October 2026

Friday, October 2 — The Story of the Crash of TWA Flight 260, 70 Years Ago, 7:15-8:30 p.m. We’ll hear the story of the Crash of TWA Flight 260. Terry Owen, an outdoor adventurer and outings leader, will share the story of the crash that occurred on Feb. 19, 1955 in the Sandia Mountains and the memorial hike to the crash site.

Friday, October 9 — Zero Waste Tour of Solutions Compost, Soil and Mulch,. 10- 11:30 am. Come see how this soil business has changed in the last two years. Hopefully we will get to see how the Denali machine separates food from packaging.

Saturday, October 10, Salinas Pueblo National Monument Tour, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tucked away in the middle of New Mexico you’ll find Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. We will visit two of the three distinct sites, Quarai and Abo,  offering a glimpse into a unique time in history. These sites offer a quiet place to reflect on history, local archaeology and the Land of Enchantment. This outing affords abundant photo opportunities with time to walk about, maybe finding inspiration for a quick poem or a quick sketch. Wear comfortable attire and sturdy shoes. Bring clothing layers, hats, sunscreen,water and a picnic lunch. Total combined walking distance is one mile, at about 6,000- feet. elevation, 50 feet of elevation change.

Saturday-Sunday, October 17-18, Wilderness First Aid Course, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. each day. Rio Grande Chapter os sponsoring a Wilderness First Aid course. This course is in high demand and typically fills up months in advance. The SOLO Wilderness First Aid Course is a two-day training for anyone who spends time hiking, skiing, engaging in other outdoor pursuits or just wants to know what to do when things go wrong. The course is a blend of lecture, demonstrations and scenarios. Students will have ample opportunity to practice skills in life-like situations, both as patients and caregivers. At the successful completion of the course, you will be certified or re-certified in Wilderness First Aid.

Saturday, October 24 — Hike to the top of Cerro Grande, Santa Fe Meetup: 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. This beautiful out-and-back hike leads through an open forest of ponderosa, aspen and conifers to the top of Cerro Grande (the highest point in Bandelier). You will hike on the rim of the Valles Caldera and enjoy sweeping views into Valle Grande and beyond. Weather permitting, we’ll have at least a half hour on the top to rest, refuel and enjoy those views. If we’re lucky, we will hear bugling eElks and see the herds down in the valley.

Friday, October 30 — Acoma Sky City Pueblo Walking Tour, 10 a.m .- 4 p.m. Tucked away in the middle of New Mexico you’ll find Acoma Sky City Pueblo. Upon arrival we will begin with a walk through the visitor center, gift shop and museum. Then we will travel by Acoma Pueblo bus to the top of the inhabited mesa for a guided tour of the “city,” offering a glimpse into a millennia of unique human migration from Mesa Verde to Chaco to Acoma.  Along the walking tour local artisans and residents explain and sell their unique handmade goods and traditional baked items. This Acoma site dates back over 1,000 years, the oldest continuously human-inhabited site in New Mexico.

November 2026

Sunday, November 1 – Fort Stanton Historic Site and BLM National Conservation Area. We’ll be leisurely touring the self guided Fort Stanton Historic Site grounds and hiking on BLM’s Fort Stanton North Trail (short carpool) to the Internment site of the SS Columbus crew at Fort Stanton during World War II. We’ll talk about the history of the area and the recent 2025 Camp Fire. Bring good hiking footwear and dress for the weather.

Saturday, November 7 — Valley of Fires & Malpais, 9:30 a.m.-noon. Come join us for a leisurely morning hike enjoying the cool fall weather at the BLM Valley of Fires Recreation Area west of Carrizozo. We’ll be exploring one of the youngest lava flows in the continental United States. It was observed by the Indigenous people who inhabited the Tularosa Basin over 5,000 years ago. We will hike tThe Kipuka and Nature Trails as well as a quick scamper up to the overlook. There is minimal elevation gain and a little less than 3 miles of hiking.

Tuesday, November 17, Zero Waste Tour of the Surface Water Treatment Plant, 10-11:30 a.m. Learn how water from the Rio Grande is taken in and treated to become your drinking water. In an introduction, you will see the journey from the San Juan and Chama rivers to the Rio Grande and the treatment plant on a large floor model in the lobby. Then we will do a lot of walking, going in and out of buildings and climbing stairs, seeing different parts of the plant.

December 2026

Thursday, December 10, Zero Waste Tour of BARCO Recycling Facility, 9-10:30 a.m. SCome see how all of our blue-bin recycling is sorted. Find out how much is actually recycled and get answers to moreother recycling questions. Must be able to climb stairs and not be bothered by a very noisy environment.

The following are our endorsements for candidates who have opponents in the 2024 general election. You can find your district numbers for the different seats here. Scroll down in the list to find your state Senate and House districts. Note that state House districts are called “Legislative.”

Federal Candidates

President: Kamala Harris
Senate: Martin Heinrich
Congress District 1: Melanie Stansbury
Congress District 2: Gabe Vazquez
Congress District 3: Teresa Leger Fernandez

New Mexico Senate

District 9: Cindy Nava
District 10: Katy Duhigg
District 12: Phillip Ramirez
District 15: Heather Berghmans
District 18: Natalie Figueroa
District 20: Martin Hickey
District 21: Athena Christodoulou
District 23: Harold Pope
District 29: Tina Garcia
District 36: Jeff Steinborn
District 38: Carrie Hamblen

New Mexico House of Representatives

District 4: Joseph Hernandez
District 6: Rep. Eliseo Alcon
District 11: Javier Martinez
District 14: Miguel Garcia
District 16: Rep. Yanira Gurrola
District 19: Janelle Anyanonu
District 24: Elizabeth (Liz) Thompson
District 25: Cristina Parajon
District 26: Eleanor Chavez
District 28: Pamela Herndon
District 29: Joy Garratt
District 30: Elizabeth Diane Torres-Velasquez
District 31: Vicky Estrada-Bustillo
District 34: Ray Lara
District 36: Nathan Small
District 38: Tara Jaramillo
District 39: Gabby Begay
District 43: Christine Chandler
District 44: Kathleen Cates
District 50: Matthew McQueen
District 53: Luke Jungmann
District 68: Charlotte Little

County elections

Bernalillo County
Commission District 2: Frank Baca
Commission District 3: Adriann Barboa
County Clerk: Michelle Kavanaugh

Doña Ana County
Commission District 5: Manny Sanchez
County Clerk: Amanda López Askin

Grant County
County Commission District 4: Barbara Bush
County Commission District 5: Phillip Schoenberg

Luna County
Commission District 3: Ariana Saludares

Sandoval County
Commission District 4: Madigan Ray

Valencia County
Commission District 2: Duana Draszkiewicz
County Clerk: Rustin Porter

Ciudad Soil & Water Conservation District
Vote “yes” on district mill levy

 The following list does not include candidates we have endorsed, but who do not have an opponent in the upcoming election.

US Congress
House District 1: Melanie Stansbury
House District 2: Gabe Vasquez
House District 3: Teresa Leger Fernandez
More details

State Offices 
Governor: Michelle Lujan Grisham
Lieutenant Governor: Howie Morales
Secretary of State: Maggie Toulouse Oliver
Attorney General: Raúl Torrez
Land Commissioner: Stephanie Garcia Richard
More details

Constitutional amendements
Constitutional amendment 1 – YES
Constitutional amendment 2 – YES

New Mexico House of Representatives 
District 10: Andres Romero
District 11: Javier Martinez
District 13: P Roybal Caballero
District 14: Miguel Garcia
District 15: Day Hochman-Vigil
District 18: Gail Chasey
District 22: Augustine Montoya
District 24: Liz Thomson
District 25: Christine Trujillo
District 26: Eleanor Chavez
District 27: Marian Matthews
District 28: Pam Herndon
District 29: Joy Garrett
District 30: Natalie Figueroa
District 31: Athena Christodoulou
District 33: Micaela Cadena
District 35: Angelica Rubio
District 36: Nathan Small
District 37: Joanne Ferrary
District 38: Tara Jaramillo
District 39: Rodolpho “Rudy” Martinez
District 44: Kathleen Cates
District 46: Andrea Romero
District 52: Doreen Gallegos
District 65: Derrick Lente
District 68: Charlotte Little
More details

County Offices
Bernalillo County Commission District 1: Barbara Baca
Bernalillo County Commission District 5: Eric Olivas
Bernalillo County Sheriff: John Allen
Bernalillo County Assessor: Damian Lara
Doña Ana County Commission District 3: Shannon Reynolds
Doña Ana County Sheriff: Kim Stewart
Santa Fe County Commission District 3: Camilla Bustamante
Santa Fe County Commission District 1: Justin Greene
Sandoval County Commission District 1: Katherine Bruch

Now, El Paso Electric wants to build another 228-megawatt fracked-gas generator at the plant, just over the Texas border from Chaparral, a New Mexico colonia that already suffers dangerous levels of air pollution.

This gas expansion would make our air even more dangerous, set back our climate efforts and discourage clean-energy development in the region for decades.

The Public Regulation Commission’s hearing examiner has recommended rejection of EPE’s permit to build this gas generator, pointing out that El Paso Electric failed to consider the Energy Transition Act’s requirements that will require the plant to close by 2045 and because the expansion is unnecessary and expensive — and not in the public interest.

PRC commissioners are likely to vote on EPE’s permit on Wednesday. Please click here to urge your commissioners to reject EPE’s dirty gas plan!

With your help, we can stop this unnecessary fossil-fuel development and make way for clean, renewable energy in New Mexico and El Paso.

Thank you,
Antoinette Reyes
Southern New Mexico organizer
Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter

P.S.: read more about the issue here.

Chapter Executive Committee (three candidates for three spots)

Anita Gonzales

A native New Mexican, Anita was born in Las Vegas, NM, to the Lopez family of Villanueva, NM, and the Gallegos family of Las Vegas, NM. A middle child, Anita moved between Las Vegas and Albuquerque and graduated high school from West Mesa High School. After completing the majority of her degree at Texas A&M University, she returned home to Las Vegas to complete her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at New Mexico Highlands University. She is the mother of a 9-year-old son and currently lives in Las Vegas, NM. 

Anita has worked at New Mexico Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (NM MESA), Inc for over 17 years – which empowers and motivates New Mexico’s culturally diverse students with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) enrichment. NM MESA has allowed her to network with partners, industry leaders, educational institutions, and contacts from across the state.

Prior to COVID, Anita was an active STEM and parent volunteer for Don Cecilio Elementary, a volunteer with the Samaritan House, Team Mom and volunteer for the Meadow City Havoc in the Northern New Mexico Children’s Football League, and has served as a long-term family caretaker. Anita has also served as Commissioner for the Acequia de los Madres Vigiles and the Grzelachowski Ditch and is a member of the San Miguel Women Democrats and the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club. Recently, Anita was a Democratic Candidate for the New Mexico House of Representatives, District 70 and was an endorsed candidate from the RG Chapter of the Sierra Club. 

Susan Martin

My family were tradespeople, and camping was the only vacation we knew. What a gift! Our chapter has worked to increase such opportunities, which have become more vital escapes in our Covid-19 world. From systemic racism to the wildfire devastation generated by climate disruption, our challenges are mutating like the virus.

We are considered a “high-functioning chapter,” which is a testament to collaboration of many singular volunteers dedicated to protecting the environment and inhabitants of the Land of Enchantment. My experience as chapter chair, vice chair, and political chair can support our efforts to elect and work with environmental champions who truly represent their communities.

My community efforts include service on the Santa Fe County Planning Commission, Literacy Volunteers, the Santa Fe County Democratic Party, and the Santa Fe Metropolitan Water Board. Professional info: JD-MBA University of California Berkeley, Planner Director NM Environment Department, Senior Project Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council and Counsel, US House of Representatives, Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, Energy and Commerce Committee.

Ray Shortridge

Shortly after retiring as an information technology executive and re-locating to New Mexico, Ray assumed the volunteer Treasurer position for the chapter and served about five years in that capacity. In his business career, Ray participated in several high tech start-ups which he characterizes as an exhilarating experience.

Northern New Mexico Group Executive Committee 

(four candidates for five spots)

Ken Hughes

I am currently Transportation Chair for the Rio Grande Chapter and serve on the Executive Committee as representative from the Northern Group. I chair the Political Committee for the Northern Group and serve on its Executive Committee. I am on the Transportation for All Committee of the National Club. Past Club stints include population lobbyist in the DC office, lobbyist in the Roundhouse in the early 1990’s, Chapter energy chair, and Chapter conservation chair for over 20 years.

Norman R. Norvelle

Norman Norvelle is a retired environmental scientist who has lived in Farmington, NM since 1957. He attended Eastern New Mexico University and in 1970 earned a BS in Microbiology and Chemistry and in 1974 a Master of Natural Science  degree from ENMU. Norman is a Registered Environmental Health Specialist (Registered Sanitarian), NM Certified Level IV Water and Level IV Wastewater Operator. He is a lifetime member of the American Water Works Association (40+ years) and a lifetime member of the NM Water & Wastewater Association (40+ years). Also, he is a member of the National Environmental Health Association, past professional member of the American Association of Safety Engineers, American Chemical Society, and a past section Trustee and section President of the National Association of Corrosion Engineers. In 1994, he was the founder of the Four Corners Oil & Gas Conference & Exposition and chairman for the first 3 conventions. The conference was established to assist oil & gas companies with new compliance regulations and new technologies.  Norman was a Boy Scout leader and assistant scoutmaster for over 10 years and a National Jamboree Asst. Scoutmaster.

Mr. Norvelle started his career with the New Mexico Department of Public Health and worked four years as a laboratory scientist and public health advisor. He was a senior chemist with Public Service Company of NM (San Juan Generating Station (12 years) and El Paso Natural Gas Company (7 years). Norman worked five years for the State of New Mexico as a safety consultant and four years as the NMED Environmental Health Scientist Staff Manager for San Juan County. He worked over 5 years as an environmental consultant and trainer specializing in industrial water and wastewater treatment. Norman retired from NMED in 2012. He serves as a volunteer for the San Juan Watershed Group, NMED Gold King Mine Citizens Advisory Council, and was appointed by the Secretary of Interior as a member of the U.S. BLM Resource Advisory Council for the Farmington District Office for three years.  His retirement years are focused on raising grandchildren and environmental activities to improve the environment within the San Juan Basin.

Carlos Trujillo

One of my earliest memories as a child in Chimayó was running through the cornfields playing and picking chile with cousins, on our grandfather’s farm, on property that had been farmed by generations of ancestors. I learned how to irrigate before I was in elementary school. The acequia water was essential to our ancestors’ way of life. As I grew up, my father and uncles would take me on horseback rides to the San Pedro Wilderness or the Valle Vidal Wilderness. My father to this day reminds me, “you must always leave the land and water in better condition than you received it.” 

After my freshman year at UNM, I managed my first campaign and since then have managed or consulted on more than 45 campaigns across the country. I was one of three college interns who oversaw the Jardines Del Bosques YCC Program at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.

In 2003 I became New Mexico field director for Gov. Howard Dean’s presidential campaign. I then worked for Gov. Bill Richardson’s Political Office in a variety of positions, Including Florida state director of his Moving America Forward political organization registering 45,000 new voters in the Latino and African American community, primarily in South Florida.I also served as regional political and field director for the New Mexico Democratic Party before moving to Gov. Richardson’s 2006 re-election campaign and then as Western States Political Director for Gov. Richardson’s presidential campaign.

I managed Public Regulation Commissioner Ben Ray Lujan’s victorious 2008 campaign for the 3rd Congressional seat. I have worked on numerous other local and state campaigns since then.  

This year I served as a senior advisor to Leo Jaramillo’s campaign for state Senate District 5, and Roger Montoya’s primary campaign for New Mexico House District 40 and managed Montoya’s historic general-election campaign as the first gay man elected to the New Mexico House. 

I look forward to working on advancing the Sierra Club issues that are so important to all New Mexicans as a Northern New Mexico Executive Committee member.

Joe Wells

Sierra Club and environmental group activist. BA and MA in political science, masters thesis A Case Study of Environmental Interest Groups : The Big Thicket Association. Employment Assistant to Dallas County Commissioner, Elected Dallas County Treasurer (07-14) Retired moved to Taos County in 2015. Volunteer activities, Taos Land Trust Land Conservation Committee. 80s Founding Board VP Big Thicket Conservation Association, State Field Representative American Rivers. 90s Chair Dallas Nature Center, Vice Chair Dallas Sierra Club Group, State Sierra Club Political Committee, appointed member Dallas Environmental Health Commission and Regional Council of Governments Air Quality Advisory Committee, National Sierra Club Clean Air DC Lobby Week prior to US House passage Clean Air Act Amendments 1990, Lone Star Chapter Sierra Club Conservation Award recipient. Provided written comments / testimony on a variety of environmental issues at local, state and Federal agency and legislative hearings. Led and organized citizen advocacy on issues including Park acquisition and funding, river protection, Protection of public lands, Air Quality and Sierra Club endorsed political candidates campaigns.

Central New Mexico Group 

Carol Chamberland

Carol has been a Sierra Club member since 1984, when she joined to partake of the outings. She later became an outings leader herself, and most recently has been involved as leader of the Zero Waste Action Team for the Central Group. She recently exhibited her artworks honoring Petroglyph National Monument at Albuquerque Open Space Visitor Center. In spite of the pandemic, she remains committed to reducing, reusing, recycling in New Mexico.

Laura Harris

At 10 years old, Laura Harris was the youngest person ever to testify before a U.S. House Committee, when she spoke in support of the 1972 Sea Mammal Protection Act. Harris, enrolled citizen of the Comanche Nation, has led the national nonprofit advocacy organization Americans for Indian Opportunity for 20 years where she coordinates an international network of Indigenous leaders and organizations. Harris developed the curriculum and implements the award-winning Ambassadors Program, the only national Indigenous values-based leadership training. Harris is an experienced community engagement facilitator and has provided an AIO-crafted cultural competency presentation, “Indian 101,” to hundreds of groups and businesses. In 1997, President Clinton appointed Harris senior consultant to the President’s Initiative on Race. Currently, Harris serves on the national boards of the Latin American Working Group and the Native American Hall of Fame. She is elected secretary of the Toyah Band of Comanche and active huutsi (Comanche paternal grandmother) to Madelyn (age 5).

Peter Kelling

Born in Brockton, Massachusetts, Inflight Refueling Specialist USAF 1960 – 1964, AA Degree in Horticulture, San Francisco City College, former Special Events Coordinator, Rio Grande Nature Center, former Photo Contest Coordinator, Festival of The Cranes, current Sierra Club Art Exhibit Coordinator.

Terry Owen

Terry Owen has been a Rio Grande chapter member for four years and established the Military Outdoors Program in New Mexico. He is currently the Central Group and chapter Outings Chairman, and outings leader instructor. He has also participated in several Sierra Club advocacy and awareness events around the state. His primary interests are protection of wildlife, public lands and waters.

He currently has his own consulting business following an 18-year career at Sandia National Laboratories as an accounting and policy manager. Prior to that he completed a 20-year career in the U.S. Navy as an engineering officer. He was also a deep submersible pilot certified to 20,000 feet and conducted a number of science missions to study plate tectonics in the mid-Pacific. In this role he bore witness to the damage that humans were inflicting on the world’s oceans and which fired his passion for protecting the planet.    

Originally from Prescott, Arizona, Terry graduated with Bachelors and Masters of Accountancy degrees from New Mexico State University which included coursework in environmental economics and green accounting. During his time at NMSU he interned with the Southwest Environmental Center in Las Cruces. His hobbies include rock climbing, mountain biking, and hiking with his wife of 32 years, Kathe Mehrer-Owen.

Pajarito Group

Jody Benson

Jody Benson joined the Pajarito Group at its inception when the group’s primary goal was helping to save the Valles Caldera from being sold by the owners for private development. That national triumph helped energize the group to work on local issues, some short-term, many, alas, still on-going.  During her 20 years with the Pajarito Group she has served as publicity, recording secretary, and chair, along with other conservation positions.  The primary concern of the Pajarito Group is the expansion of nuclear weapons triggers at LANL, making “pits” the focus of the Lab’s mission, a direction that will require new houses, businesses, infrastructure, and transportation for the up-to 7000 new households by 2025. The Pajarito Group invites others who love the landscape and all that live within it to join us in the leadership position with your ideas and passion.

Tom Ribe

I was born and raised in Los Alamos and started contacting the Forest Service about timber sales in the Jemez in the early 1970s, learning the activist process early. I witnessed the La Mesa fire in 1977 while home from college and have been interested in wildfire ever since. I got my MS in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon and worked for the National Park Service in California and New Mexico doing education and prescribed fire management. I worked at LANL in the environmental restoration effort before starting a business in Santa Fe. I was part of the Valles Caldera Coalition and then helped start Caldera Action which led the effort to get the Valles Caldera National Preserve transferred to the National Park Service. Caldera Action continues to advocate for protection of the VCNP today. I am on the Board of Directors of Firefighters United for Safety Ethics and Ecology and the J Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee. I write from my home in the foothills near Santa Fe and am particularly concerned about the impacts of livestock grazing on public land ecology, especially in wilderness areas.

Southern New Mexico Group

Howie Dash

Mary Katherine Ray

District 38 (Las Cruces and south Doña Ana County): Carrie Hamblen

The Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter is proud to endorse our friend and community leader Carrie Hamblen for the Senate District 38 Democratic nomination.

As president of the Las Cruces Green Chamber of Commerce, Carrie helped lead efforts to win Organ Mountains Desert Peaks designation as a National Monument.

She has served Southern New Mexico as morning news anchor and operations manager at KRWG public radio, as an NMSU instructor, and as board president of the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope and member of PFLAG Las Cruces and Southern NM PRIDE.

Her opponent is Mary Kay Papen, who has blocked New Mexicans from voting on using just 1% more of our $18 billion Permanent Fund to fund early childhood programs. Papen also voted to keep cruel coyote-killing contests legal. Although Democrats hold a 26-16 majority in the Senate, Papen and a handful of other conservative Democrats form a conservative coalition that controls the Senate and blocks much Democratic legislation.

Carrie is committed to helping small businesses and workers thrive again in a sustainable economy, and she is committed to building a renewable-energy future for all New Mexicans.

Contact:

Jessica Keetso, To Nizhoni Ani, jkeetso@yahoo.com,

Laurie Weahkee, Native American Voters Alliance, laweahkee@gmail.com

Camilla Feibelman, Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter director, camilla.feibelman@sierraclub.org, 505-715-8388

On Tuesday, several Public Regulation Commission members listened to comments from dozens of New Mexicans asking for a full transition away from dirty San Juan coal electricity to renewable energy.

Tuesday’s PRC hearing addressed what resources should replace the San Juan coal-fired electricity that PNM plans to stop using in 2022. The commission has separated that case from the one regarding whether it will allow PNM to exit the coal plant and how the exit will be financed.

New Mexicans from all over the state asked the commission to require 100% renewable replacement, rather than PNM’s preferred scenario, which includes building a new gas plant.

“Navajos have seen the wealth of our nation decline, while neighboring regions and states have benefitted from artificially cheap energy and water,” said Jessica Keetso of To Nizhoni Ani, which was formed in 2003 in response to Peabody Coal’s excessive use and waste of the only potable water source the Navajo people have on Black Mesa. “I come before you today to ask the PRC and the people of New Mexico, please go 100% renewables. It’s the only option to re-establish good-faith relations between states and tribes, it shows accountability on the part of this regulatory body and will begin to remediate the damage we as indigenous people have had to endure.”

“”We believe that the Energy Transition Act is the responsible way to transition to renewable energy,” said Native American Voters Alliance Executive Director Laurie Weahkee. “We’re specifically interested in solar and wind as a way to begin to heal our communities and heal ourselves going forward. I believe we should go beyond PNM’s four scenarios. PNM can do better than that.”

“Sierra Club experts have analyzed and modeled the data and recommended two scenarios that rely solely on renewable energy and storage to replace the damaging coal electricity that San Juan produces,” said Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter Director Camilla Feibelman. “These 100%-renewable plans are cost-effective and reliable.”

“I have read and heard recent information for a carbon capture sequestration technology proposed by Enchant Energy. Didn’t PNM look into this earlier and conclude it was not a feasible replacement power for SJGS?,” said Wendy Atcitty, a member of the Navajo tribe (wendy.atcitty@dine-care.org). “It is a model that is expensive to retrofit and unproven to the proposed size.  It will use much power and water in an area of our state that is already limited in resources; proposing 90% carbon capture marks a ‘pie in the sky’ moment.”

As President Trump has circumvented Congress and diverted funds from other budget items to build his border wall, Sierra Club activists and attorneys have continued to stand up for our borderlands and families to stop the wall.

In October, El Paso Judge Briones ruled that the Trump administration illegally diverted billions of dollars for wall construction. This suit was brought by El Paso County and the Border Network for Human Rights. On Dec. 10, Briones issued a nationwide injunction stopping the Trump administration from diverting $3.6 billion from the Department of Defense’s military construction fund to erect 175 miles of border wall. However, the judge’s order does not stop the administration from continuing to use up to $2.5 billion from the Department of Defense’s counter-drug and narcotics fund, nor does it stop the more than $3 billion appropriated by Congress for border walls since 2017.

In another case, the Sierra Club is being represented by the ACLU. The court previously blocked the use of $2.5 billion from the counter-drug program, as well as military pay and pension funds, for border construction. But in July, the Supreme Court stayed the injunction, allowing wall construction in Southern New Mexico and places like San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge to continue as that case moves through the appeals process.

We made progress on Dec. 11, when US District Judge Gilliam ruled against the use of emergency funds. The ACLU argued that the emergency funds are an abuse of emergency powers to build a border wall using funds Congress explicitly denied. The court temporarily stayed an injunction to halt using the military construction funds because of the ongoing appeals process in this case.

The Trump administration is expected to appeal the December rulings. As Sierra Club and others continue legal attempts to stop construction, you are organizing on the ground. We are making a difference — thank you!

Photo courtesy of Nuestra Tierra. Nuestra Tierra hosted an oOctober border campout near Coronado National Forest, an area in Hidalgo County threaded by border wall construction. 

Community leaders across New Mexico applauded the Oil Conservation Commission Thursday for acting to protect the state’s air and water resources from oil and gas pollution by adopting new enforcement rules under legislation adopted in the 2019 session.

 The Oil Conservation Division lost administrative enforcement authority following the infamous 2009 Marbob New Mexico Supreme Court ruling. In fact, a 2019 Earthworks report found that oil and gas spills and violations increased nearly 100 percent over the last decade, while fines assessed by the agency dropped to zero in 2018. Despite industry pressure, the Oil Conservation Commission voted unanimously to adopt administrative rules allowing the state to penalize bad actors.

Coalition Quote Sheet

“Congratulations to the Oil Conservation Commission and the Lujan Grisham administration for taking this action to protect New Mexico’s vital air and water resources. Restoring the Oil Conservation Division’s authority to enforce the law will protect New Mexicans’ health, pocketbooks, air and water.”

— Bruce Baizel, Earthworks

“We applaud the Oil Conservation Commission’s leadership for holding bad actors accountable and pushing the industry in New Mexico to meet global and national standards. New Mexicans deserve a state of the art industry with state of the art safeguards to match and the OCC’s action is a step in the right direction.”

— Jordan Smith, Climate Advocates Voces Unidas

“As a prevalent industry in our state, these guidelines are a strong step towards redefining New Mexico’s relationship with the oil and gas industry. It is critical that bad actors in the oil and gas industries are held accountable for the harmful impact on community and environmental health, and that our state regulators have the tools they need to protect our air, land and water.”

— Ben Shelton, Conservation Voters New Mexico

“Restoring New Mexico’s ability to protect its air and water resources, while safeguarding the health of the state’s children and families is a crucial step forward. The Oil Conservation Commission’s action today will benefit communities across the state and is indicative of the Lujan Grisham Administration’s efforts to turn policy priorities into meaningful action for the people of New Mexico.”

— Jon Goldstein, Environmental Defense Fund

“Protecting human health and the environment is a critical part of the mission of the Oil Conservation Division, but until today it has lacked the means to effectively enforce the law. By its action today, the Commission has enabled the state to pursue bad actors, assess fines and penalties and better protect New Mexico communities.”

— Barbara Webber, Health Action New Mexico

“For our state that relies so heavily on the oil and gas economy, it is critical that the state have the authority to hold the industry accountable in a meaningful way. These new rules will help protect our national parks and public lands that benefit everyone and will protect the health and wellbeing of rural communities, as well as industry workers, throughout New Mexico.”

— Ernie Atencio, Southwest Regional Director, National Parks Conservation Association

 “We all have an ethical and moral responsibility to care for our land, water, air and communities, which are sacred gifts. Leadership in New Mexico holds a particular public responsibility to address pollution from oil and gas industries. Legislation, regulations and action are vital in caring for Our Common Home and those who are most vulnerable and whose voices and concerns are often not heard. People of faith are grateful for reforms that cherish life.”

— Sr. Joan Brown,osf, New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light

 “Enforcement of oversight of oil and gas facilities in northwestern New Mexico is a critical step forward to protect communities that live with extensive oil and gas development.”

— Mike Eisenfeld, San Juan Citizens Alliance

 “During New Mexico’s oil and gas boom, industry spills and violations have sky-rocketed, while enforcement has all but disappeared. We applaud the Oil Conservation Commission for acting to restore the state’s enforcement powers and protect all New Mexicans from oil and gas pollution.”

— Camilla Feibelman, Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter

 “Perhaps the most important near-term step New Mexico can take to address climate change is to stop methane releases from the oil and gas industry, our biggest contributor to global warming. State leaders have now set the rules for regulators’ restored powers to set financial penalties on corporations who chose to violate the law governing development of New Mexico’s globally-significant oil and gas resources. As the state adopts new methane rules in the coming months to stop methane pollution and waste, most companies won’t need the threat of fines to operate responsibly, but for those that do, a hit to their bottom line will be an effective way, along with suspending permits and curtailing production, for the state to let them know that the Administration is serious about climate pollution and that compliance with the law isn’t optional.”

—  Tom Singer, Western Environmental Law Center

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Tim Raphael, Raphael Consulting, 971-269-4797
timraphael@comcast.net

The moral dilemma of funding our state via oil and gas revenues.