Colorado's air quality is being threatened by the ever-present reality of oil and gas emissions. Let's ensure our air stays clean and create strong methane regulations for the state of Colorado.
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The Colorado Wilderness Act has been reintroduced, but in order to pass it needs the support of Colorado's Senators. Take action today and ask Colorado Senators Michael Bennet & John Hickenlooper to support the Colorado Wilderness Act!
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Several bills were heard yesterday in the New Mexico Legislative Session House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee with good outcomes! 1. The Oil and Gas Subdivision Parcels Bill (HB 136) was drafted purportedly to address exemptions to subdividing lands to...
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Support the New Mexico Climate Solutions Act (HB 9) Sponsored by Representatives Melanie Stansbury and Angelica Rubio, House Speaker Brian Egolf, Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, and Senators Benny Shendo and Carrie Hamblen The Climate Solutions Act (HB 9)...
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Remote Testimony for the 2021 New Mexico Legislative Session Because of the pandemic, things are looking a little different this year at the New Mexico State Legislature. The entire 2021 New Mexico Legislative Session (60-day session from January 20-March 2oth)...
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Breaking: The Trump Administration has proposed changes that would rollback critical elements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a bedrock environmental law. NEPA is fundamental to protecting public health, safety, and our environment, and the vast majority of Western...
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Photo: John Fielder Last week, the Bureau of Land Management finalized plans to open millions of acres of southern Utah to energy development, oil and gas drilling, coal mining and a variety of other extraction activities. These were the…
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…
We know that meaningful and permanent public lands protections take time. Lots of time. Lots of stakeholders are at the table and compromises are hashed out over years, not weeks. Often times such efforts are framed by politicians as being…
Is it everything we hope for? No, but it is undoubtedly a significant step forward. We’ll continue to use all the tools we have to fight for permanent protections in the region. Check out the full press release below with…
This week marks the 10th anniversary of long-simmering efforts to obtain added wilderness protections for the high ranges of the San Juan Mountains. Back in 2009, then Rep. John Salazar first introduced the San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act, legislation aimed…
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…
This April, SB 19-181 passed through the Colorado Legislature and was signed into law, fundamentally altering the landscape of Colorado oil and gas operations. The bill reforms oil and gas law and charges the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission...
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In New Mexico, oil and gas operations release more than 1 million metric tons of methane every year into the atmosphere. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, this has the same short-term impacts as 22 coal-fired power plants or 28…
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…
Photo: Rob Zeigler It’s certainly promising, if not surprising, that Department of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt is making promises to protect Greater Chaco. We’re grateful to Senator Heinrich for playing a key role in orchestrating Bernhardt’s visit to Chaco Cultural…
Anyone who has traveled the U.S. Highway 550 corridor to Albuquerque recently knows for themselves the extent of greatly expanded drilling activity. Advances in fracking technology have unlocked access to oil deposits tightly trapped in the Mancos and Gallup shale…
We were thrilled to welcome members of Congress to Chaco to experience the incredible landscape, learn about the history, and hear from impacted community members firsthand. We are confident they now have a deeper understanding of the issues here and…
More than 92% of Greater Chaco has already been leased. Over the last several years, this leasing has moved forward despite the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) not having a plan in place to protect modern native communities, their history,…
Colorado is finally trying to revamp the regulation of oil and gas development for the 21st century. And it’s long overdue. For decades, Colorado’s official charge to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission was to “foster” oil and…
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…
I watched the nearly four-hour filibuster from Senator Bill Sharer on the Energy Transition Act from my home in Farmington on Wednesday. The bill passed overwhelmingly, 32-9, with strong bipartisan support. This stunt by Senator Sharer actually provides a window...
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Photo: Jason Hatfield Fans of Utah’s spectacular redrock country can savor congressional action this week that advanced protections for a million acres of the incomparable San Rafael Swell, and one of the Colorado Plateau’s longest wild river segments through Desolation…
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…
Photo: Jack Brauer Senator Bennet and Representative Neguse are breathiing new life into the decade-long campaign to permanently protect iconic, yet vulnerable, alpine landscapes in the San Juan Mountains. Next week, they’re introducing a new bill, the Colorado Outdoor Recreation &…
Fifty years ago, Congress passed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. It was a counterpoint to the West’s flurry of dam-building in the 1950s and 1960s that saw dams erected across many of the region’s rivers. The mighty rivers of…
As most of you know, the Alliance has been working for over a decade to secure greater protections for Greater Chaco – it’s water, air, cultural resources and the health and safety of native communities living there today. We have…
Photo: Jason Hatfield With spring full bore upon us, it’s hard not to cast an envious eye toward the high country and start daydreaming about alpine wildflower hikes. One favorite destination for many is Ice Lake Basin outside Silverton, one…
“Wilderness is not a luxury, but a necessity of the human spirit.” Edward Abbey It seems so obvious that we should preserve at least some small part of this planet to remain relatively untouched by humans and our destructive…