Sierra Club wrap-up of NM legislative session 2022
If New Mexico’s 30-day legislative session ended at noon today with what felt like a series of big news and crashes and burns, that's in part because lawmakers introduced and New Mexicans fought for some of the strongest and most transformational climate and democracy legislation in years, compressed into a crushing timeline that has always been inadequate to suit New Mexico's needs.  ...

Click here to tell Gov. Lujan Grisham and your legislators know how important it is to eliminate climate pollution

Sponsors: Rep. Nathan Small, Speaker Brian Egolf, Rep. Kristina Ortez, Sen. Mimi Stewart, Sen. Siah Correa Hemphill 

The clean-energy transition is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to diversify our economy, raise new revenue, and create good jobs, in addition to tackling the climate and health impacts we already see across New Mexico. For our climate, our health, and our economy, it’s time to open new doors to a clean future for every New Mexico community. 

The Clean Future Act sets ambitious requirements of a 50% reduction of climate pollution in New Mexico by 2030 and at least 90% by 2050. Because New Mexico’s ...

No on SB194: Gas-fueled hydrogen plants are NOT renewable energy

SB194 will be heard in Senate Conservation Committee at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8.

If your Senator is on the committee, write your senator a personal note in opposition. If not, please write Sens. Liz Stefanics, Antoinette Sedillo-Lopez, Bill Soules, Carrie Hamblen, Harold Pope and Joseph Cervantes. Please attend the hearing Tuesday, either in person or remotely (here’s the Zoom link).

SB194 changes the definition of “renewable energy” in the Renewable Energy Act to include hydrogen-based electric power if carbon dioxide emitted from production is permanently sequestered, the gas used to produce the hydrogen is certified as “responsibly sourced gas,” and the project produces no more than 375 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour. There is nothing renewable ...

New Mexico's HB4 "Hydrogen Hub Act" presents climate threat

Hydrogen production, especially hydrogen derived from methane, presents many different types of pollution, safety and local health threats along the production and distribution chain, including: 

  • Significant, climate-damaging methane emissions from extraction and transportation; 
  • CO2 pollution from the process to produce hydrogen and from the gas burned to power that process; 
  • NOx pollution from combusting hydrogen (up to 6x burning methane); 
  • Pipelines that are not suited to carry hydrogen (potentially causing leaks and safety risks); 
  • End-use explosion and health risks in homes and buildings.
HB4 does not regulate, resolve or reduce any of those dangers. Instead it offers taxpayer money to subsidize fossil fuels and projects that could become stranded assets within a decade.
Member focus: Gordon and Martia Glass

According to a post by his family on social media, Gordon Glass passed away Jan. 23: “Gordon left his earthly journey this morning and headed out on his next trail. He was grateful for the love and caring from all of you these past 10 months as he lived with Glioblastoma. He would want to say goodbye and best wishes to everybody who touched his life.”

Below is the profile on Gordon and Martia Glass by outings leader Hart Pierce that ran in our October  Sierran: 

By Hart Pierce

Lifetime Sierra Club members and Farmington residents Martia and Gordon Glass have been intimately involved at all levels of Sierra Club activities throughout their lives together, along with their children ...

NM Supreme Court Rules ETA Constitutional
The New Mexico Supreme Court today rejected New Energy Economy’s challenges to the constitutionality of the Energy Transition Act (ETA) and upheld the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) decision relating to the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station. These rulings end months of delays in sending transition funds to communities and issuing bonds that will reduce customer costs ...
image of Oil and gas fields near Chaco
Members of the Greater Chaco Coalition are applauding President Joe Biden and Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s announcement to finally address environmental justice and meaningful tribal consultation for the Greater Chaco region by launching a new collaborative landscape level planning process in 2022 with Tribes, elected officials, communities, and stakeholders ...
Analysis of EPA’s New Proposed Methane Safeguards
On November 2, policy experts, frontline leaders, and corporate accountability advocates joined a press briefing to respond to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed new Clean Air Act safeguards to reduce methane and other harmful pollutants from new and existing sources in the oil and natural gas industry which were announced earlier today ...