ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The U.S. Interior Department has decided not to extend a deadline involving a proposal to divert part of the Gila River to aid rural communities.

The move that cuts off access to more than $50 million in construction funds.

U.S. Sen. Tom Udall and environmentalists praised the federal government's decision, saying the river that flows through southwestern New Mexico and into Arizona will be protected.

Timothy Petty, Interior’s assistant secretary for water and science, says the "slow pace of progress” reflected a lack of urgency and priority for delivering water to rural communities.