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.
URANIUM: Local Activists, Industry Officials Clash Over New Mining Process
“Aquifer exemptions or state equivalents for ISL operations were granted without consideration of the existence of impacts from past uranium mining and milling, whether the groundwater in the aquifer to be mined was potable, and the tribal and community need for groundwater resources,“ Eric Jantz, a New Mexico Environmental Law Center attorney, wrote in a letter to EPA’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Council earlier this year.
“As a result, hundreds of thousands—perhaps millions—of gallons of potable water needed by tribes and tribal communities will be forever contaminated,“ Jantz added. He asked for more research and oversight into in situ uranium extraction. EeNews.net
Read full story. Learn more about the Hydro Resources, Inc. uranium mines case.
Water Hearing on Augustin Plains Ranch Application Set for February
Augustin Plains Ranch’s application asks that the water be pumped for the purpose of selling or using the water within Bernalillo, Catron, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Sierra, Socorro and Valencia counties, or sent by pipeline to the Rio Grande to supplement the supply… Protesters consolidated motions to dismiss and just two were filed before a Feb. 11 deadline. One was filed by attorneys for the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, which is representing about 80 of the protesters. Albuquerque Journal
Learn more about the Augustin Plains Ranch water rights application case.
New Dairy Groundwater Discharge Regulations Have Been Adopted in New Mexico!
Staff Attorney Jonathan Block spoke to the Santa Fe Radio Cafe last week on how our groundwater will be protected thanks to these regs and the next steps that need to be taken.
Listen now:
Martinez Too Cozy with Industry
As seen in the Santa Fe New Mexican, Sunday, December 4, 2011.
The Nov. 23 article, “Environment Department assesses $7M in penalties,“ states that New Mexico Environment Department officials have “grown tired of critics assuming they’re taking it easy on polluters,“ and that “environmentalists” are “still uneasy about where Gov. Susana Martinez stands on protecting air, water and other natural resources.“
As one who works with community members who feel the impact of these issues every day, I am not “assuming” anything. Moreover, I am not “uneasy.“ I am appalled. It is misleading to use the fines levied by NMED to gauge the Martinez administration’s seriousness about protecting public health and the environment. A better indicator is the carefully coordinated efforts by the administration and industry to gut our state’s environmental protections.
A Citizen Activist Forces New Mexico’s Dairies to Clean Up Their Act
Jon Block, the attorney who represented the citizen coalition, calls New Mexico’s rules some of the strongest in the country. “While none of this is a magic wand, from the point of what we care about, these regulations are going to slowly change the face of dairy production in this state and bring it in line with higher and higher levels of best practices.“ High Country News
Learn more about the New Mexico Dairy Discharge Regulations case.
NM Regulators Approve Fracking Disclosure Rule
Gwen Lachelt with Earthworks’ Oil and Gas Accountability Project was disappointed with the commission’s decision. “They went through all the motions to put in place a rule that requires nothing more than what’s already required on material safety data sheets,“ she said. Farmington Daily Times