NMELC in the News
The New Mexico Environmental Law Center is frequently in the news, both locally and nationally. If you see references that we've missed, please forward them on to us at: nmelc@nmelc.org. Thank you.
Mixed Marks for Gov. Martinez on Transparency
So, 10 months into her first term as governor, has Martinez made good on her promises? Is New Mexico government more open? ...Environmental activists, meanwhile, give the Republican governor low marks when it comes to inclusion and transparency in several recent cases.
“We’ve had no transparency and working together with this administration,“ said Tammy Fiebelkorn, the New Mexico representative for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, a group involved in a case related to green building codes. The state’s Construction Industry Commission n [sic] June voted to repeal energy-efficiency codes put in place during Richardson’s tenure. Santa Fe New Mexican
Oil, Gas Law Change Sought
The New Mexico Oil and Gas Association filed a petition Friday to revise the state’s “pit rule,“ which regulates the disposal of waste from oil and natural gas drilling. The petition, filed with the state Oil Conservation Division, would loosen certain requirements, allowing drilling companies to use sealed pits to dispose of waste from wells that are not drilled close to groundwater.
“It essentially looks to us like they want to go back to business the way it was,“ said Bruce Frederick, a staff attorney for the New Mexico Environmental Law Center. menafn.com
Learn more about the New Mexico Oil and Gas Pit Regulation appeal case.
Santa Fe Radio Café Talks to Staff Attorney Eric Jantz Re: Mt. Taylor Uranium Mine
If you missed it on Monday, you can listen to Santa Fe Radio Café‘s interview of Staff Attorney Eric Jantz regarding Mount Taylor’s uranium mine standby permit and the public hearing here.
Political Minefield? Critics say NM Environment Dept. Fast-Tracked Mine Permit
“Essentially nothing happened between September [2010] and May [2011] except the change in administration…I think the mining company went to the administration and said ‘Make this happen,’ and they did,” NMELC attorney Eric Jantz says. “This administration is beholden to the interests that put [Susana Martinez] in the governor’s mansion, and I think it’s pretty clear that this was a political decision and not a technical or environmental or public health decision.” Santa Fe Reporter
Sacred N.M. Mountain Remains at Center of Uranium Fight
“Eric Jantz, an attorney with the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, which requested the hearing, noted that the New Mexico Environment Department has found elevated levels of nitrates and uranium in an old underground waste lagoon at the mine site, and expressed concern that delaying a comprehensive cleanup could put the environment further at risk.“ New York Times
Mt Taylor Decision in 15 Days
“New Mexico Environmental Law Center represented two environmental groups at the hearing - Taos-based Amigos Bravos and Albuquerque-based Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment… [seeking] to protect not only environmental but also cultural interests, based on the significance of the Mt Taylor area to many native American groups.“ Santa Fe Reporter
Water-Rights Critic Is All Wet
Staff Attorney Bruce Frederick responds to Mike Sullivan’s misinformed op-ed titled “Navajo Water Deal Leaves Us High and Dry,” and says Sullivan apparently has not read the Navajo Water Rights Settlement Agreement.
Read the full letter at the Albuquerque Journal.
Hearing Today in Grants on Mt. Taylor Mine
“The New Mexico Environmental Law Center and its clients, Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment and Amigos Bravos, said in a news release that the groups plan to challenge the permit application and will present testimony at today’s hearing…“ Albuquerque Journal
NM Supreme Court Issues Ruling in Emissions Case
“The New Mexico Supreme Court on Wednesday cleared the way for environmental groups to intervene in an ongoing legal battle over whether the state should regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Attorneys for the groups said the justices’ unanimous decision will ensure that proponents of the regulations will have a seat at the table if courts have to determine the fate of the state’s carbon emissions policies.“
Businessweek.com
32 Years After Rio Puerco Uranium Tailings Spill, Suit Challenges New Uranium Mine
“ENDAUM’s latest suit challenges the Environment Department for issuing a mining permit before deciding on the adequacy of the company’s groundwater discharge permit application…ENDAUM, represented by the New Mexico Environment Law Center, claims the state violated established rules in the New Mexico Water Quality Act, under which a company must convince the state its operation will not degrade groundwater quality.“ Navajo Times
Learn more about the Hydro Resources, Inc. uranium mines case.
Governor Considers Replacement of State’s Top Water Official
“Unlike the transition, this is not a formal search committee; rather, it is an effort to cast a wide net and be inclusive in seeking a full range of options regarding the State Engineer’s Office. We have reached out to a number of individuals and groups seeking their input, ranging from farmers, business people, and even the New Mexico Environmental Law Center.“ Santa Fe New Mexican
Navajo Anti-Uranium Group Challenges HRI Churchrock State Discharge Permit
“Undeterred by court decisions upholding the state of New Mexico’s right to regulate Hydro Resources Churchrock Section 8 in-situ uranium project, the Eastern Navajo Diné against Uranium Mining and the New Mexico Environmental Law Center have filed a complaint with the First Judicial Court in Santa Fe. The filing asserts that the New Mexico Environment Department bypassed the normal regulatory process by allowing HRI to conduct mining activities before the state agency made a decision on the company’s discharge permit application.“ Mineweb.com
Group Files Suit To Delay Uranium Mining
“Opponents of proposed uranium mining in Church Rock and Crownpoint are suing the state Environment Department, claiming it wrongly gave the go-ahead for mining-related activity while a groundwater discharge permit application is pending…Deputy Secretary Raj Solomon ordered the bureau in late May to make the change while the groundwater bureau chief was on vacation, according to documents the New Mexico Environmental Law Center filed with the complaint.“ Albuquerque Journal
Repeal of Building Codes Sparks Fight
“The appeal was filed Monday in the Court of Appeals on behalf of the groups by the New Mexico Environmental Law Center…The New Mexico Environmental Law Center contends that the commission repealed the codes without having any supporting evidence for its action.“ KASA.com
Repeal of NM building Codes Sparks Legal Fight
“The appeal was filed Monday in the Court of Appeals on behalf of the groups by the New Mexico Environmental Law Center. The state Construction Industries Commission in June negated the codes that former Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson’s administration had spent 14 months putting in place. At the time, the measures were touted as the most stringent in the nation. Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration argued that the codes were too costly for property owners and developers to implement.“ NewsWest9.com