Rio Grande Chapter

The Los Lunas Village Council voted to “table indefinitely” the Niagara Bottling corporation's request to increase their water draw from the Albuquerque Basin aquifer from 285 acre-feet/year (92+ million gallons/yr) to 700 acre-feet/year (228+ million gallons/yr). At a time when New Mexico is in a severe drought and the aquifer is not being recharged with surface water, we need elected officials to be good stewards of our most precious and finite resource: Our water.  ...
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On July 14th, the Valencia County Commission approved the Natural Resources Overlay Zone ordinance (NROZ) with amendments – despite hearing nearly 7 hours of public testimony overwhelmingly opposed to the ordinance, including presentations from several expert witnesses ...
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Ruling preserves $8/month savings for average customer, immediate issuance of community funding when San Juan Generating Station closes Sept. 30 For immediate release: July 21, 2022 The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission on Thursday denied PNM’s motion for a stay on the commission’s June 29 order, meaning the utility must credit customers for the savings from closing the San Juan Generating Station coal-fired power plant. The commissioners said PNM’s motion did not fulfill any of the four requirements for a ...
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By Patrick Burton, Central NM Transportation chair As gas prices continue to rise, the cost savings of biking become more apparent. In fact, some e-bikes can be purchased for the equivalent of about five trips to the gas station to fill up a pickup truck. Trek, an e-bike company, determined that their manufacturing emissions are offset after using one of its products to replace 430 miles of car travel. Cost and emissions savings add up quickly! If your regular route isn’t easily ...
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Our existing power grid is a marvel of engineering, but it was not built with the realities of climate change in mind. Our failure to rapidly reduce fossil-fuel pollution is driving new pressures and threats to the electricity system, including wildfires and extreme weather. We, as customers, have a significant impact on grid strain, and taking some simple steps such as changing the time we wash our clothes can save energy and help avoid blackouts and brownouts during extreme weather events ...
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If you’re a member of the chapter and would like to be considered for nomination to either your local group or the chapter Executive Committee — or if you’d like to nominate someone else — please let us know ...
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The Global Warming Express program celebrates a full decade of mentoring kids who go on to inspire others about the solutions to the climate crisis. For 10 years we have been bringing hands-on program mentoring through the entire school year to fourth- through sixth-graders in science, climate science, resilient solutions, arts, advocacy training and action. We are recruiting volunteers in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Taos and Los Alamos for our school programs in fall 2022. Successful applicants receive in-person ...
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Rio Grande Sierra Club outings for July-September 2022 ...
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The 107,068 acres on this plateau known as Caja del Rio are managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. These are sacred lands for the area’s pueblos. Join us in the fight to protect and preserve access to Public Lands in New Mexico! ...
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This lease sale symbolizes the Biden administration’s broken promise to tackle the climate crisis and address the environmental injustices that disproportionately impact Immigrant, Black, and Indigenous communities. It’s long past time for our federal government to phase out oil and gas fracking and to prioritize our climate, environment, and public health above a profiteering industry that got us into the climate crisis in the first place. It’s  imperative that the federal government end leasing on public lands if the Biden ...
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