CURRENT PRESS RELEASE
EPA Launches Investigation of ABQ City Council for Possible Civil Rights Violations (COPY)
Friday, January 17, 2025
Decision is a Response to Complaint Filed by the Mountain View Coalition & NMELC
ALBUQUERQUE, NM—The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it is launching an investigation into the City of Albuquerque and the Albuquerque City Council to determine whether it discriminated against a low-income community of color—Mountain View—when it passed two bills purging and putting a moratorium on action taken by the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board in December 2023.
The Mountain View Coalition has alleged that the City Council’s actions violated Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits the City from using federal funding to discriminate against residents on the basis of race, color and national origin.
The Mountain View Coalition (MVC) is made up of the Mountain View Neighborhood Association, Mountain View Community Action, and Friends of Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, and is represented by the New Mexico Environmental Law Center.
The letter from EPA’s Office of External Civil Rights (OECRC) announcing the decision to launch an investigation can be accessed here. …
Read full release.
Past Press Releases
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.
Air Quality Control Board Votes Unanimously to Hold a Public Hearing on Proposed Equity Impacts Regulation
December 16, 2022
Mountain View Coalition & NMELC Pleased with Last Night’s Decision
ALBUQUERQUE, NM—Community members were pleased when the Air Quality Control Board voted unanimously to hold a public hearing on the Mountain View Coalition and New Mexico Environmental Law Center’s proposed Health, Environment and Equity Impacts Regulation on Wednesday, December 14, 2022.
The meeting was held hybrid and approximately 50 people attended in person and nearly 70 people attended over zoom. Eighteen community members spoke during public comment in favor of the proposed equity impacts regulation and the need for a public hearing. Other community members submitted written comments in support; State Senator Linda Lopez submitted a letter of support which was read aloud during the meeting.
NMELC & ENDAUM Submit Request for Thematic Hearing to IACHR
December 8, 2022
ALBUQUERQUE, NM—Diné and other Indigenous communities affected by uranium development took an important step on December 8, 2022, when they, with Law Center assistance, filed a request for a thematic hearing with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to present testimony about the ongoing human rights violations associated with uranium development….