The land is our home. It’s where we live, play, work and dream.
Environmental degradation and disregard affects all of us: on public and private lands, urban and rural communities, and indigenous ancestral homes. The Law Center serves communities fighting to keep dangerous pollutants away from their land and clean up areas already contaminated.
Mount Taylor Mine Return to Active Status
Case: Ongoing The Cold War-era Mount Taylor uranium mine stopped producing in 1990, although it continues to leak contamination into groundwater. This case is a test of how the state’s Mining Act is enforced against “zombie” mines – mines that neither produce ore nor clean up.
LANL Cleanup Consent Order Failure
Case: Closed Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) missed multiple deadlines and accrued up to $300 million in fines under its 2005 Consent Order to clean up Cold War-era contamination. Governor Martinez’ New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) refused to enforce it and sought to repeal it with a new Consent Order in 2016.