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.
Navajo Group to Take Uranium Mine Challenge to Human Rights Commission
“The groups contend the mines, first permitted by NRC in 1999, could contaminate drinking water for 15,000 Navajo residents in and around the two communities, which lie just outside the Navajo Nation. In 2005, the Navajo’s tribal government passed a law prohibiting uranium mining within its borders.“ New York Times
Learn more about the Hydro Resources, Inc. uranium mines case.
Utilities Protest Carbon Caps
“Frederick, of the Environmental Law Center, says he doesn’t think it’s a good idea to wait for federal regulation. ‘Climate change is the biggest issue of our time,‘ he says. ‘Climate change is real. ... We need to do something about it.‘” Alibi
New Energy Economy Seeks to Intervene in PNM Appeals of NM’s Landmark Carbon Pollution Rules
“‘We are asking the Court to allow us to intervene in the appeals because the EIB is now aligned with PNM and the other opponents of greenhouse gas regulation,‘ said New Mexico Environmental Law Center attorney, Bruce Frederick. ‘As a result, the Board may not effectively defend the Rule or protect our interests, or the public’s interests.‘“ Democracy for New Mexico
NM Small Business Task Force Makes Recommendations on Dozens of Rules, Regulations
“Like Frederick, others are concerned that the task force recommendations were developed by lobbyists and others who represented big business, rather than the ‘mom and pop’ operations that the governor intended to help…. Frederick said he’s concerned the governor is hearing only from specific economic interests and that policies developed as a result could have negative impacts for the state as a whole.“ The Republic
Eco-Assault!
Fresh attacks on environmental regulations threaten New Mexico’s future
“As a result of the law center’s representation of the Concerned Citizens of Sunland Park, the incinerator was closed in 1991—and the state’s Solid Waste Act and other regulations now mandate how far incinerators must be located from homes, schools and workplaces. The state also adopted a set of regulations that govern air emissions from incinerators.“ Santa Fe Reporter
Rescind, Revise, Repeal: Read This if You Care About Clean Water, Air and Land in New Mexico
“Memo To Industry: You Can’t Just Wish Regulations Away Attorney Bruce Frederick of the New Mexico Environmental Law Center said he is curious about the group’s criteria for suggesting rules be eliminated or revised, particularly when it comes to the federally-required air quality standards.“ Clearly New Mexico
Small-Time Prospectors See Big Future in New Mexico Uranium
“Paul Robinson, research director for the Southwest Resource Information Center, an Albuquerque conservation group, said he’s skeptical that the uranium industry will strike it big in New Mexico anytime soon… ‘There is almost no growth in the U.S. uranium production through 2030,‘ he said. ‘The buzz about uranium production is all marketing, not demand.‘
‘The trend has more to do with rounding up investors,‘ Jantz said. ‘Irrespective of the industry’s press releases, conventional mining at least has a real problem in that there’s only one mill in the entire U.S. to deal with this stuff. That’s the White Mesa mill in Blanding (Utah).‘” NewsWest.net
Another One Of Those Small Business-Friendly Tactics?
“A bill that would bar the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board from making any greenhouse gas rules that are more stringent than federal law is making its way through Senate committees… ‘Most of us know that this bill is a knee-jerk reaction that is over-the-top and ineffective,‘ Frederick said.“ Clearly New Mexico
Water: The Staff of Life in New Mexico
by Eric Jantz, Staff Attorney
“Clean water is scarcer than ever before. Economic and settlement policies over the last century have encouraged water consumption as if it were an infinite resource. It’s not. Global climate change is causing water resources to diminish. Contamination threats from mining, oil and gas development, and other industrial projects loom large. Although as a society we’ve gained an enormous amount of information suggesting that our policies of the past are jeopardizing future generations’ clean water supplies, we haven’t gained the wisdom to act accordingly.“ New Mexico Wilderness Alliance
Get PDF of full article. Get PDF of full NMWA Newsletter.
Protesters File Motion to Dismiss Application
“Frederick, a staff attorney for the Environmental Law Center, summed up the argument against the application in a press release last week. ‘The application has to be thrown out, because it is so vague and speculative that the State Engineer can’t evaluate or approve it,‘ he said.“ El Defensor Chieftain
Learn more about the San Augustin Plains Ranch water rights application case.
New Mexico Governor Takes New Approach to Environment, Energy Industry
“If Martinez is successful in reversing or repealing rules that are designed to protect the environment, it may impact residents’ health and ultimately encourage businesses to look elsewhere because of a lowered quality of life in the state, said Douglas Meiklejohn, executive director of the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, which sued the state to have the greenhouse gas emissions rule published in the state register.“ New West
Senate Judiciary Committee Tables Bill Targeting New Emissions Rules
“The 7-4 vote, which fell along party lines, followed a more than hour-long debate that featured discussion about big-picture issues: the constitutional limits of legislative power, and whether, and how fast, the state was transitioning from the “old economy” of coal-fired plants to a “new economy” of solar arrays and wind-powered turbines.“ The Santa Fe New Mexican
Court to Governor Martinez—No One Is Above the Law
“Congratulations to the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, whose attorneys challenged the governor’s actions, and kudos to the New Mexico Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously in reinstating the groundwater protections, which were two years in the making.“ Huffington Post
NMELC Breaks Down Sound Science, Rulemaking, and Climate Change
“With the so-called debate over whether climate change is caused by humans stealing the spotlight in mainstream media lately, SWOPista Marisol Archuleta decided to get the facts straight from Eric Jantz, Staff Attorney at the New Mexico Environmental Law Center. He gave us the low-down on the research of climate change, and what constitutes real science.“ El Grito
High Court Nixes Guv’s Putdown of Enviro-Rules
“Not so fast, said the New Mexico Environmental Law Center. On behalf of clients New Energy Economy and Amigos Bravos, its lawyers sued just 10 days later to compel the publishing of rules they saw as not just proposed or pending, but already adopted.“ Santa Fe New Mexican