Rio Grande Chapter

Revoking of energy-saving building codes cited as likely cause of lack of progress For immediate release: Oct. 22, 2015
Contact: Camilla Feibelman: 505-715-8388, camilla.feibelman@sierraclub.org
Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter, 2215 Lead Ave SE, Albuquerque, NM, 87106, 505-243-7767 A new report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy says New Mexico dropped farther than any other state in its annual state rankings. “New Mexico dropped the farthest in 2015, losing four points and falling six positions from 25th to 31st ...

By Stephen Fischmann Our local electric utility, El Paso Electric (EPE), just submitted its 20-year operating plan for approval by the Public Regulation Commission. It’s a real wallet-buster for consumers, and a head-scratcher for anyone who follows the utility industry. If you like history, it makes for a revealing excursion into 1960s energy-industry thinking. Here are just a few of the many plan features that can use some explaining: Plant Investment Four newly built gas-fired power plants dubbed Montana 1-4 ...

By Eric Patterson Water Sentinels — Rios de Taos has completed its 2015 monitoring schedule. We have added new members to our monitoring team. Disturbingly, we have found high levels of e. coli in several places in the Rio Fernando de Taos that indicate that further testing is needed. Sentinels have started testing two additional sites on the Rio Grande this year and hope to add additional monitoring sites in 2016. Sentinels would love to add monitoring sites on downstate ...

By Rachel Conn, Amigos Bravos interim director Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration has again jumped at an opportunity to diminish protections for our drinking water. In September, the EPA finalized a Clean Water Rule that clarifies that waters that were historically covered under the federal Clean Water Act, such as small tributary streams and wetlands, are once again covered by the federal law. The Martinez administration, joining 12 other states, filed a lawsuit to block the rule. A federal judge has ruled ...

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 ...

By Neysa Hardin, El Paso Group Sierra Student Coalition leader On Sept. 8, Americas High School Sierra Student Coalition partnered with the Chamizal National Memorial to celebrate International Literacy Day. SSC students performed a reader’s theater of the children’s story “The Campfire that Changed America” to fourth-graders at Loma Verde Elementary. The students re-enacted the Yosemite camping trip between President Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, that led to the establishment of our national parks and monuments. “Teaching ...

By Dan Lorimier New Mexico’s interim Legislative Water and Natural Resources Committee met in August in Silver City to hear about the proposed Gila River diversion project. The public and many officials have objected to the project for several reasons: There are real questions about whether a diversion can be successfully constructed; cost estimates have ballooned to $1 billion, which would have to be borne by New Mexico taxpayers and water users; and the diversion would sacrifice our state’s last ...

By Shane Woolbright In my effort to keep Sierra Club members up to date on why they should install solar panels, the return on those panels has gotten much better due to the coming hikes that PNM will add to our bills. If you’ll remember, my solar panels cost a bit more than $12,000 for 3,000 watts from Sungevity. Sungevity donated $750 to the Sierra Club as part of its promotion of SC and solar power. My tax credits brought ...

By Ken Newtson, Southern New Mexico Group The Las Cruces city elections, to be held on Nov. 3, include the mayoral race, three City Council races and a municipal-judge race. The Sierra Club Southern New Mexico Group has endorsed the presiding mayor, Ken Miyagishima, who is running against former City Councilor Miguel Silva and businesswoman Eugina Ortega. Ken has demonstrated his commitment to creating a livable Las Cruces for all the city’s residents.  He has rejected the narrow view that our ...

By Jody Benson, Group newsletter editor What happened with the bag? Not enough of us showed up; Council didn’t have enough votes to pass the 10-cent fee; the Savethebaggers showed up in vocal droves. The motion that finally passed the Council was simply to “Continue to Educate.” The Republicans on the Council don’t want to “spend County money on a thing this trivial,” so the mandate is that it’s up to the citizens — you, us — to do the educating ...