Response to delay of health-protecting methane safeguards
For immediate release: Thursday, December 7, 2017
Contact: Camilla Feibelman, camilla.feibelman@sierraclub.org
BLM Finalizes Methane Rule Delay
 
Thursday, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke finalized his delay of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Methane and Waste Prevention rule until January 2019. The rule was designed to limit the waste of $330 million-dollars worth of methane from oil and gas operations on public and tribal lands each year through leaks, flaring and intentional releases.

“Why would Secretary Zinke and President Trump roll back good-neighbor rules that stop oil and gas waste and pollution on our public lands? In New Mexico we suffer from $27 million a year in lost revenues and royalties for the state because of industry carelessness. The methane ...

Zero Waste compost tour

Zero Waste compost tour
On September, 14 the Northern New Mexico Group's Zero Waste Committee led a tour of five large composting sites in Santa Fe County ...
UNEARTHED: The Real Story of Oil and Gas in New Mexico

You are invited to join the launch of CAVU’s multi-media project, UNEARTHED: The Real Story of Oil and Gas in New Mexico.

WHAT:  Short film screening and panel discussion moderated by NPR’s Tara Gatewood.

WHEN:   Thursday, November 16th, 2017, 6:30 PM public reception, 7:00 program begins.

WHERE:  Lensic Theater, 211 West San Francisco Street, Santa Fe

TICKETS: Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at Lensic.org.  505-988-7050

More about UNEARTHED. The year-long initiative in designed to educate and engage the public in a productive, depoliticized conversation about climate change and energy production in New Mexico and work towards state-based solutions that protect our environment, health and cultural resources while working to bolster our economy. Join the conversation – everyone who calls New Mexico home should ...

Photo of PNM's San Juan Coal Fired Generator Plant for the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter website

By Denise Fort, Research Professor, UNM School of Law
Chapter Energy Committee chair

New Mexicans are well aware that we have the dubious honor of contributing to an enormous methane hot spot that hovers over the Four Corners Area. Methane is a pernicious greenhouse gas and a pollutant that affects health at ground level.

And lost methane means lost revenues, because royalties and taxes would otherwise be owed on it.

The Obama Administration is moving forward with methane regulation. The regulations take two forms: one directed at lessees on federal lands (BLM regulations) and the other proposed by EPA to regulate air emissions from operations on all lands. We work with an active coalition of environmental groups and affected citizens ...

Map of western US that shows methane emissions
The methane rule is under attack yet again. Submit your comments before November 6 ...
PNM proposes 50 MW of new solar facilities
In the renewable-energy plan PNM is required to produce every year, New Mexico's largest electric utility has proposed to build 50 megawatts of solar, upgrade and add energy output to the New Mexico Wind Energy Center contract and upgrade and add energy to the geothermal facility near Deming to meet its 2020 legal requirement for 20% renewable energy.  ...
BLM ready to auction more of Chaco
In August, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Farmington Field Office notified Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye that it intends to auction off 25 more parcels in Greater Chaco for fracking. These parcels are unnervingly close to the 10-mile buffer that protects Chaco Culture National Historical Park ...
Drones record Chaco fracking sites 
The River Healers have sent drones to multiple fracking sites in the Greater Chaco Area impacted by explosions, fires, spills and methane ...