By Antoinette Reyes, Chapter Permian and Southern NM organizer After 10 years of work by environmental and frontline communities in New Mexico and around the country, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham joined EPA Administrator Michael Regan at the UN
NM Gas proposes LNG plant near monument

If you have hiked Petroglyph National Monument North, you know its rugged beauty and cultural significance. New Mexico Gas Company is proposing a $180 million facility for storing and regasifying liquefied natural gas (LNG) on 25 acres close to these petroglyphs, and just two miles from Ventana Ranch and Double Eagle Airport. The facility poses health and safety risks to surrounding communities and could raise the prices of gas by $3 a month for the next 30 years for ALL gas customers. The LNG proposal comes before the Public Regulation Commission on January 8.
Greater Chaco Coalition Applauds State Land Office’s Continued Commitment

The Greater Chaco Coalition commends New Mexico State Land Office Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard for the renewal of the 2019 Executive Order No. 2019-002. This order reinstates a moratorium on new oil and gas leasing covering 72,776 acres of state trust lands in the Greater Chaco area through December 21, 2043. The Commissioner’s commitment is one step on the path to ending the sacrifice of Indigenous lands and lives to toxic, destructive fossil fuels in Greater Chaco and beyond. 12/14/2023.
Winter 2024 Outings
Greater Chaco Coalition Calls on Administration to Follow Through with “Honoring Chaco”
Day Hikes in the Santa Fe Area, 9th Edition
Now in its 9th edition – the popular Day Hikes on the Santa Fe Area by the Northern Group of the Rio Grande Sierra Club.
Science is missing from the bear and cougar proposals

In late spring 2023, New Mexico Game and Fish opened the bear and cougar hunting rules for review as it does every 4 years. The public was invited to provide comments. But the agency only provided a document totaling 1.5 pages that encompassed statements about its proposed black bear (Ursus americanus) and cougar (Puma concolor) rule changes with no specifics about what was being proposed. A few more pages were provided in August with a little more detail about the proposals but very little about the justifications for those proposals. The public has little information about the studies NMDGF relies upon to make population determinations, and no population management objectives (other than implicit hunter satisfaction and future hunting opportunities) have been made public for either species.
In the news – NM Game Commission to decide hunting limits for mountain lion, bear
Fall 2023 Outings
Supporting the Rio Grande Chapter, Honoring Carole Evans’ Life
Carole Evans, a passionate activist, passed away in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 31, 2023 at the age of 78. We are deeply grateful to Carole’s family for their commitment to and concern for enjoying and protecting the Bosque. We share in their loss.