Latest news with #NewMexicoWild
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘A huge victory': Vasquez touts nixing of public lands sell-off in Congressional bill
U.S. Reps. Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) and Ryan Zinke, a Republican from Montana, on May 7, 2025 announced a new bipartisan public lands caucus. (Photo courtesy U.S. Rep. Vasquez's office) The Republican reconciliation bill that cleared the United States House of Representatives by a narrow margin this week no longer authorizes the sale of thousands acres of public land in Utah and Nevada. U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM), who co-founded the Bipartisan Public Lands Caucus earlier this year, said the removal of that provision represents a 'huge victory' for all Americans concerned about public lands being sold to the highest bidder. Vasquez said in a statement he started the caucus with U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Montana Republican, to beat back these attacks on public lands. 'We committed to working across party lines to sit down and ensure the integrity of our land management system. We've worked together across the aisle to prevent this unprecedented public lands sell-off,' Vasquez said. 'We will continue to work together to ensure our lands are public, accessible and well managed.' U.S. Reps. Vasquez (D-N.M.) and Zinke (R-MT) launch new bipartisan public lands caucus The provision would have gutted protections for 500,000 acres of land near Zion National Park, along with critical habitat for threatened desert tortoises and other areas designated by Congress for conservation, according to New Mexico Wild, a conservation advocacy group. That could have meant the lands were turned into 'golf courses, luxury resorts or strip malls,' the group said in a statement Thursday. Environmental groups nationally have applauded the removal of the provision, which Reps. Celeste Maloy (R-Utah) and Mark Amodei (R-Nevada) sponsored. New Mexico Wild's executive director Mark Allison said the bipartisan pushback was a factor in maintaining the land's protections, but he warned that this is the first of many fights in coming days to stave off efforts to privatize public lands. 'The fact that House Republicans were forced to retreat shows that when we unite to defend our birthright, politicians listen,' he said in a statement. 'But make no mistake — this fight is far from over. The same forces that tried to sneak this land grab through would love nothing more than to come after New Mexico's public lands next time.' The reconciliation bill now heads to the Senate.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Mexico groups cheer reintroduction of bill to protect Gila-area rivers and streams
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich and U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez on April 18 announced the reintroduction of the M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act, which would designate approximately 450 miles of the Gila and San Francisco Rivers and their tributaries as Wild and Scenic. (Photo courtesy New Mexico Wild) New Mexico Democrats U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich and U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez on Friday announced the reintroduction of the M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act, which would designate approximately 450 miles of the Gila and San Francisco Rivers and their tributaries 'wild and scenic rivers.' That designation would protect the area under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The bill has been introduced three prior times with support from the entire delegation. 'The Gila and San Francisco Rivers are among the last wild, free-flowing rivers in the Southwest— vital to the region's wildlife, communities, and culture. To truly safeguard the Gila's wild character, we must also protect its rivers,' Heinrich, ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said in a statement. Vasquez, who held a news conference with members of the Wild Gila River Coalition in Silver City on Friday, called the Gila River 'a symbol of everything we love about New Mexico—wild, beautiful and full of life. This legislation is about protecting that legacy for future generations.' Reintroduction of the bill came with support from a myriad of sources, including New Mexico Wild Executive Director Mark Allison, who said the bill 'honors the original vision of Aldo Leopold and river champions like the late Dutch Salmon, without whose efforts this river we love would have been greatly diminished. The legislation also aims to preserve sites held sacred to communities that have called the Gila region home for centuries. New Mexicans know how irreplaceable our natural and cultural heritage is and overwhelmingly support this effort.' (For more on Leopold and the Gila, be sure to read his 1921 essay 'The Wilderness and Its Place in Forest Recreational Policy.') Fort Sill Apache Tribe Chairwoman Jennifer Heminokeky noted in a statement that 'much of the Gila and San Francisco rivers are located within the Fort Sill (Chiricahua-Warm Springs ) Apache Tribe's original 14-million-acre homeland that our ancestors were removed from by force. The Gila River and its tributaries provide a cultural roadmap to our ancestors who thrived in the surrounding lands for centuries. This legislation reflects my belief that it is our responsibility to protect these cultural and natural resources for future generations, just as our ancestors cared for these lands and rivers before us. We will continue to stand with others in this community to protect the Gila and San Francisco rivers.' Residents and local governments also commended the legislation and remarked on its importance. 'Each member of this community has a different story of their experience and connection to the forest and the river, but protection of the Gila is extremely important to all of us,' Silver City Councilor and Mayor Pro Tem Guadalupe Cano said in a statement. 'As our community continues to grow and evolve, our love of the Gila is the one thing that stays the same.'
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State land commissioner bans mining in Upper Pecos Watershed
Mar. 12—SANTA FE — New Mexico's commissioner of public lands banned mining on state land in the Upper Pecos Watershed, a move meant to pressure the federal government to follow through on similar protections for federal land. Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard signed an executive order Wednesday morning to withdraw 2,552 acres of state land from mineral leases through 2045. There are no active mining leases on the state land, but a mining company, Comexico LLC, acquired 20 mining leases on federal land in the Upper Pecos Watershed in 2019. The area was once home to the Tererro Mine, which left significant mine waste behind, killing off 90,000 fish in 1991. The subsequent cleanup effort cost New Mexico $28 million. Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland started the process to withdraw 165,000 acres of federal land from mining in December, but the Trump administration's interest in mining rare earth and precious metals may derail the process. "The Pecos River is worth more than gold, and we will continue to fight to keep it clean and healthy and thriving," said Pecos farmer Ralph Vigil, who is also a northern advocate for nonprofit New Mexico Wild. The Pecos River plays a key role in the Village of Pecos' local economy, according to Vigil and Pecos Mayor Telesfor Benavidez, because it is a popular camping and fishing area. The area is also culturally significant as the ancestral home of the Pueblo of Pecos. River water is used by local farmers in the acequia system, a tradition passed down for generations. "We still do it, because it's part of who we are," Vigil said. "It's part of that connection to the land, because without it, especially for me, I feel empty. I don't feel alive." The Bureau of Land Management indefinitely postponed a February public meeting, required as one of the first steps in the two-year process, to consider the proposed federal mining ban on 164,000 acres of National Forest land and 1,330 acres of BLM-managed land. BLM is still accepting public comments on the proposal until March 17, and New Mexico Wild has collected an estimated 400 comments to submit, said NM Wild staff attorney Sally Paez. President Donald Trump wants to increase domestic mining. He referenced increasing U.S. production of rare earth and critical minerals during last week's joint address of Congress. One of his day-one executive orders instructed federal agency heads to identify "agency actions that impose undue burdens on the domestic mining and processing of non-fuel minerals and undertake steps to revise or rescind such actions." Trump specifically directed the Interior and Agriculture secretaries to reassess any public land withdrawals for potential revision. The state Land Office order is an attempt to "push the powers that be to listen to the voices of the community," Garcia Richard said. The state Legislature is also throwing its support behind protections for the watershed. A state House joint memorial to support federal protections for the watershed passed 52-9 Tuesday. New Mexico's all-Democratic congressional delegation has vocally supported protections for the Pecos River. Sens. Ben Ray Luján and Martin Heinrich introduced the Pecos Watershed Protection Act in 2024 to protect portions of the watershed from mining. Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández and Melanie Stansbury introduced a companion bill in the House. The state Land Office order will help, said Benavidez, who has been pushing for protections for the last six years. "The more we push, I think the better it is for our community," he said.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Advocates for protecting the Pecos watershed from mining worried after public meeting is postponed
Mar. 3—PECOS — Advocates are worried about a federal proposal to protect the Upper Pecos Watershed from mining for the next 20 years after the Bureau of Land Management postponed a public meeting meant to collect feedback on the proposal. More than 50 people gathered in the Pecos Village Hall on Wednesday night. They were supposed to attend a meeting hosted by the Bureau of Land Management about potentially withdrawing mineral rights from 164,000 National Forest lands and 1,330 acres of BLM-managed lands near the Pecos River headwaters. When the BLM meeting was postponed, advocacy group New Mexico Wild held a community meeting instead to gather letters in support of the mineral withdrawal. "We want our future generations to continue to thrive here. Pecos is very special, not just for us, but for Jemez Pueblo, Tesuque Pueblo, who have been doing their own work behind the scenes to say that this place is special to them as well," said Ralph Vigil, a northern organizer for NM Wild and a Pecos farmer. BLM postponed the meeting a week before it was set to take place and has not set a new date yet. The agency is still encouraging the public to submit comments on the proposal until March 17. The two-year process for deciding if mining should not be allowed on the land was started by former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and former President Joe Biden in December. The people in Pecos Village know how a mine can leave a legacy of contamination long after closing. The Tererro Mine operated from 1926 to 1939, mining lead and zinc north of Pecos Village. After the mine closed, mine and mill waste was used to fill campgrounds, trailheads and at the Lisboa Springs Fish Hatchery. The mine waste led to water contamination, which in 1991 killed off more than 90,000 trout at the hatchery. A different mining company, Comexico LLC, applied for exploratory drilling permits in 2019 to look for gold, copper, zinc, lead and silver, and has acquired mining claims throughout the Pecos headwaters. Pecos Mayor Ted Benavidez said he is concerned about the long-term health and economic impacts of mining near the Pecos River. Camping and fishing near the river are significant economic drivers for the village. "I believe that we all need to work together to keep the Pecos River," he said. "It's one of the best fishing areas around. People love it." Representatives from both of the state's U.S. senators and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández attended the community meeting. The three sponsored legislation in the last session of Congress, the Pecos Watershed Protection Act, to grant permanent protection for the watershed. The entire delegation advocated for the mineral withdrawal. "New Mexicans who have been united for years in calling for protections for this cherished watershed deserve to have their voices heard. The withdrawal process would protect clean water and safeguard this region from harmful mining pollution," Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., said in a statement. Cathy Cook is a news reporter for the Albuquerque Journal. Reach her via email at ccook@
