No on SB194: Gas-fueled hydrogen plants are NOT renewable energy
SB194 will be heard in Senate Conservation Committee at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8. If your Senator is on the committee, write your senator a personal note in opposition. If not, please write Sens. Liz Stefanics, Antoinette Sedillo-Lopez, Bill Soules, Carrie Hamblen, Harold Pope and Joseph Cervantes. Please attend the hearing Tuesday, either in person or remotely (here’s the Zoom link). SB194 changes the definition of “renewable energy” in the Renewable Energy Act to include hydrogen-based electric power if carbon ...
New Mexico’s HB4 “Hydrogen Hub Act” presents climate threat
Hydrogen production, especially hydrogen derived from methane, presents many different types of pollution, safety and local health threats along the production and distribution chain, including:
- Significant, climate-damaging methane emissions from extraction and transportation;
- CO2 pollution from the process to produce hydrogen and from the gas burned to power that process;
- NOx pollution from combusting hydrogen (up to 6x burning methane);
- Pipelines that are not suited to carry hydrogen (potentially causing leaks and safety risks);
- End-use explosion and health risks ...
Get out and join us! Trips range from easy recycling facility tour to moderate bike-and-hike ...
Member focus: Gordon and Martia Glass
According to a post by his family on social media, Gordon Glass passed away Jan. 23: “Gordon left his earthly journey this morning and headed out on his next trail. He was grateful for the love and caring from all of you these past 10 months as he lived with Glioblastoma. He would want to say goodbye and best wishes to everybody who touched his life.” Below is the profile on Gordon and Martia Glass by outings leader Hart ...
Transformational climate legislation in New Mexico
HB6: The Clean Future Act Bill Sponsors: Rep. Nathan Small, Sen. Siah Correa Hemphill; On the Governor’s Call As New Mexicans experience prolonged drought, devastating forest fires, unprecedented heat waves, and pollution from industries right here at home, we must prioritize just climate solutions that protect our people and preserve our air, water, and climate. In addition to protecting our health and tackling the climate impacts we’re already seeing across the state, the clean-energy transition is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ...
Greater Chaco Coalition Demands More Than Piece-Meal Protection in Response to 10-Mile Buffer
Despite applauding President Joe Biden and Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s announcement in November to protect the Greater Chaco Landscape through a still-undefined “Honoring Chaco” process, members of the Greater Chaco Coalition are tempering their enthusiasm for the Department of Interior’s notice today of a 90-day public comment process surrounding the 20 year administrative withdrawal of federal minerals from future oil and gas leasing within a 10-mile buffer around Chaco Culture National Park, as the administration has reneged ...
NM Supreme Court Rules ETA Constitutional
The New Mexico Supreme Court today rejected New Energy Economy’s challenges to the constitutionality of the Energy Transition Act (ETA) and upheld the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) decision relating to the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station. These rulings end months of delays in sending transition funds to communities and issuing bonds that will reduce customer costs ...
Environmental Leaders Respond to LFC’s Budget Request
On January 6, the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee unveiled its budget proposal for consideration in the 2022 legislative session. The Committee proposed a $8.46 billion budget plan that fails to address the severity of the climate crisis by underfunding critical programming, investing in fossil fuel projects, and drastically cutting the essential budgets for environmental regulators ...
Revisit some of the key environment- and justice-related events of 2021 ...
