Latest news with #RalphVigil
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Mexico delegation re-introduces bill to protect Pecos watershed
Members of New Mexico's federal delegation on April 8, 2025 announced the reintroduction of a bill to protect the Pecos watershed from mining (photo courtesy Ralph Vigil) Four Democratic members of New Mexico's congressional delegation on Tuesday announced they have reintroduced the Pecos Watershed Protect Act. A news release from U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, who represents the state's 3rd Congressional District, cited Source New Mexico's reporting on Monday that the Trump administration is reversing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service's decision to protect the Upper Pecos Watershed from new mining operations. The move came several weeks after the agency canceled a Feb. 17 public hearing on the administrative process to remove that area from new mining for 20 years, which the Biden Administration had pursued in the final weeks in office. A temporary pause on mining had been in place since December. A statement from Leger Fernández, U.S. Melanie Stansbury from the 1st Congressional District and U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján called the Trump administrations decision to reverse the withdrawal 'disturbing and insulting, especially after they canceled the only public meeting on the proposal. This is a rural community that overwhelmingly supports protecting the Pecos River. The Trump administration just blatantly disregarded that, and the value of the Pecos River with it.' The Pecos Watershed Protection Act would permanently withdraw all federally managed minerals in the watershed from development. — preventing the leasing, patent, or sale of all publicly owned minerals. The bill has been introduced in every Congress since 2020. The area is home to the Terrero Mining disaster from 1991, during which floodwaters breached a defunct mine and sent mining tailing sludge downriver. The spill killed tens of thousands of fish and cleanup continues to this day. New Mexico Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard in March signed an executive order banning mineral mining on approximately 2,500 acres of state trust land in the Upper Pecos Watershed that will remain in place through 2045. The Village of Pecos, Santa Fe County and San Miguel County have passed resolutions in support of the federal legislation protecting the area. 'The Trump administration won't have the last word,' the federal delegations' statement continued. 'We will continue to push for permanent protection of the watershed through our Pecos Watershed Protection Act. New Mexicans deserve clean water free from harmful mining pollution. The Trump administration does not stand with the people of New Mexico, but we always will,'
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Feds backtrack on mining ban in the Upper Pecos watershed
An undated photo of the Pecos River. The U.S. Forest Service has reversed a December recommendation to ban mineral mining in 165,000 acres in the Upper Pecos (Courtesy of Ralph Vigil) The U.S. Forest Service has reversed a December recommendation to ban mineral mining in 165,000 acres in the Upper Pecos — a decision that threatens a sensitive watershed, said local advocacy groups. The move comes several weeks after the agency canceled a Feb. 17 public hearing on the administrative process to remove that area from new mining for 20 years, which the Biden Administration had pursued in the final weeks in office. A temporary pause on mining had been in place since December. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that the Forest Service had cancelled two mineral leasing withdrawals in order to 'help boost production of critical minerals' at the bottom of an April 4 news release announcing an increased domestic logging push. A USDA spokesperson in an emailed statement identified those cancellations as the proposed Upper Pecos River watershed mining ban, as well as one in Nevada's Ruby Mountains, and that the reversal stemmed from the January executive order titled 'Unleashing American Energy.' 'Under President Trump's leadership, USDA is removing the burdensome Biden-era regulations that have stifled energy and mineral development to revitalize rural communities and reaffirm America's role as a global energy powerhouse,' the spokesperson wrote. Other federal agencies that previously supported the mining ban under the past administration did not have further comment Monday. The Bureau of Land Management acknowledged a Source NM request Monday, but did not provide comment before publication. The U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees BLM, did not respond to emails for comment. Ralph Vigil, an organizer for the nonprofit New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, told Source NM Monday he was unsurprised by the U.S. Forest Service's decision under the new administration. Vigil said the Stop Terrero Mine Coalition — which includes agriculture, local and tribal governments, conservation and hunting groups opposing further development in the Upper Pecos — will need to consider its next steps. 'We're going to continue our fight to do whatever we need to do to block this administration,' Vigil said. Vigil, a parciante of the Acequia del Molino and local farmer living in Pecos, said much of the community opposition is rooted in the Terrero Mining disaster from 1991, during which floodwaters breached a defunct mine and sent mining tailing sludge downriver. The spill killed tens of thousands of fish and buried Willow Creek. Cleanup remains ongoing and has cost tens of millions of dollars, including state environment officials' request for $5.7 million from the Legislature this year. An administrative ban can last for decades, but does not create a permanent ban on mining development, which requires full Congressional approval. Members of the New Mexico delegation introduced a bill to permanently ban mining development in the Upper Pecos U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) called the decision a 'betrayal of trust,' in a written statement Monday, and said he'd move forward with similar legislation to ban mining in the area. 'The Trump administration's decision is a betrayal of trust. Not only does it reverse what the Pecos community has worked toward for years, it's also incredibly out of touch. This kind of top-down decision-making — with zero attempt to discuss or even listen to the communities impacted — is exactly what's wrong with this administration,' Heinrich said. 'New Mexicans deserve clean water free from heavy metals. I will continue to push for permanent protection through my Pecos Watershed Protection Act. The Trump administration won't stand with the people of New Mexico, but I always will.' New Mexico Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard in March signed an executive order banning mineral mining on approximately 2,500 acres of state trust land in the Upper Pecos Watershed that will remain in place through 2045. Vigil said any economic benefits logging and mining might bring would not outweigh future spills or destruction in the Pecos headwaters, already hard-hit by the 2022 Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire. 'Putting the headwaters at risk isn't beneficial for anyone downstream,' Vigil said. 'Agriculture, outdoor recreation, these are economies we depend on, these other economies they want to bring in that are extractive, invasive and destructive will not be friendly to the community.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
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@
