CURRENT PRESS RELEASE
San Agustin Plains Aquifer Protected by Judge’s Final Order
Thursday, August 29, 2024
Order Confirms Another Water Win for NM
Reserve, NM —On Friday, August 23, Judge Roscoe Woods of the 7th Judicial District entered a final order that the New Mexico State Engineer was correct in denying an application to mine and hoard tens of thousands of acre feet of water per year of San Agustin Plains groundwater.
The water transfer application was submitted by Augustin Plains Ranch (APR) LLC, a New York-based company owned by Italian billionaire Bruno Modena. This is yet another water win for New Mexico.
The judge’s decision was based on the fact that the application is speculative—ruling that APR failed to point to any end users that would rely on the water. New Mexico state law does not allow anyone to hoard water for someone’s hypothetical future use.
On April 5, in a standing-room-only courtroom, nearly one 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 the San Agustin Plains, a closed groundwater basin (meaning the basin has no outlet ) and the basin is not recharged by perennial streams. A closed basin will not be recharged or replenished and once the groundwater is pumped out the basin will be dry. …
Read full release
Past Press Releases
New Mexico State Auditor Reveals It Is Investigating Camino Real Regional Utility Authority
Wednesday, August 28, 2024
CRRUA Being Investigated for Potential “Fraud, Waste & Abuse”
SUNLAND PARK, NM—On Monday, August 19, 2024, the New Mexico Office of the State Auditor (OSA) responded to Sunland Park and Santa Teresa community members’ request for an investigation into the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (CRRUA) for any and all violations of environmental protection laws; consumer protection laws; the New Mexico Open Meetings Act; and waste, fraud, and abuse of state and federal funds.. …
Governor Makes Big Promises to Clean Up Water in Southern NM–Will She Deliver?
Thursday, August 15, 2024
Residents of Sunland Park & Santa Teresa Call on Governor to Follow-Through on Her Public Commitments at Last Month’s Town Hall in Las Cruces to Fix Contaminated Water Issues
SUNLAND PARK, NM—On Thursday, July 25, during a public town hall in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham publicly committed to hold a public meeting in Sunland Park to hear, address, and respond to public concerns surrounding the ongoing water quality and service issues by the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (CRRUA). The Governor also publicly promised to “get the water cleaned and restored.” . …
Residents Ask Dept. of Justice & State Auditor to Investigate CRRUA
Thursday, August 15, 2024
SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO WATER UTILITY IN HOT WATER AGAIN
Residents Ask Dept. of Justice & State Auditor to Investigate CRRUA as Tap Water Turns Yellow Yet Again
SUNLAND PARK, NM—On Friday, August 2, the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, on behalf of community members in Sunland Park and Santa Teresa, submitted a request to the New Mexico Department of Justice (DOJ) and the New Mexico Office of the State Auditor to investigate the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (CRRUA) for violations of environmental protection laws; consumer protection laws; waste, fraud, or abuse of state and federal funds; and violations of the New Mexico Open Meetings Act.
Read the 24-page official request here. …
Community Request for NM DOJ & State Auditor Investigation of CRRUA
August 2, 2024 Via email to: Raul Torrez, Attorney General New Mexico Department of Justice 201 3rd Street NW, Suite 900 Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102 rtorrez@nmag.gov Joseph M. Maestas, State Auditor Office of the State Auditor 2540 Camino Edward Ortiz, Suite A Santa...
Mountain View Coalition Files Federal Civil Rights Complaint Against City of ABQ
Monday, June 3, 2024
MOUNTAIN VIEW RESIDENTS FILE FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLAINT AGAINST CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE FOR INTERFERING WITH HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT & EQUITY IMPACTS (HEEI) HEARING
Mountain View Coalition Alleges City Blatantly & Deliberately Discriminated Against a Community of Color
ALBUQUERQUE, NM—During tonight’s Albuquerque City Council meeting, several Mountain View residents charged City Council with racial discrimination, announcing that on Friday, May 31, 2024, the Mountain View Coalition—made up of Mountain View Neighborhood Association, Mountain View Community Action and Friends of Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge—represented by the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, filed a federal Civil Rights Complaint against the City of Albuquerque and Albuquerque City Council with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, alleging discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin, in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. …
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 acre feet of water per year of San Augustin Plains groundwater. …
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...