CURRENT PRESS RELEASE
Southern NM Residents Demand Accountability from State Officials About Unhealthy Drinking Water
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Residents Ask What Actions State will Take to Address Water Crisis
SUNLAND PARK, NM—On Monday, September 16, 2024, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) held a public town hall in Sunland Park, New Mexico, about the ongoing water crisis and service issues by the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority (CRRUA).
NMED Secretary James Kenney moderated the meeting, which ran about two and a half hours long, was streamed live and can be viewed here. Neither NMED nor NMDOH staff made presentations on health impacts of arsenic, which had been in the promotional materials for the Town Hall. The entire Town Hall consisted of taking questions and comments from audience members in the packed auditorium. Residents shared stories and directed their disappointment and frustration at state officials for dodging responsibility, passing the buck, lacking transparency, and taking too long to fix the water crisis problems.
Sunland Park resident and NMELC client José Saldana said, “The Governor promised us that the increase of the water was not going to happen. She promised us, the community, that she was going to stop the increase of the water bill and nothing has happened. So that’s why we made this meeting. And they should increase the water rates to the dispensaries and to the landfill.”…
Read full report.
Past Press Releases
Southside Community Comes out in Full Force against the Proposed Asphalt Plant Permit in Spite of Systemic Barriers to Participation
Santa Fe, NM—More than 100 community members attended the three-day hearing on the proposed Air Quality Permit for Associated Asphalt & Material’s plant consolidation which was held before the NM Environmental Department and took place Monday, March 22 through Wednesday, March 25. Participants ranged in age from elementary school students at El Camino Real and Cesar Chavez, to seniors living in the impacted area. Every single member of the public who provided comment during the Public Hearing spoke against the permit except one.
Earth Care Leads Community Resistance to Asphalt Plant Expansion in Santa Fe’s Southside Neighborhood
WHAT: Associated Asphalt and Materials LLC’s application to New Mexico Environment Department’s Air Quality Bureau for an Air Quality Permit
WHEN: Public Hearing on the Application is scheduled for March 22, 2021 at 4 p.m.
WHERE: The Public Hearing will take place virtually and will be presided over by Hearing Officer Gregory Chakalian.
WRITTEN & ORAL COMMENTS: The public may submit written comments by email or post to Pamela Jones, Hearing Clerk, at: Pamela.Jones@state.nm.us or mail them to Pam Jones, Hearing Clerk, New Mexico Environment Department, 1190 St. Francis Drive, Santa Fe, NM 87505.
South Valley Neighborhood Appeals City’s Air Permit for Proposed Asphalt Plant
Mountain View Neighborhood Association & Mountain View Community Action Ask Air Quality Control Board to Void Permit for New Mexico Terminal Services Hot Mix Asphalt Batch Plant The Mountain View Neighborhood Association and Mountain View Community Action along...
NM Environmental Law Center & NukeWatch NM Denounce LANL’s Resumed Plans for Radioactive Tritium Releases
Santa Fe, NM – Today the New Mexico Environmental Law Center and Nuclear Watch New Mexico notified the Environmental Protection Agency that its rubber stamping of plans by the Department of Energy and the Los Alamos National Laboratory to vent up to 114,000 curies of...
New Mexico Environmental Law Center Welcomes New Executive Director and a New Era in Environmental Justice
On July 27, 2020 the New Mexico Environmental Law Center is proud to announce and welcome Dr. Virginia Necochea as the organization’s new Executive Director. Dr. Virginia Necochea is a long-time educator, researcher, writer, and community advocate. She is the former...
Community-Based, Environmental and Civil Rights Activists Across Country Issue Statement and Unified Demands
On July 9, 2020 the New Mexico Environmental Law Center (the Law Center) stands in solidarity with a broad alliance of environmental justice groups, activists, allies, and partners from across the country. This week, the Law Center released a call to action...
New Mexico Groups Appeal EPA’s Dirty Water Rule
On Tuesday June 23, 2020 Today three New Mexico based organizations - Amigos Bravos, the New Mexico Acequia Association, and Gila Resources Information Project - joined together to appeal the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers so...
Copper Flat Mine Rescission of Notice
On March 31, 2020, the Mining and Minerals Division (MMD) of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, rescinded its prior determination that the permit application for the Copper Flat Mine is technically complete. According to the MMD’s order, the mining...
Community Groups Sue Air Force Over Kirtland Over Jet Fuel Cleanup
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Leadership Change at the Law Center
Today, January 14, 2020, we are announcing a change in leadership at the Law Center. The announcement from Douglas Meiklejohn provides details about this transition. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Doug, Board member Susanne Hoffman-Dooley...
Mt Taylor Mine to Close!
In a stunning victory for Native communities, Rio Grande Resources (RGR), owner of the Mt Taylor uranium mine, notified the Mining and Minerals Division (MMD) of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department of “cessation of mining operations” and...
Eric Jantz Named Environmental Lawyer of the Year
Eric Jantz, Staff Attorney for the nonprofit New Mexico Environmental Law Center, is being honored by the Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law section of the New Mexico Bar Association as Lawyer of the Year. Eric has been with the Law Center for eighteen...
AND THE WINNER IS: LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY
The New Mexico Environmental Law Center bestowed its annual Toxic Turkey Award to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for nearly six decades of polluting the human and natural environment and continuous violations of basic principles of environmental justice. The...
EPA Repeal of Water Rule Threatens New Mexico’s Waters and Communities
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers repealed the 2015 Obama-era Rule that clarified the definition of "Waters of the US" (WOTUS). Waters that are included in WOTUS receive protection under the Clean Water Act. The settings for the...
McKinley Uranium Working Group Gains/Loses County Commission Support
On July 30, Percy Anderson and Janene Yazzie of the McKinley County Uranium Working Group, which has been seeking County Commission support for a Blue Ribbon Task Force to study the impacts of uranium mining in the County, appeared to get support from two of the three...