In response to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s decision to prohibit new federal oil and gas leasing within 10 miles of the Chaco Culture National Historical Park, members of the Greater Chaco Coalition called on the Biden administration to end all new federal fossil fuel leasing across the country. The coalition also called on the administration to do more to live up to its promises to develop a landscape-level approach for resource management in the Greater Chaco region and address the climate crisis.
In the news: Cannon Air Force Base looking to let public weigh in on contamination cleanup efforts
On May 31, KRQE News aired a news article on PFAS contamination in the Clovis area, with comments by Rio Grande Chapter Director Camilla Feibelman.
Advocates Demand “Phasing Out Fossil Fuels” As Part of Proposed BLM Public Lands Rule
As the Bureau of Land Management holds its second of three in-person public meetings to promote the Department of Interior’s proposed Public Lands Rule, New Mexicans rallied in front of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque to unfurl a 20-foot banner reading “Phase Out Federal Fossil Fuels: Biden Keep Your Promise on Public Lands and Waters” highlighting the mounting demands to address the legacy of fossil fuel sacrifice zones in New Mexico as a result of the continued fossil fuel leasing and drilling across public and ancestral tribal lands.
Advocates Deliver Message to BLM to Cancel Lease Sale
On May 24, advocates delivered a letter signed by over 200 local and national groups, businesses, unions, and institutions to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rio Puerco Field office in Albuquerque urging the agency to phase out oil and gas leasing.
Profile – Terry Owen
Meet our outings chair – Terry Owen
24th Annual State of the Air Report
According to the American Lung Association’s latest State of the Air Report, Eddy County ranked as #19 most polluted county in the U.S. for ozone and is one of only two only rural counties among the top 25 in the US for ozone pollution. Eddy County has seen an increase in ozone days in each of the past five reports and earned an “F” grade. Albuquerque’s air quality has gotten worse since last year’s report, Albuquerque was named one of the top 25 worst cities in the nation for ozone pollution.
Meet the ExComm – Tricia Snyder
Tricia Snyder has served as a member of the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter’s executive committee since 2023.
Greater Chaco Coalition provides a guide for initiative to truly “Honor Chaco”
The Greater Chaco Coalition shared recommendations on how the Department of Interior can ensure the initiative produces timely, durable outcomes that advance environmental justice. Using a new collaborative process, the Honoring Chaco Initiative is intended to bring federal agencies, Tribes, advocacy groups, and stakeholders together to address the need for lasting landscape-level management of the Greater Chaco Landscape.
Lead, Governor: climate action can’t wait
That’s three Sierra Club leaders three days in a row! Great job, John, Norman and Camilla! https://www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/my_view/lead-governor-climate-action-cant-wait/article_7bad2a60-e52c-11ed-baf0-fb56d639783a.html
Connecting with Nature on Earth Day
It was a beautiful morning in Southern New Mexico for a hike and remembering the importance of spending time outdoors, breathing fresh air and connecting with the beautiful landscapes of the Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument on Earth Day.