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Northern NM disaster victims can request repair estimates “at no cost” from federal agency
Many recovering from the enormous disasters that plagued northern New Mexico last year still haven’t received compensation for all of their losses. Dead trees, debris and erosion from the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire still clutter people’s land in northern New Mexico. And concerns remain that these things could turn into greater threats as more floods […]
New Mexico temporarily bans new oil and gas leases near schools
Nearly a month ago, plaintiffs sued New Mexico regarding pollution caused by the state’s robust oil and gas production. On Thursday, the state put a temporary halt on granting new fossil fuel leases near places where children and students gather. New Mexico Lands Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard announced the moratorium Thursday morning with an executive […]
Agricultural producers share concerns about new federal environmental protection proposal
New Mexico rancher Bret Riley is concerned a new federal rule that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management wants to set in place could interfere with his agricultural business. Leroy Romero, a retired electrical engineer, didn’t know much about the proposed rule until recently but has questions about how it’ll affect his outdoor hunting and […]
Feds update map detailing New Mexico internet access, revised after inaccuracies
A federal map, released on Tuesday, lays out who does and doesn’t have reliable, high-speed internet access in New Mexico. After errors in the map released previously, the updated version could make the difference in the state getting hundreds of millions of dollars in grant money to set up broadband. New Mexico’s broadband officials have […]
New Mexico trying to build and train new workforce for broadband expansion
Tamara Rosenberg successfully wrote a grant to get Luna County $75,000 to help set up high-speed internet for rural New Mexicans. The problem? There isn’t much of a workforce to pay to get broadband going. “We don’t have enough people with skill sets to make the materials, to install the materials, to know how to […]
Federal grants no longer enough to fully connect Native communities to high-speed internet
SANTA CLARA PUEBLO — While the sun beamed down on old adobe houses outside on Wednesday, a group of tribal and federal officials gathered inside to analyze a mostly red map detailing a lack of good internet access across Santa Clara Pueblo. Work is in progress to change that. Last year, Santa Clara Pueblo was […]
PRC orders utility to give credits to New Mexicans after undercharging large customers
State officials want to make sure New Mexicans are not missing out on what could be more than $1 million because a Texas utility company was found charging incorrect rates on electric bills. Last week, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission ruled that El Paso Electric had been undercharging some of its largest customers a […]
Community solar moves forward; developers chosen to set up renewable energy facilities
After weeks of delay, New Mexico’s push to get solar energy to communities like apartment renters and low-income households is progressing again. InClime, a renewable energy-affiliated company, chose 45 solar facility projects out of over 400 proposals, giving companies the green light to start the process to set up farms they’ll soon operate for New […]
Albuquerque may not be able to afford Walmart property in International District
Albuquerque city government officials have for months shown interest in buying a shutdown Walmart in the International District, with plans to purchase it using money secured from the state Legislature. The city says now those funds may not be enough. Albuquerque got just under $2 million in the 2023 legislative session to devote to projects […]
More setbacks in New Mexico’s effort to launch solar energy program
New Mexico’s community solar program is stalled again as more allegations arise against the process to pick developers to bring solar energy to the state. People seeking to set up solar farms for the program are held up by mistakes from a third party company hired to review applications, and it’s unclear when all of […]
CYFD head asks for public watchdogs: ‘Watch and see, and hold us accountable’
Officials from the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department announced goals they want to meet in order to improve the state agency that’s regularly criticized, and asked the public to hold it accountable for meeting future targets. On Tuesday, CYFD launched a dashboard that displays internal and external work data about how well the […]
Technical issues creating barriers for asylum seekers, migrant advocacy workers say
Title 42 is over, and technology that serves as the main route for anyone requesting asylum is already showing problems. This comes as the United States transitions into stricter immigration practices after the end of the pandemic-era policy that allowed authorities to turn away migrants due to COVID. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of migrants are […]