Environment & Climate Change
After public pressure, ABQ Council confirms Pfeiffer to environmental board
Albuquerque councilors confirmed the appointment of the first Native person ever to serve on the city government’s Environmental Planning Commission, according to city sources. She’ll also be the only woman on the board. But it was only after public pressure and a letter-writing campaign from numerous organizations in support of the candidate, who said she […]
Haaland promises governors federal help for fires, drought
U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland pledged federal resources and cooperation with governors from 19 Western states to tackle wildfire resilience, drought management, oil and gas cleanup efforts and other issues made more difficult by climate change. Speaking at the Western Governors Association meeting outside San Diego on Thursday, Haaland touted funding for Interior priorities in […]
Billions targeted to state wildlife conservation under bipartisan push in Congress
A bipartisan pair of senators on Wednesday called for Congress to approve billions in new funding for states to manage wildlife recovery work. At a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Sens. Martin Heinrich, (D-N.M.), and Roy Blunt, (R-Mo.), said a bill they introduced this year would help protect 1,600 threatened species, […]
Biden’s oil and gas policy falls short on climate goals, House Democrats say
WASHINGTON — Democrats on the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee on Thursday encouraged President Joe Biden to take stronger action to limit oil and gas production, while Republicans said reducing domestic production would only increase global emissions from overseas suppliers. In a hearing less than a week after the U.S. Interior Department released a report […]
After sharp increase in earthquakes, NM announces new requirements for oil and gas drillers
A New Mexico agency overseeing oil extraction in the southern part of the state has issued a new protocol to deal with earthquakes caused by oil and gas production. State data showed an increase in the number of earthquakes in the Permian Basin, according to a report by Capital and Main. The number of magnitude […]
What is the Strategic Petroleum Reserve?
President Joe Biden ordered a release of oil from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve on Nov. 23, 2021, as a part of a coordinated effort with five other countries to tamp down rising fuel prices. The U.S. plans to tap 50 million barrels of crude oil in the coming months, while the other nations – the U.K., India, Japan, […]
Interior Department calls for oil and gas leasing updates, but not ending production
The U.S. Interior Department recommended increased fees for oil and gas exploration on federal lands as part of a long-awaited report released Friday that environmental groups said didn’t go far enough in limiting fossil fuels and Republicans derided as an attack on domestic producers. The report, ordered by President Joe Biden during his first week […]
New Mexico’s draft plan for hydrogen a non-starter for environmentalists
In mid-November, after months of hinting about an upcoming bill, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration sent a draft Hydrogen Hub Act out to stakeholders for their input. First reactions are not positive. “Let’s be crystal clear,” says Erik Schlenker-Goodrich, executive director of the Western Environmental Law Center, “this bill isn’t a climate or clean energy bill. […]
How paid leave, a tax cut for the rich and more could get axed from Biden’s social policy bill
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats cheered on the floor of the U.S. House after approving President Joe Biden’s massive social spending and climate bill. But a major struggle lies ahead in the coming month in the U.S. Senate, where Democrats cannot lose any votes within their party if they are to send the so-called Build Back Better […]
Biden opens oil reserve to relieve high gas prices — but it won’t be immediate
As gasoline prices spiral ahead of the big holiday travel season, President Joe Biden authorized the release of a record 50 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Tuesday—complicating his administration’s goal to transition to cleaner energy sources. In prepared remarks, Biden said he coordinated the release from the reserve, a complex of […]
Goats initiate Phase 1 of a plan to return some of the Bosque to its natural state
The latest public servants tasked with protecting the natural environment that make up Albuquerque’s Bosque eat all day and have four legs. This week more than 150 goats are munching on weeds at the Candelaria Nature Preserve on the east side of the Rio Grande. The goats are the first step in a new 20-year […]
Senate confirms first tribal member in history to lead National Park Service
The U.S. Senate approved by voice vote late Thursday the nomination of Charles F. Sams III as the first confirmed National Park Service director since 2017. Sams, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton, Ore., will be the first tribal member to lead the Park Service in the […]