bridge the glaring gap between our rural and urban communities and find solutions to meet the moment of need.
Representative Roger Montoya, NM House, District 40
"As Chairman of the largest and oldest Native Caucus in the state, I know all too well the challenges facing our rural, frontier and tribal communities. Basic necessities are a luxury and in some instances, they aren't available. This rural summit will help to address many of these glaring issues.
Isaac Dakota Casados, Chief of Staff for Rep. Roger Montoya