Latest news with #JeffSteinborn
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
Proposal to designate a Southern NM hidden hiking gem into a state park heads to the Senate floor
Members of the Boys and Girls Club of Las Cruces pose for a picture while on a hike through Slot Canyon with Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks. (Photo provided by Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks) A proposal to designate Slot Canyon Riverlands as a state park cleared its last committee Tuesday morning and now heads to the Senate floor for a vote. The effort started in 2023 when Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D-Las Cruces) and Rep. Nathan Small (D-Las Cruces) introduced Senate Memorial 38 requesting that the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department's State Parks Division conduct a feasibility study on establishing Broad Canyon Ranch — a 30-acre wetland about 15 miles north of Las Cruces owned by the state — as a state park. Slot Canyon lies just south of Broad Canyon Ranch and is part of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. The study outlined three possible tracts of land butting up against the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, including one tract with direct access to Slot Canyon, a popular hiking trail west of the town of Radium Springs. The report estimates design, construction and equipment costs between $8.1 million and $9.3 million, including the construction of a new state park visitor center and facilities, designated parking, roadway improvements, tent and RV camping areas and designated trails. Slot Canyon has walls about 25 to 30 feet high and the trail is about a two-and-a-half mile looped hike that is very accessible for people, Patrick Nolan, executive director of Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, told Source NM. He said the hiking trail and canyon have access to the Rio Grande and are a 'really good intro into why we protect' natural areas. Slot canyons are described as narrow canyons with high reaching walls developed by water and wind erosion over many years. Utah has hundreds of them. But having one in New Mexico is rare, according to Kyla Navarro, policy and community coordinator for advocacy organization Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks. 'It's just an opportune place, I would say, for our community to enjoy the outdoors,' Navarro told Source NM. Steinborn described the natural area as a 'magical place' and one that could rival the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument for visitation. 'People literally have to park on the side of the road, hop a fence, head to this slot canyon and with this [park], we'll actually have this amazing destination that will…I think frankly grow the regional outdoor economy and just be another feather in the hat of New Mexico,' Steinborn told House Rural Development, Land Grants and Cultural Affairs Committee members during a March 4 hearing. If HB219 passes, the Slot Canyon Riverlands State Park would join the 35 other state parks operated in New Mexico. According to the fiscal impact report, EMNRD calculates a new state park will require $398,500 in recurring funding for the agency, which would include funds for four full time employees, two seasonal employees, utilities, equipment and maintenance. Sens. James Townsend (R-Artesia) and Candy Spence Ezzell (R-Roswell), members of the Senate Conservation Committee, asked about park visitor safety in cases of flashfloods during a Tuesday hearing. Small told committee members the park will be able to work with the nearby Elephant Butte Irrigation District to monitor rainfall, adding that safety will be a large part of the buildout of the state park, including signage and clear access to the park itself. 'Right now, there's a state road that sort of runs in between a couple of the main features, and one of the big things is to make it safer,' Small said. Visitors currently have to hop over a fence to gain access to the hiking trail. 'If this gets the use that it's expected to get, because it's already a very popular area where a lot of folks from the region and elsewhere go to, there's just going to be a lot more presence combined with the state park's law enforcement presence that's going to make it…very safe.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bill could make ‘magic mushrooms' a legal treatment option in New Mexico
SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – So-called 'magic mushrooms' could soon be used to treat patients with certain medical conditions in New Mexico. Bipartisan bill SB 219 which would legalize psilocybin has been moving quickly through the legislative session. Story continues below DWI Scandal: Another BCSO deputy placed on leave in connection to DWI dismissals Entertainment: Visit these 10 iconic film locations in New Mexico Events: What's happening around New Mexico March 14-20 The bill is meant to help people suffering from conditions like PTSD and severe depression. Although the idea is controversial, on Monday it received a lot of support. 'This is another option, that's all this is. It's another option but New Mexicans deserve to have this option,' said Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D-Las Cruces). Giving New Mexicans more ways to improve their health when other traditional medical treatments haven't worked, is what Sen. Steinborn said his bill to legalize psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, is meant to do. 'We have New Mexicans who are suffering with various conditions that are really kind of end runs in some cases, major drug-resistant depression where the pharmaceutical world isn't giving them any relief or they have major major side effects, they need another option,' said Sen. Steinborn. Modeled after programs in Oregon and Colorado, the bipartisan bill would allow the drug to be administered to a patient suffering from conditions including PTSD, severe depression, end-of-life anxiety, and addictions. Patients would be supervised and would only need the treatment once or twice. Lawmakers emphasized this would be for use in medical settings only and would not create psilocybin dispensaries. Supporters spoke during the bill's last committee hearing on Monday. 'By creating a structured regulated program for psilocybin treatment, this bill ensures that patients in New Mexico can safely and legally access the miraculous benefits under medical supervision,' said Denali Wilson, supporter of the bill. 'My psychiatrist had me try psilocybin-assisted therapy, my depression is now completely cured and my life has been saved so I ask you to please support this bill,' said a supporter named Molly who underwent psilocybin treatment. Some committee members expressed concerns about potential negative side effects but sponsors say the risks are low. 'It's a medicine of the mind in a way that has physical manifestations and sure it can be intense and a very very small amount of people could need extra deescalation or whatever from the experience, but by and large the outcome is very safe,' said Sen. Steinborn. The bill passed 8-1 in committee. It now heads to the House floor. If it passes there, it will head to the governor's desk. There are only five days left of the legislative session. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bold new bill could ban companies from using dangerous chemicals: 'We have a right to know'
New Mexico is taking a bold step toward cleaner water and safer communities with a proposed law to ban toxic chemicals from oil and gas operations, reported The Daily Climate. House Bill 222 would stop oil and gas companies from using perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, often called "forever chemicals," in fracking and require them to share more information about the chemicals they inject underground. PFAS stay in our environment for decades and have been linked to cancer and immune system damage. The ban would protect water supplies from potential contamination, helping communities already facing groundwater issues. For everyday New Mexicans, this means safer drinking water and reduced health risks from these dangerous substances that can spread through soil and water. Do you worry about having toxic forever chemicals in your home? Majorly Sometimes Not really I don't know enough about them Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. While the bill aims to protect public health, some industry representatives argue it could interfere with ongoing rulemaking. Lawmakers delayed voting to allow for careful revisions that address these concerns while establishing safeguards. Many New Mexicans see the bill as a chance to bring transparency to an industry that affects their daily lives. By requiring companies to reveal the chemicals they use in fracking, people living near extraction sites would learn what's happening in their backyards. Similar bans in other states have shown that we can produce energy responsibly without risking long-term harm to water supplies and public health. "We have a right to know fundamentally what chemicals are being put into the earth. We have a right to protect ourselves as well," said New Mexico state Sen. Jeff Steinborn. Advocates who support the bill note that past administrations weakened oil and gas waste disposal rules. While oil and gas companies maintain that they don't currently use PFAS in New Mexico operations, the lack of required reporting makes it impossible to verify these claims. The bill seeks to amend this transparency gap. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill calling for regent training heads to full Senate
University and college regents in New Mexico would undergo 10 hours of training in the first six months of their term under a bill headed to the full Senate. Senate Bill 19, which was unanimously approved by the Senate Rules Committee on Friday, requires the Higher Education Department to develop and provide the 10 hours of training to regents at all New Mexico postsecondary education institutions. According to the bill, the training includes: * Two hours covering the New Mexico Constitution and state statute pertaining to postsecondary education. * Two hours on financial management, budgeting and fiduciary duties. * Two hours on student success and student support services. * Two hours on institutional governance, innovation, best practices and available federal, state and nongovernmental resources to assist the boards of regents. * Two hours on ethics and state statutes related to ethics oversight and public accountability, including the procurement code, Open Meetings Act and the Inspection of Public Records Act. Though lauded as a good idea, the measure lacks consequences for regents who don't take the training. "Constitutionally, these are appointed positions, and in some cases, they're elected positions, so I don't know that we have the authority to say they have to stop serving, anything like that," said Sen. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, who is sponsoring the bill. "I think there's a lot of moral authority for them to do that and get it done or face the wrath of the public eye and the media," he said, "so I think we're relying on that and professionalism to make this part of the culture of becoming a new regent ... but there's no penalty, per se." Sen. Crystal Brantley, R-Elephant Butte, called the proposed training "more of a strong suggestion than a mandate" if there aren't any consequences and noted school boards have "similar encouragements." "But they do post it publicly, so you can see if one of your school board members has refused to take the classes," she said. "It's public record and easily accessible." Brantley said 10 hours of training for a regent is reasonable and encouraged Steinborn to add a disclosure provision. Sen. Jay Block, R-Rio Rancho, agreed "there needs to be some type of accountability" in the bill. The training would be provided through "online modules," which Steinborn said wasn't "optimal." "Having been a public employee and gone through training, I think when you sit eyeball to eyeball and meet your peers, it's better training," he said. "I agree with you," Block told Steinborn, "because all you're doing is clicking slides, and you're not even reading anything." Still, Sen. Katy Duhigg, D-Albuquerque, the committee chair, called the proposed training a good idea. "We heard from now [Public Regulation Commissioner Greg Nibert] the other day that for the PRC, he's getting, what, 32 hours of ethics training for that position," she said. "I don't think there's anything wrong with ensuring that people who are in these very important positions have all of the training that we would want them to have, and I don't think this is an onerous amount of training."
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proposed constitutional amendment would end 'patronage' in regent selection process
A constitutional amendment that would partially strip the governor of New Mexico of the power to nominate university regents cleared its first legislative hurdle Friday with unanimous approval from the Senate Rules Committee. But Senate Joint Resolution 7 faces a potentially more challenging assignment next: the Senate Judiciary Committee. "This bill has had an interesting history," Sen. Jeff Steinborn, a Las Cruces Democrat who has carried similar measures nine times before between 2013 to 2021, told members of the Senate Rules Committee. "It has passed the Senate before, it has passed the House before, just not in the same session," he continued. "It has passed this committee. It has not passed this committee. I won't give you the reasons why. But there's a lot of insider influence, frankly." But Steinborn said he's not giving up, and a recent scandal at Western New Mexico University in Silver City is helping his case, at least in the court of public opinion. The board of regents at Western signed off on a $1.9 million payout to the university's former president, Joseph Shepard, amid ongoing investigations over alleged improper use of public funds involving Shepard and the regents themselves. "Let's stop treating [these positions] as patronage jobs and let's start treating them as very important executive jobs where we need to actually recruit people who have something to bring to the table to our universities," Steinborn said. "It seeks to raise our game, frankly, as a state and for these schools. ... The way it works now is only people who are really politically connected to a governor probably are ever considered. Oftentimes, it's people who've supported a governor." Under the proposal, which Steinborn said could go to voters next year if approved by the Legislature, nominating committees for each higher education institution in the state would vet and interview candidates and then recommend the top contenders to the governor for appointment. Under the existing system, the governor has sole authority. "The governor would still get to make an appointment, [it] doesn't take away the governor's power," Steinborn said. "The Senate still gets to confirm these appointments. What it does do, though, is set up a professional interview process of ... a nonpartisan group of people so that we can actually try to get the best pool of people." Steinborn said unqualified candidates have been selected to oversee the state's higher education institutions in the past. "Right now, quite frankly, it's been a patronage basis, and I hate to say that," he said. "Not totally," Steinborn quickly added. "Sometimes people who are supporters of governors are excellent candidates." But during his time in the Legislature, Steinborn said politics — not qualifications — have influenced the selection process. "I've served now with three governors. Previous two, it was unbelievable," he said. "It just really does a disservice to maximizing the performance of our schools for our kids, for making them relevant so that we can move forward as a state."
