Candidate biographies for the Rio Grande Sierra Club Chapter elections – statewide and regional groups. The ballot was included in your October/November/December newsletter. El Paso Group ballots will be mailed separately, but they can vote for chapter ExcComm candidates using the ballot in the newsletter.
Greater Chaco Coalition Statement on Chaco Cultural Heritage Protection Act
On November 17, U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez and Sen. Ben Ray Lujan introduced the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act. Though the Greater Chaco Coalition supports this legislation, more needs to be done to address the cumulative impact of extractive industries on the Greater Chaco Landscape and its communities.
PRC hearing examiners recommend NM Gas settlement
On November 11, Public Regulation Commission hearing examiners recommended approval of a settlement agreement between Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy, Western Resource Advocates, PRC staff, the New Mexico attorney general, New Mexico Affordable Reliable Energy Alliance, New Energy Economy, and Incorporated County of Los Alamos with New Mexico Gas Company on its rate case.
EPA Releases Improved Safeguards to Ensure Oil and Gas Operators Monitor and Stop Climate-Warming Methane Leaks
On November 11, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a supplemental rule proposal that would establish strong, commonsense protections against methane and other harmful pollution from the oil and gas industry. This proposal improves upon a draft rule that EPA issued last November to curb methane from the oil and gas sector. A strong methane rule will help the United States meet its more ambitious emissions reduction commitments expected to be unveiled at COP27, and will go a long way in protecting the air families who are surrounded by oil and gas pollution on a daily basis have to breathe.
No More Sacrifice Zones
Adding to growing calls for President Biden to follow through on his promise to stop fossil fuel leasing on public lands, on November 3 groups delivered more protests in response to the Bureau of Land Management’s latest proposal to lease over 260,000 acres of public and ancestral tribal lands across Wyoming, New Mexico, and Kansas at its proposed May 2023 oil and gas lease sale.
Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter statement on New Mexico unofficial election results so far
As we await the results of legislative races and Congressional District 2, the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter released the statements about the races that have been called.
Supreme Court stay blocks customers’ bill credits reflecting ETA savings from coal closure
In a disappointing ruling on 11/1, the New Mexico Supreme Court granted PNM a stay on the Public Regulation Commission’s order requiring the utility to credit customers an average of $8.19 a month.