Rio Grande Chapter

The New Mexico Construction Industries Commission voted on 8/7 to adopt a statewide energy conservation code based on the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code. This new code will bring NM up to date with its energy code for new buildings, reducing energy use in new residential and commercial buildings by about 25 percent ...
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As federal and state health guidelines were announced in March in response to COVID-19, New Mexico’s entire congressional delegation, Tribal leaders, Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Dept., and multiple groups called on Interior Secretary Bernhardt to extend the May 28 comment deadline to allow for the public and state and tribal governments to meaningfully engage. Instead of heeding pleas to extend the comment period, 15 days before the deadline the BLM and BIA held four virtual meetings. That did not ...
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In a surprise  move in May, the SunZia Southwest Transmission Project announced that it is abandoning its proposed electrical transmission line on the White Sands Missile Range and the Rio Grande crossing at Escondida just north of Socorro and Bosque del Apache that had drawn deep concerns about the harm the overhead lines posed to migratory birds, especially Sandhill cranes, raptors and other waterfowl.  ...
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Mexican wolves, the most imperiled canine species in the world, have made progress in the last three months but have also suffered setbacks. In May, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that a record 20 pups were cross-fostered from captive wolves into wild dens. FWS has been using this practice to insert profoundly needed genes from the captive population into the wild. Cross-fostering requires that pups from captivity be within days of the same age as pups in the ...
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New Mexico has put itself into a box with its heavy reliance on oil and gas revenues — now approximately one-third of the state’s budget, a percentage that increased significantly after tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations were passed in 2003 and 2013. To be clear, the state’s economy is far broader than oil and gas, but we have failed to build a tax structure that is fair and resilient. In order to diversify our economy and build a ...
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Welcome to our virtual art show. This show features paintings by Dinah Norris Matchael ...
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The pandemic has shed so much light on America for many, and it illuminates how there is no liberty and justice for all, as the Constitution states. I am purposely here now to fight for what is right because black lives matter as well as all lives.  ...
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Some people call it economic diversity for Lea County, N.M. I recall the days when I would see a calm and dry desert scene common in this area, with cows and the occasional coyote or rabbit. Now I see red blinking lights and industrial activity ...
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For immediate release: July 29, 2020 Today, a coalition of Four Corners community and tribal organizations, conservationists, business, and social justice groups praised the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission for approving a suite of renewable-energy investments, including 300 megawatts of solar and 130 megawatts of battery storage in the Central Consolidated School District, 300 megawatts of solar and 150 megawatts of battery storage in McKinley County, and 50 megawatts of solar and 20 megawatts of battery storage on Jicarilla Apache ...
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As you’re probably aware, all local Sierra Club outings are cancelled thru August 31st and we should learn more by mid-August if the moratorium on outings will be extended beyond that date. We remain optimistic and so we’ve posted outings on our calendar for September and beyond and you can find an outing fit for you on our events calendar. Meanwhile, maybe you’ve been doing your best to stay positive as we remain safe and healthy during the C-19 pandemic ...
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