Since 1987, the New Mexico Environmental Law Center has worked every day to protect New Mexico's water, land and air from toxic pollution; and to assist its many and diverse communities protect their environment.
NMELC Comments on EPA’s Plan to Integrate EJ Principles Into Their Programs
Dear Administrator Jackson:
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on Plan EJ 2014 (the Plan). We commend your effort to further environmental justice in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’ s) work and we appreciate your solicitation of input from groups working on environmental justice issues before putting the proposed Plan into effect.
INTRODUCTION
By way of introduction, I am the Executive Director of the New Mexico Environmental Law Center (the Law Center), a non-profit public interest law firm that provides free and low cost legal services for protection of the environment in our state. The majority of the work of the Law Center is representing communities here that are either being impacted by or are threatened by existing or proposed facilities such as airports, chemical plants, landfills, and roads, and by existing or proposed operations such as extraction of ground water, mining, and oil and gas production. Almost all of the communities with which the Law Center works are communities whose residents are predominantly low-income and communities whose residents are people of color. In most cases, the communities that are our clients are both low-income communities and communities of color.
Cycling Event Benefits Climate Group
“The CCLI Climate Courage Award went to John Fogarty of the New Energy Economy and Bruce Frederick of the New Mexico Environmental Law Center for their work on a petition to establish a statewide cap on greenhouse gas emissions.“ The Santa Fe New Mexican
Carbon Cap Hearings Wind Down
“‘The goal here is not to adversely affect New Mexico’s economy,‘ stated Michel. ‘The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.‘” Cibola Beacon
Anti-Uranium Navajo Residents Petition High Court
“This is the first time that the NRC has licensed a mining operation in a community drinking water supply, despite the fact that no aquifer in which ISL uranium mining has occurred has ever been restored to pre-mining conditions” Indian Country Today
Statewide GHG Caps Hearings Close
SANTA FE, N.M. — Last night, the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board (EIB) concluded the hearing on a controversial petition and proposed rule to cap greenhouse gas emissions. The current rule, if adopted by the Board, would apply only to facilities that emit more than 25,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year. There are only about 50 such facilities in the state. The New Mexico Environmental Law Center (NMELC) filed the petition on behalf of New Energy Economy, a Santa Fe based nonprofit, approximately two years ago. The Board will decide whether to adopt the proposed rule at an open meeting on December 6, 2010.
YELLOW DIRT: Uranium scandal in New Mexico
“YELLOW DIRT is already receiving national attention even though it has only been out a few days. That can only help to aid the efforts by the New Mexico Environmental Law Center’s Eric Jantz ( http://www.nmenvirolaw.org ), who has just filed a petition on September 15th with the U.S. Supreme Court to appeal the 10thCircuit Court’s ruling.“ Examiner.com