News
The latest news from the New Mexico Environmental Law Center.
EIB Offers Opportunities For Public to Comment on Carbon Caps
The Environmental Improvement Board will take public comment on the New Energy Economy and New Mexico Environment Department’s greenhouse gas (GHG) proposed rules in Hobbs, Clovis and Farmington. Get Details.
Climate Change: The Faster We Get on it, The Better for Everyone
Public comments submitted by Mary-Charlotte Domandi,
Producer and Host, The Santa Fe Radio Cafe
KSFR 101.1 FM, Santa Fe Public Radio
I first became aware of how serious the climate change problem was about five years ago when I started spending time socially with a group of scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratories. There’s a terrific program, not open to the public, where LANL brings in top scientists from all over the country, MIT, Rice, University of California, and so on, to give lectures to the scientists here. And my friends were continually talking about the speakers who came in to talk about energy.
There was at that time, no discussion in those lectures about whether or not climate change was real and man-made—that was already established. It was all about how we were going to get off of fossil fuels, and how many terrawatts of energy each non-carbon-emitting source could yield, and what research was most promising, and what was the time line.
New Energy Economy GHG Regulation Summary
Here is a summary of, our client, New Energy Economy’s greenhouse gas emission cap regulatory proposal:
Climate Change Experts Talk to KSFR’s Radio Café - Get the Podcasts, Get Informed!
The Santa Fe Radio Café on KSFR interviews climate change experts all this week. Miss the shows? Get the podcasts and get informed!
Learn more about the case and get filed documents and testimony.
Solar and Nuclear Costs - The Historic Crossover
Why solar power is now the better buy over new nuclear energy in North Carolina.
Learn About Groundwater
Not many people realize that 99 percent of the freshwater we use is groundwater. This video helps people worldwide to understand the importance of groundwater. An IGRAC initiative: http://www.igrac.nl
A good article from AlterNet.org: Everything You Need to Know About Groundwater.
EPA 40 CFR Part 192 Uranium-Thorium Standards Discussion Forum
EPA is establishing this discussion forum to ensure an open and transparent process as we review 40 CFR Part 192, Uranium and Thorium Mill Tailings Standards to determine if revisions are needed. They are looking for input and public response. Visit the EPA discussion forum here.
Find out more about our uranium case work.
We Met Our Match!
Thank you everyone for contributing. Your support is essential to the NMELC’s critical work!!
Australia Nuclear Waste Dump Row
AlJazeera English does a story on Australia’s government’s plans for a nuclear waste dump in a remote part of the country’s Northern Territory. The proposed nuclear dump has divided local people while environmentalists warn it could one day be used to store waste from overseas.
A Note on HRI’s Media Response to Jurisdiction Decision in 10th Circuit Court
Folks-
In looking through all the media coverage of the HRI jurisdiction decision, I (and others) have noticed a distressing fact. Papers and websites are reporting, without question, HRI’s assertion that it has all the permits it needs to begin mining and could start mining now if it wanted.
This is NOT true. HRI has a discharge permit from NMED (which is essentially a UIC permit, which HRI needs), but it is NOT valid - it needs to be renewed. Additionally, HRI needs a temporary aquifer designation before it can begin mining. So all the reports about HRI being able to start mining now are FALSE. HRI needs to get those state permits - which could take years with public hearings and court appeals - before it can mine.
I wanted to let you know, so that you can answer questions from community members or media outlets.
Eric Jantz, Staff Attorney
Learn more about the Hydro Resources, Inc. uranium mines case.
Dark Water Trailer
This is a trailer for a documentary on the uranium industry’s “dirty little secret” that’s being put together by some folks who’ve been filming in South Dakota and Colorado.
Supreme Court to Hear Oral Arguments Monday, June 7th @ 1:30 PM
On Monday, we will witness an historic hearing before the New Mexico Supreme Court. The Law Center’s own Bruce Frederick will ask the justices to order a Lovington judge to stop interfering in the Environmental Improvement Board’s right to hear our climate change petition. But this case is now far more than a greenhouse gas case: the Lovington decision – if not thrown out – will not only kill our petition, but threatens the State’s process for considering all regulations (environmental and non-environmental) at the State level.
The hearing will be at 1:30 pm on Monday, June 7th at the Supreme Court in Santa Fe. If you wish to attend, arrive early – we anticipate that the arguments will take place before a packed room.
If you can’t attend, you can check our website on the afternoon of the 7th to learn the outcome, or sign up for our Twitter feed.
NM Supreme Court to Hear Challenge in GHG Case
NM Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on June 7th regarding our client, New Energy Economy’s, petition regarding reversing a district judge’s decision that stopped the greenhouse gas emissions rulemaking.
Learn more about the New Mexico Greenhouse Gas Emission Caps case.
Supreme Court Orders Response in Greenhouse Gas Caps Case
New Mexico Supreme Court has ordered Judge Shoobridge and Plaintiffs to file a response in the greenhouse gas caps case.
Learn more about the New Mexico Greenhouse Gas Emission Caps case.
Get PDF of Supreme Court Order for Response.
IT AIN’T OVER ‘TIL IT’S OVER
NMELC FILES FOR EN BANC REVIEW IN HRI URANIUM MINING SUIT
The Law Center filed a Petition for Panel or En Banc Rehearing for our clients to the US 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on April 22nd. As you may recall, last month a 3-judge panel ruled against our appeal of a uranium mining license issued to Hydro Resources by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Petition requests that all eleven active judges of the appellate court review our case.
One of our primary contentions in this case is that the Church Rock Section 17 proposed mine site is already heavily contaminated with radioactive waste from Cold War-era mining; this waste leaks enough radiation into the air that the area’s air quality already exceeds federal health and safety standards for radioactivity. Our Petition asks for an en banc review of the panel’s ruling that Hydro Resources is not required to include this existing radiation levels in its calculations for how much radiation its operations will produce. Under the panel’s ruling, the mining company will not have to clean up the site before it begins mining - and local residents will have to breathe radioactive air that has been contaminated twice-over.
See the filed Petition in PDF format.
Learn more about the Hydro Resources, Inc. uranium mines case