New Mexico | News | Events | Organizations

The Navajo Nation's battle to beat back new uranium mining continued Thursday as tribal leaders pressed the U.S. government to halt any new extraction projects on or near the reservation. Navajo President Joe Shirley and other tribal officials joined Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., at an informal U.S. House hearing to examine the uranium mining legacy in New Mexico, Arizona and Utah and lingering cleanup problems.

In New Mexico, water rights are becoming more and more common, while the actual water supply appears to be approaching a shortage.  The state recently mandated that cities along the Rio Grande maintain their own water rights only adding to the fight to access water. State officials, developers and farmers are all in fierce competition to gain control of New Mexico’s dwindling resource.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has voiced concerns over a written document describing the potential environmental impacts of Desert Rock, a coal-fired power plant set to be built on the Navajo nation.  Numerous environmental groups have supported the EPA’s concerns over a failure to address byproducts that may leach into the ground water and threaten public health.

A new survey by the Kaiser Foundation shows that health premiums in New Mexico rose 8% last year, compared to a national increase of only 6.1%. Healthcare officials have defended the increase and said that they are slowing due to a greater use of generic drugs and outpatient clinics. Premium boosts for small businesses were limited to a 3-5% increase.

A state sponsored grant has been awarded to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the World Wildlife Fund to restore segments of the Pecos River which passes through Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge. New Mexico passed the 2007 River Ecosystem Restoration Initiative which supplied the $518,500 grant. The funds will be used to remove the invasive salt cedar and replant native species which naturally occur around the river.

A Federal program to reintroduce grey wolves along the New Mexico-Arizona border has been heavily scrutinized by both ranchers and conservationists. Ranchers claim that the wolves are threatening their livestock while conservationists are angered over the shooting of several wolves. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service is seeking public proposals to sustain the wolf population with support from both sides.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service has presented 8 grants in New Mexico totaling $274,000 for experimental projects that benefit the environment. Included in the projects are digesters which use bacteria to break down manure and a system which uses dairy wastewater to irrigate farmland.

A new study by an environmental group shows that the Four Corners power plant emits the most nitrogen oxides of any power plant in the United States. The Environmental Integrity Project also found that Four Corners along with nearby San Juan Generating Station were among the 50 dirtiest power plant for three different pollutants. The group that organized the study says the only way power plants will reduce their emissions is through increased government regulation.

The Navajo Nation is seeking to build a coal power plant which would bring $50 million in profit annually by selling power to nearby Phoenix and Las Vegas. Environmental groups strongly oppose construction of the Desert Rock plant because of air pollution and global warming, while many navajos believe it would be spiritually desecrating. Although New Mexico has no authority over the nation, Governor Bill Richardson has promised to remove any tax incentives from the proposal.

The National Guard’s 6,000 troops providing relief to border patrol will be cut to 3,000 at the end of the month. Troops had originally been stationed along the border to operate radios and control rooms, and repair vehicles, roads and fences. The departure has many Border Patrol officials concerned about their ability to manage illegal immigration.