CURRENT PRESS RELEASE
Water Win for Southern New Mexico! Court Ruling Protects San Augustin Plains Groundwater from Out-of-State Water Grab
Thursday, April 11, 2024
Water Win for Southern New Mexico!
Court Ruling Protects San Augustin Plains Groundwater from Out-of-State Water Grab
Reserve, NM —On Friday, April 5, Judge Roscoe Woods of the 7th Judicial District ruled from the bench that the New Mexico State Engineer was correct in denying Augustin Plains Ranch (APR) LLC’s application to mine and hoard tens of thousands of gallons per year of San Augustin Plains groundwater.
The judge’s decision was based on the fact that the application is speculative—ruling that APR failed to demonstrate an imperative need for the groundwater exists and failed to show that APR would be able to put the water to any beneficial use—a requirement under the New Mexico State Constitution.
In a standing-room-only courtroom, a hundred community members heard the arguments of several attorneys awaiting a ruling on APR’s request to pump 54,000 acre feet per year of groundwater from San Augustin Plains, a closed basin (all water that falls in the basin stays in the basin) in southern New Mexico which will not be recharged by perennial streams.
Read full release
Past Press Releases
NMELC Receives $2 Million Grant from Yield Giving Open Call
NMELC is One of 10 Nonprofits in the State to be Selected
For Immediate Release
Thursday, March 21, 2024
ALBUQUERQUE—Mackenzie Scott’s charity, Yield Giving, announced this week that New Mexico Environmental Law Center was selected among thousands of organizations across the nation to receive a gift of $2 million from the Yield Giving Open Call. …
IACHR Grants Thematic Hearing on Impacts to Indigenous Peoples’ Human Rights from Uranium Exploitation
IACHR HOSTS HISTORIC HEARING ON IMPACTS TO INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ HUMAN RIGHTS FROM URANIUM EXPLOITATION
Hearing to be Held in Washington, D.C.
On Weds, Feb. 28th at 11am EST/9am MST …
New Study Shows Santolina Development Project Based on Unrealistic & Highly Unlikely Population, Jobs & Housing Growth Projections
February 16, 2024
Study Commissioned by New Mexico State Legislature Conducted by UNM Bureau of Business & Economic Research
ALBUQUERQUE, NM—A new study commissioned by the New Mexico State Legislature and conducted by the University of New Mexico Bureau of Business & Economic Research (BBER) found that the 2013 projections for population growth, jobs created, and number of housing units needed that developers relied on to promote the highly controversial Santolina Development project were “unrealistic” and “highly unlikely.”…
IACHR Grants Thematic Hearing on Impacts to Indigenous Peoples’ Human Rights from Uranium Exploitation
Media Advisory
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Historic Hearing to be Held in Washington, D.C.
Weds, Feb. 28th at 11am EST/9am MST
What: Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ Thematic Hearing
Where: IACHR/OAS, 1889 F St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006
When: Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at 11am EST/9am MST
Who: Members of the Navajo Nation, Ute Nation and Oglala Lakota Nation will testify
Why: Impacts of Uranium Exploitation on the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the United States…
Executive Summary of UNM BBER Report “Potential Impacts of Santolina Development”
February 9, 2024 Link to one page Executive Summary (page 6) Link to full October 2023 report
Court Stops ABQ City Council from Purging Previous Air Board
Dan Lewis Bills Remain Unenforceable Until Court Determines Their Legality
Santa Fe—First Judicial District Judge Francis Mathew on Thursday, January 25, granted the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board’s request for a preliminary injunction blocking the City of Albuquerque from implementing two bills that the Albuquerque City Council passed in December 2023 illegally removing City appointed members of the Air board and putting a moratorium on acting by the Board through February.
City Council Intimidation Results in Rushed Air Board Regulation Hearing
New HEEI Rule Unlikely to Protect Overburdened Communities
ALBUQUERQUE, NM —The new Health, Environment, and Equity Impacts (HEEI) regulation passed by the Air Quality Control Board last month on December 11th has finally been published on the Joint Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board docket. (See Docket No. 242, pp. 22-23).
The Mountain View Coalition, represented by the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, continues to have questions about what the new rule means, how it will work, and most importantly, whether it will, in fact, protect predominantly low-income and People of Color communities like Mountain View that have been targeted with toxic and polluting industry for decades in Bernalillo County.
AIR QUALITY CONTROL BOARD CONCLUDES HISTORIC PUBLIC HEARING ON HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT & EQUITY IMPACTS REGULATION
Questions Remain Over What Impact New Revised Rule Will Have
ALBUQUERQUE, NM—A historic public hearing in front of the Joint ABQ-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board concluded last night, Monday, December 11th, at which the Board heard evidence and requests from the Mountain View Coalition, Pro-Se Parties, Dr. Sofia Martinez and Manuel Criollo represented by the UNM Natural Resources Law Clinic, and Pueblo of Isleta, along with countless community partners to address decades of environmental racism….
Air Board Decides to Continue Historic HEEI Public Hearing
Despite the horrific decisions by the Albuquerque City Council last night to override both Mayoral vetoes of the Dan Lewis bills to abolish the current Joint ABQ-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board and to establish a moratorium on board action through...
ABQ Mayor Vetoes Bills That Would Have Purged Air Quality Control Board
November 22, 2023
Press Release
Vetoes Mean Mountain View Coalition’s Cumulative Impacts Regulation Can Proceed to Dec. 4th Public Hearing
ALBUQUERQUE, NM—Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller vetoed two controversial bills today that would have purged the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Joint Air Quality Control Board and established a moratorium on action until February.
The Mayor cited a lack of cooperation with Bernalillo County, a lack of consultation with the Office of the Mayor, and that the bills were premature and an attempt to pre-empt the Air Quality Control Board’s upcoming public hearing on the Mountain View Coalition’s community-driven and historic Health, Environment & Equity Impacts regulation scheduled to begin in 12 days. …
ABQ City Council Passes Bill to Abolish Current Air Board
November 10, 2023
Press Release
Mayor Has 10 Days to Veto Controversial Ordinance
ALBUQUERQUE, NM—On Wednesday night, November 8th, after hours of debate and dozens of comments from community members, the Albuquerque City Council voted 5-4 to approve abolishing the current Joint Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board.
Councilors Dan Lewis, Brook Bassan, Louie Sanchez, Renee Grout and Trudy Jones voted for Lewis’ two bills to abolish the current board and to establish a moratorium on taking any action to address quality of life issues. Councilors Tammy Fiebellkorn, Pat Davis, Ike Benton and Klarissa Peña voted against both bills.
IACHR Makes Historic “Promotional Visit” to Churchrock & Crownpoint New Mexico
August 31, 2023
Press Release
Commissioners See First-Hand Impacts from Uranium Mining & Milling to Pueblo and Diné Communities
Churchrock, NM—Eastern Navajo Diné Against Uranium Mining (ENDAUM) and Red Water Pond Road Community Association, with support from NMELC, Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment (MASE) and Southwest Research & Information Center (SRIC), hosted a four-person delegation from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) during the last week of July at the Pueblo of Laguna, Churchrock and Crownpoint chapters of the Navajo Nation, and in Gallup, New Mexico.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Issues Rare Denial to Uranium Company Seeking to Walk Away from Groundwater Cleanup
June 27, 2023
Press Release
Homestake/Barrick Gold Request for “Alternate Concentration Limits” at Grants Reclamation Project Not Accepted by NRC
Albuquerque, NM —The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently took the unusual step of denying a License Amendment Request from Homestake Mining Company for Alternative Concentration Limits, which allow corporations to avoid cleaning up contaminated groundwater to pre-operational conditions. …
Air Board DENIES All Motions By Industry Trying to Disqualify Board Members Re Proposed Cumulative Impacts (HEEI) Regulation
Industry Filed 4 Meritless Motions to Disqualify Air Board Members for Alleged Bias
Mountain View Coalition’s Motion for the Air Board to Consider Alternative Recording Methods due to Exorbitant Costs to the Coalition for Hearing Transcription Was Approved
ALBUQUERQUE, NM—The Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board denied all four motions filed by industrial businesses attempting to disqualify three Air Board members and the Board in its entirety from participating in the upcoming rulemaking for a cumulative impacts regulation over air quality in Bernalillo County. The proposed regulation is called the Health, Environment & Equity Impacts (HEEI) Regulation and can be accessed here. …
New Mexico Terminal Services Air Pollution Permit Revoked by City
ALBUQUERQUE, NM—The Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board approved a joint motion tonight to dismiss a request for a hearing on the merits for an air quality permit issued in October 2020 for New Mexico Terminal Services (NMTS) for a proposed hot mix asphalt batch plant that would have operated in the Mountain View neighborhood. The vote was unanimous tonight, Wednesday, February 8, 2023.