ELKO, Nev. - If elected, New Mexico Governor and Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson would create a new Cabinet post specifically to address water issues - and task it with the development of a national water policy.

"I would hold a national water summit," Richardson told the Elko Daily Free Press Wednesday morning on a campaign swing. "All states have a stake when it comes to future water needs."

He also said the policy would focus on protection of rural needs and agriculture. "It's the rural areas that generally get the short end when it comes to water."

Richardson's plan to elevate the agency's status -–water resources currently are handled under the auspice of the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation - would require a radical rewrite of existing law.

The creation of a new Cabinet post and the naming of a Secretary of Water would give the issue the attention it deserves, he said. The "bureaucratic elevation" would force people to address water concerns throughout the nation, not just the drought-plagued West.

Growth in Nevada and Idaho, two of the nation's fastest growing states, has also fueled water shortages among urban and rural users. Some 22,000 acres of farmland used by groundwater pumpers in southern Idaho is currently subject to possible curtailment by the Idaho Department of Water Resources.

"Everybody thinks water is only a western issue, but it's not," said Richardson.

Richardson would direct the water secretary to build consensus among all 50 states, allow states to sell water to other states, perform a full assessment of the country's water realities, and promote strong conservation measures - all under federal leadership.

Richardson acknowledged the old adage, "Whiskey's for drinking, water is for fighting" still exists, but fatal dissent could be avoided if all stakeholders are involved in the process.

"I'm a big fan of mediation," he said.

In another matter, Richardson said the announced Democratic presidential candidate debate on the Spanish-language television network Univision has not been formally scheduled.

Among the lengthy list of candidates, only Richardson and Christopher Dodd have accepted an invitation. Richardson, who speaks Spanish, said his acceptance was predicated on translators being provided to participants.