climate Archives - San Juan Citizens Alliance

Nov 17 2019

Colorado plans to create new methane rules

By Mark Pearson Climate Change, Oil & Gas No Comments

In 2014, our region gained notoriety as the nation’s methane hotspot. Researchers at NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration noticed via satellite measurements a plume of methane over the Four Corners that dwarfed anywhere else in the country.…

Nov 07 2019

A local voice on the Energy Transition Act

By sjca Climate Change, Coal, Energy Transition No Comments

New Mexico and the Four Corners is experiencing a transition that, far from being unique, is mirrored in coal regions across the nation. In the fourth quarter of 2019, the market reality is that coal is being left behind by…

Aug 30 2019

We’re Asking the Courts to Weigh in on Application of the Energy Transition Act

By Mike Eisenfeld Climate Change, Coal, Energy Transition, Renewable Energy No Comments

New Mexico recently passed a landmark energy transition bill known as the Energy Transition Act (ETA). The bill was groundbreaking not just for setting an aggressive renewable portfolio standard, but also for creating funding to ensure a just transition for…

Jul 17 2019

The False Hope of Carbon Capture

By sjca Climate Change, Coal, Energy Transition No Comments

For months the City of Farmington has been scheming with a small two-person outfit to keep San Juan Generating Station (SJGS) open past the 2022 closure date agreed upon by all other owners. Their plan is to install expensive Carbon…

Jul 16 2019

Farmington Methane Regulation Public Meeting

By sjca No Comments

Public Meeting on NM Methane Regulations July 29th, 1-5 pm San Juan Community College, IT building -Room 7103 4601 College Blvd, Farmington, NM 87402 Make your voice heard to help enact much needed methane regulation in New Mexico! The…

Jun 16 2019

Our energy supply system is transforming

By Mark Pearson Climate Change, Coal, Durango Herald Column, Energy Transition, Oil & Gas, Renewable Energy No Comments

In just a few weeks, Public Service Co. of New Mexico will initiate the process to officially retire the San Juan Generating Station, the 1,600-megawatt, coal-fired behemoth outside Farmington that once burned coal day and night to generate electricity. It’s…

Jun 10 2019

Energy Transition Act Invests in Our Local Communities

By sjca Climate Change, Coal, Energy Transition, Renewable Energy One Comment

The Four Corners finds itself in an unprecedented economic landscape and elected officials are choosing to expend valuable time, resources and money pointing fingers and aggressively combatting the entities working to make sure our communities don’t get left behind. The…

Mar 18 2019

Decisions loom about local electric supply

By Mark Pearson Climate Change, Coal, Renewable Energy 2 Comments

Spring is in the air, and with it comes potentially big changes for our electric power supply. Leadership changes abound at both our local rural electric cooperative, La Plata Electric Association, and its wholesale electric supplier, Tri-State Generating and Transmission.…

Mar 13 2019

New Mexico Passes Historic Clean Energy Bill!

By Mike Eisenfeld Climate Change, Coal, Oil & Gas, Renewable Energy No Comments

New Mexico just passed one of the most progressive energy transition bills in the country! The Energy Transition Act (ETA), which just passed the house and now heads to the Governor's desk, paves the way for a just transition to…

Feb 28 2019

Energy 101: Navigating the New Energy Market

By Erika Brown No Comments

Energy 101: Navigating the New Energy Market Saturday, March 23rd 3:15 - 5:45 pm Durango Public Library Renewable energy is now less expensive than coal. This will be a community discussion about how to take advantage of these new…

Feb 20 2019

Stephanie Richards Garcia speaking at NM Public Lands Rally

Federal, State, Tribal Leaders and Allies Call for Protection From Fracking

By Mike Eisenfeld Climate Change, Lands Protection, Oil & Gas No Comments

It is completely indefensible to continue to lease parcels in Greater Chaco to oil and gas without having a plan in place to ensure protections for air, water, public health, and the rich history embedded in the landscape. TheBureau of…

Feb 07 2019

Clean Energy Bill Introduced to Reduce Electricity Costs, and Provide Economic Relief to San Juan County Workers

By Erika Brown Climate Change, Coal, Renewable Energy No Comments

Woot woot! A new Governor in New Mexico along with a host of bold, progressive, new State House representatives, looking to the future and creating opportunities. We're hopeful we can make big strides in clean energy, a just transition for…

Feb 01 2019

Keep moving Four Corners forward with renewable energy

By sjca Climate Change, Coal, Renewable Energy One Comment

After almost 6 years spent outside of Farmington and San Juan County, it is great to be back in the community I grew up in and will always call home. It is refreshing to experience the kindness I remember being…

Jan 08 2019

NM Oil Conservation Commission to Rehear Double Drilling Rule Change

By Erika Brown Oil & Gas No Comments

Victory! Excellent decision today putting the public back into decisions about our public lands! The New Mexico Oil Conservation Commission took all of 5 minutes to grant a re-hearing on the rule allowing for double drilling in Rio Arriba and…

Jan 08 2019

Public Deserves Input on Double Drilling Under Methane Hot Spot, Near Chaco

By Erika Brown Oil & Gas No Comments

Elections matter. That fact is being clearly made in New Mexico, where the public voted in a new administration with vastly different values when it comes to our public lands, among other things. We are thrilled that the new administration…

Dec 04 2018

Climate Action Happy Hour

By Erika Brown No Comments

Climate Action Happy Hour Monday, December 10th 5-6:30 pm Carver Brewing, Durango You're invited to join us and our friends at Conservation Colorado to discuss the future of renewable energy for our region and actions we can take to encourage…

Nov 30 2018

LPEA hires consultants to research energy supply options

By sjca Climate Change, LPEA Spotlight, Renewable Energy One Comment

This blog series covers the monthly La Plata Electric Association (LPEA)* Board of Directors meetings. We’re tracking the board for transparency and accountability, as well as to stay current on their renewable energy initiatives. Find past and future spotlights here. Get…

Oct 11 2018

Oktober Forest

By Erika Brown No Comments

OKTOBER F(or)EST Watershed, Brewshed, Fireshed, & Foodshed October 20th Dolores, Colorado Events all day! See the poster below Community Potluck: 11:30-1:30 We are proud to be a part of this great forest collaborative. Join us for the Community Potluck or…

Jan 25 2018

LPEA Election Open House

By sjca No Comments

Come, eat, drink, and learn why we need to elect an active, forward thinking LPEA Board of Directors. Let’s band together to lower rates for everyone with local, renewable energy! DID YOU KNOW? Renewable energy costs in Colorado are now…

Oct 13 2017

How to Exorcise the Bogeyman: Mulling Over the Clean Power Plan

By sjca Climate Change, Coal No Comments

Photo courtesy of Thomas Roberts By Guest Blogger: Donna Stewart “With this bellows I will pump the flames of this fire which looks like from Hell, and witches will flee, straddling their brooms…and when this beverage goes down our throats, we…

Sep 15 2017

Flooding and rescue after Hurricane Harvey

Hurricanes are a stark reminder of the costs of climate change

By Mark Pearson Climate Change, Coal, Durango Herald Column, Renewable Energy No Comments

Photo By: Lt. Zachary West As we stand transfixed by the enormously powerful hurricanes churning across the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, one can’t help but think about our place in the climate-change continuum. Here in the San Juan Basin,…

Jun 15 2017

BLM, EPA Put Industry Interests Above Four Corners’ Residents

By sjca Oil & Gas No Comments

This week, despite recognizing the disproportionate impact it will have on our children, the Bureau of Land Management and Environmental Protection Agency both postponed the implementation of their methane regulations so they can revisit and rewrite them. Delaying and…

Mar 17 2017

Pollution Knows No Borders: Keep the BLM Methane Rule

By sjca Oil & Gas 2 Comments

Tell Senator Gardner to Support the BLM Methane Rule! CALL NOW: (202) 224-5941 Guest Blogger: Lauri Costello, MD Earlier this year, the House of Representatives voted to roll back the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) methane rule, which was finalized…

Feb 03 2017

Rollback of Methane Rule Puts Industry Interests Above Climate, Public Health, Taxpayers

By sjca Oil & Gas One Comment

Today, the U.S.House of Representatives put the special interests of big oil and gas companies ahead of the public interest by voting to roll back the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) methane rule. The measure now heads to the Senate.…

Jan 18 2017

Health, Environmental, and Tribal Groups Applaud Order Denying Industry Efforts to Halt BLM Methane Waste Rule Implementation

By Erika Brown Oil & Gas No Comments

The greatest concentration of methane in the country floats above us here in the Four Corners. Although we can't see it, it's not harmless. In addition to being a powerful greenhouse gas, over 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide, it's released…

Jan 09 2017

EPA Releases Proposed Rule Requiring Natural Gas Processing Plants To Start Reporting Toxic Pollution

By sjca Oil & Gas No Comments

The oil and gas industry is no longer exempt from reporting toxic releases publicly through the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). EPA estimates the oil and gas industry releases more toxic chemicals than any other industry, save power plants. Yet, they haven't been…

Oct 27 2016

An SJCA Field Tour: Seeing Oil and Gas Up Close

By sjca Oil & Gas No Comments

It's easy to overlook what's happening in oil and gas fields. Most of us don't live at ground zero and the pollution is often invisible to the human eye. So, last weekend SJCA bussed folks from Durango, CO 45-miles south to Bloomfield, NM. We examined…

Oct 25 2016

Oil and gas is devastating our health and public lands.

By sjca Lands Protection, Oil & Gas No Comments

Area threatened by existing oil and gas development (yellow) on top of public lands (blue) in Northwest New Mexico. See oilandgasthreatmap.com for interactive map. You can’t drive through Northwest New Mexico and Southwest Colorado and miss our region’s oil…

May 12 2016

Obama Administration Finalizes Safeguards for Methane Pollution

By sjca Climate Change, Oil & Gas No Comments

Today the Environmental Protection Agency finalized standards for dangerous oil and gas methane pollution from new infrastructure. These are the first-ever national safeguards limiting methane waste and pollution and will go far to protect public health, address climate change, and…

Apr 20 2016

NEW VIDEO: Time’s Up For Coal at the Four Corners Power Plant

By sjca Climate Change, Coal No Comments

The Four Corners Power Plant (FCPP) and Navajo Mine complex is a massive source of pollution. It can’t be permitted to operate until 2041. Learn More. Amid last year’s crumbling coal economy, and despite promises to address climate change, the Obama Administration approved a…

Apr 20 2016

As Coal Collapses, Groups Launch Lawsuit Challenging 25-year Extension of Four Corners Power Plant and Navajo Mine

By sjca Climate Change, Coal No Comments

Last week Peabody Coal joined Arch, Alpha, Patriot, and other US companies in bankruptcy. This progression of bankruptcies is raising a myriad of concerns about the financial viability of coal, the future costs of clean up, the dangers of self-bonding,…

Mar 10 2016

Canada climate deal will multiply effects of existing U.S. plans to curb methane

By sjca Climate Change, Oil & Gas No Comments

This morning President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a pact between the two countries to take climate change head on. They announced intentions to reduce methane pollution from oil and gas industry by 40-45 percent over the…

Jan 23 2016

BLM methane rule an important step for NM, nation

By sjca Climate Change, Oil & Gas No Comments

Great news. Today the BLM released its proposed methane waste rule. We've worked on the rule, and advised BLM on its contents, with our partners Western Environmental Law Center and Diné Citizens Against Ruining Our Environment. The rule is 300 pages,…

Mar 19 2015

When rules are ignored, we can win

By sjca Climate Change, Coal, Durango Herald Column No Comments

It is not often enough that we get to celebrate wins in my line work, so today let’s pause to do exactly that. A few weeks ago, San Juan Citizens Alliance and our partners won a hard-fought legal case against…

Feb 09 2015

I’m asking you to challenge your beliefs

By sjca Climate Change, Durango Herald Column No Comments

A few weeks back I was called a bomb-thrower for the content I share in this column. Though this is far from the worst thing I’ve been called in print, it did get me thinking. Is what I write really that…

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