We’re facing strong opposition from the oil and gas industry. We need to work together to protect our community from oil and gas industry impacts. Let’s encourage La Plata County to enact strong regulations!
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Encourage the Bureau of Land Management to honor Greater Chaco by limiting exploitative extraction industries!
Bighorns need our help! Disease from domestic sheep is threatening bighorns in Colorado. We need CPW to help close high risk domestic allotments.
Today, four northwest New Mexico community groups, along with the Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy (CCAE), joined an appeal to the state’s Supreme Court challenging the rejection of a merger between PNM Resources and Avangrid, a global leader in renewable energy.
Bighorns need our help! Disease from domestic sheep is threatening bighorns in Colorado. We need CPW to help close high risk domestic allotments.
This week the Biden administration took action to safeguard lands surrounding Chaco Canyon from impacts associated with encroaching oil and gas extraction. The Department of Interior announced a two-year moratorium on new oil and gas leasing within the 10-mile zone…
Jimbo Buickerood, our Lands & Forest Protection Program Manager, is hosting the November Scoop! Stay tuned for more details and what Jimbo plans to talk about. Join us on October 21st from 5:00-6:00 pm! Zoom registration is required to join...
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Expose Enchant Energy – We need your voice in asking the Farmington BLM to do a comprehensive environmental analysis of this project that includes thorough public participation.
Enchant Energy is a company that seeks to continue burning coal at the San Juan Generating Station outside of Farmington, NM after it closes in Summer 2022.
Please join San Juan Citizens Alliance, Conservation Colorado, Western Colorado Alliance, and Colorado Sierra Club for a virtual event from 5:30pm-7pm on October 26th. We will be talking about the different ways you can get involved with local climate action...
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Few people know the ins and outs of the energy landscape in the Four Corners like Mike Eisenfeld. Mike joined SJCA fifteen years ago to fight for a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy. He's...
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Animas Riverkeeper Marcel Gaztambide is hosting the September Scoop! After finishing out a busy summer, Marcel is hoping to provide highlights from each area of the watershed, from the Superfund in Silverton to the Outstanding Waters Protections further downstream, ending...
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A friend recently lamented the apparent disappearance of Colorado’s trademark cobalt blue skies, those piercingly clear summer days in the mountains when you can see almost forever. Instead, our peaks and valleys are obscured by smoke in a ritual repeated…
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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SJCA's newest addition to the team, Emelie Frojen, is tackling this month's Monthly Scoop. She's bringing a fresh take on what it means to have a just and equitable energy transition in the Four Corners area. Join our latest Climate...
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The Orphaned Well Cleanup and Jobs Act of 2021 is being heard right now in the New Mexico State Legislature. The Act would plug and reclaim orphaned wells, helping to create jobs and reduce pollution in New Mexico. This blog...
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It’s really no surprise that Colorado’s highest peaks attract the greatest attention from human visitors, smart phone cameras, Wilderness designations, and more – they are awe-inspiring and photogenic. However, most of us have come to know that the “lower and…
BLM’s Continued Assault of our Public Lands Next Target: Chimney Rock National Monument and the HD Mountain Roadless Area The Colorado State office of the Bureau of Land Management is furthering its interest in industrializing public and private lands surrounding...
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Despite repeated requests to wait for in-person meetings following the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Farmington Field Office held only virtual meetings on a resource management plan to approve nearly 3,000 new oil and gas wells and...
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Once again, the HD Mountains face new threats from oil and gas development, this time from a proposal for a massive methane gas compression and processing facility. The proposal for the El Toro facility has numerous flaws, not least of...
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Despite repeated requests to wait for in-person meetings following the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Farmington Field Office is holding virtual meetings on a resource management plan that would approve nearly 3,000 new oil and gas wells...
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The Bureau of Land Management recently sold oil and gas drilling leases on nearly 41,000 acres of New Mexico public land- without adequate public participation. Along with our coalition of environmental partners, we filed suit to overturn the lease sale...
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Last December, Colorado required oil and gas companies to significantly reduce their emissions- a crucial step needed to improve public health and put the state on track towards its carbon reduction goals. Even though the public strongly supports the new...
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Last winter, Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) voted unanimously to adopt new emissions rules for the oil and gas industry. Now, the AQCC is working with the Energy Office to implement the greenhouse gas reduction goals in House Bill...
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While much of the country grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, it’s full speed ahead at the Department of Interior approving oil and gas development projects. One of the most contentious is a proposal for over 3,000 new oil and gas…
The HDs are under siege. Again. The San Juan National Forest is proposing to approve an 8.6-mile natural gas pipeline that cuts across a portion of the HD Mountains Roadless Area. In doing so, the Forest Service intends to simply...
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After almost a decade of plodding analysis, the Bureau of Land Management’s Farmington Field Office is attempting to rush through a plan to authorize thousands more oil and gas wells surging towards Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Your voice is...
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It wasn’t the several contiguous weeks of working from my home “office” that motivated me to journey to the HD Mountains (between Bayfield and Chimney Rock National Monument); rather it was the need to see firsthand yet another set of...
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On January 29, 2019, Governor Lujan Grisham passed Executive Order 2019-003 with the goal of addressing climate change and energy waste prevention- a breakthrough document for New Mexico. The “Background and Purpose” of the Executive Order was: "To further New...
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Stand up for New Oil and Gas Protections After nearly a decade in the making, Colorado passed major oil and gas reforms in 2019 affirming that its agency, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), will place health, safety,…
Today the New Mexico Oil Conservation Commission unanimously adopted new enforcement rules for the oil and gas industry. The new protections will protect New Mexico's air, land and water, as well as community health. Read the full press release for...
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The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) voted unanimously on new methane protections on the oil and gas industry that prioritize public health and the environment. These new regulations will cut methane emissions, improve air quality, and help Colorado meet...
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Communities living near oil and gas wells already suffer the effects of poor air quality due to venting and flaring of toxic are emissions, increased rates of cancer and asthma, and unsafe traveling conditions – now the Bureau of Land Management…
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….
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…
Photo: Carlan Tapp Why should we care about methane, exactly? Remember that methane hotspot floating over the Four Corners region? Explosive growth in the oil and gas industry have contributed to some of the highest levels of methane emissions...
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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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After almost a year fighting a proposal by Hilcorp Energy Company to double its gas wells, we are celebrating the New Mexico Oil Conservation Commission's (OCC) decision restrict new development in northwest New Mexico. Along with our partners, we opposed...
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We’ve been working to protect Greater Chaco from rampant and unchecked oil and gas development for over a decade. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has long failed to conduct any sort of meaningful tribal consultations or robust environmental or cultural resource…
Conservation advocates routinely harp on the single-minded focus of the Trump administration exhorting resource exploitation on our public lands. In case that just sounds like hyperbole, recent real-life examples help illustrate the reality of the Department of Interior’s energy dominance…
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…
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…
Photo: Wildearth Guardians Even a court ruling doesn’t seem to deter the Bureau of Land Management in Farmington. They are determined to push through industry wish lists, undermining environmental review, public input, and even the courts. We’ll continue calling them…
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…
Photo: Robert Zeigler Earlier this month a federal appeals court granted Greater Chaco a a long-overdue reprieve from unchecked fracking in response to a lawsuit we filed with our partners. The courts decision directly overturned a couple dozen permits, but we…
This is great news! Momentum in our decade-long effort to protect Greater Chaco from unbridled (and illegal) oil and gas development is finally resulting in real gains. Back in 2015, along with our partners, we filed a lawsuit against the…
Real progress is being made toward protecting Greater Chaco! Last month a Congressional visit welcomed lawmakers to the region to learn about the impacts of oil and gas development and the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act was re-introduced. At the…
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…
This month, the Colorado legislature passed landmark oil and gas reform legislation that directs the state to adopt next generation methane standards and expand air quality protections statewide. On Tuesday, the Air Quality Control Division will hold a public hearing…
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,…
“This lease sale is just another example of the BLM putting the cart before the horse. We’ve been waiting for years for the BLM to complete its Resource Management Plans for the Greater Chaco. But the agency continues to allow…
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…
It’s time to speak out in defense of Greater Chaco again. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Farmington and Rio Puerco field offices in northwestern New Mexico continue to allow oil and gas companies to frack without a plan in…
We who live in these parts sometimes call it the Four Corners, other times the San Juan Basin or even the Colorado Plateau. It’s reflective of the geographic flexibility of our home region, one that water and air easily transcends….
While Colorado has been a national leader in establishing state-wide methane rules to limit waste, a task force is calling for more to be done to curb ozone pollution stemming from the oil and gas industry. With many counties, particularly…
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…
Photo: WildEarth Guardians We’ve been working to protect the Greater Chaco region from rampant and largely uncontrolled drilling for over ten years. Sadly, the need for protections is only increasing. Our partners organized a rally of over 200 people to…
Photo: Rob Zeigler Last spring, Secretary Zinke instructed the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to defer a lease sale in the Greater Chaco region due to a need for “more study.” This December, they plan to auction those same parcels…
Zinke’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will hold a lease sale in Greater Chaco this December, despite failing to conduct tribal consultations they deemed necessary when cancelling the much smaller March 2018 lease in the region. Along with our partners,…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 2, 2018 Colorado County and Conservation Groups Sue Trump Administration Again Over Southwest Colorado Oil and Gas Leases San Miguel County, Rocky Mountain Wild, the San Juan Citizens’ Alliance, and Conservation Colorado filed another lawsuit against…
Two years ago, we and our partners challenged the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on the leasing of 20,000 acres in the Santa Fe National Forest to oil and gas drilling. At that point, the BLM hadn’t (and still hasn’t)…
In mid-May, we were approached by long time rancher, environmental advocate, and San Juan Citizens Alliance member, Don Schreiber, who discovered that Hilcorp Energy Company was trying to get exemptions from laws that restrict the number of wells they can...
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The road for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) methane waste rule has been long and winding, and unfortunately we’re not at the end. Last week, however, we threw a big wrench in Secretary Zinke’s never-ending attempts to rollback this…
Last night, we heard news we didn’t dare hope for: Secretary Zinke canceled next week’s oil and gas lease sale in Greater Chaco. This is because of you. You and thousands of others who spoke up and said drilling without a…
After hundreds of you spoke up in support of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) methane rule, Secretary Zinke is gutting it. In a move that proves the Administration will bend to corporate interests over public interests, Zinke just put…
The La Plata Electric Association (LPEA) long-term strategy subcommittee is meeting for the first time to discuss a possible mission and strategy. The whole LPEA Board will later vote on the review’s continuation. The meeting is open to the public.
This fall, over 175,000 people commented against a proposed delay of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) methane rule, a rule that is particularly important for those of us under the Four Corners Methane Hotspot and suffer the royalty losses,…
Last week, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proved their determination to elevate the interests of the oil and gas industry above those of the people they’re charged to protect – twice. But we can’t give up now. GREATER CHACO...
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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...
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This administration is committed to rolling back environmental and public health protections for the benefit of corporate profits. And they have perseverence. First they tried to erase the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) methane waste rule entirely using the Congressional…
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…
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...
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PHOTO: President Russell Begaye stands with Governors from the All Pueblo Council of Governors. Photo from Navajo Nation Press Release. Last Thursday, Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye and Vice President Jonathan Nez met with the All Pueblo Council of Governors. The...
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In these trying times for environmental advocates, good news deserves emphatic celebration. And boy, do we have good news! As we previously told you, the San Juan National Forest (SJNF) has been facing the threat of a new era of…
This is our last chance to submit scoping comments on the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) plan for oil and gas leasing in Greater Chaco. The BLM is telling us they don’t have a choice, that they have to lease: This is…
By Mike Eisenfeld, Energy & Climate Programs Director Last week, I attended the full, four-hour Farmington, NM City Council meeting. The Farmington Electric Utility System (FEUS) and their consultant, NewGen, presented to the Council. The City hired NewGen for 200,000…
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….
Last Tuesday, indigenous leaders, affected residents, and State Representative Derrik Lente met with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) State Director Amy Lueders to request she cancel the January 2017 Chaco oil and gas lease sale. Over 150 people rallied...
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On Tuesday, four Navajo Nation chapter presidents, impacted community members, and one NM State Representative met with State Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Amy Lueders. The group requested a cancellation of the January 2017 oil and gas lease sale…
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…
Chaco just got a huge break. Friday afternoon, Saddle Butte San Juan Midstream LLC (“Saddle Butte”) withdrew their proposal for the Piñon Gathering System Project, better know as the Piñon Pipeline, in northwest New Mexico. The 150-mile pipeline would have carried 50,000 barrels per…
This is getting ridiculous. This week, with many partners, we submitted our protest to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Farmington Field Office’s January 2017 oil and gas lease sale – a lease sale that shouldn’t be happening in the first place….
In 2014 we (the San Juan Basin) became the national methane hotspot. Last month we had a huge win in curbing the hotspot with the passing of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)’s methane standards… and they’re already under attack. But before…
Today we filed a motion to intervene in the case recently brought against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) methane rule. The rule would protect the climate, public health, and our economy. It would also help address the Four Corners methane hotspot….
Today, the Obama Administration released the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) methane rule, aimed at curbing natural gas waste on public and tribal lands. It’s a win-win regulation. The standard will help to end the waste of valuable public resources,…
Today, the Obama Administration released the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) methane rule, aimed at curbing natural gas waste on public and tribal lands. It’s a win-win regulation. The standard will help to end the waste of valuable public resources,…
Friends, At the close of the constitutional convention in 1787, Ben Franklin strode out the doors of Independence Hall to be greeted by a question from an onlooker in the crowd. “Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a…
What changed? Right now, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Farmington Field Office (FFO) is amending its 2003 Resource Management Plan (RMP) to include new industrial fracking in Greater Chaco. The process recently reopened for official public comment until December…
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Farmington Field Office has agreed that their 2003 Resource Management Plan (RMP) does not sufficiently plan for fracking around Chaco Canyon. Yet, while they amend their RMP to reflect this awareness, they are still approving…
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…
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…
As the father of a 3-year-old boy, I’ve become an expert on the topic of momentum. You see, my little guy has yet to cross paths with a hill he doesn’t want to race down. Grassy, rocky, dirt, paved –…
This week we received evidence of a local public servant sacrificing the public interest for personal gain. Federal investigators released results of their inquiry into Steve Henke’s conduct while head of New Mexico’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Farmington Field…
The oil and gas industry is awfully, dangerously, predictable. This week, in response to NASA fingering oil and gas operations as the primary cause of the infamous Four Corners methane hot spot, industry shills did what industry shills do: distort…
This week NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory released a report on the sources of our Four Corners methane hotspot. The study confirmed that the energy industry, specifically natural gas extraction, is as a primary cause. Methane waste on federal lands has serious...
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Today NASA published a report that confirms the energy industry, primarily the natural gas extraction industry, is responsible for the Four Corners methane hotspot. The Four Corners methane hotspot is yet another environmental climate and public health disaster served to our…
Yesterday, Chaco got a moment to breathe. BLM’s Farmington Field Office announced it would not auction parcels in Greater Chaco for fracking leases as planned in October. This is the third time the sale of these three parcels has been postponed….
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…
The Bureau of Land Management in Farmington, NM hasn’t updated it’s 2003 Resource Management Plan (RMP) since horizontal fracking technologies became viable in the Four Corners. Currently, they are revising the RMP to reflect these new technologies. Yet, at the…
BLM deferred the sale of three oil and gas lease parcels near Chaco Canyon … again. It’s the third time. The deferment is a huge win, and it clearly illustrates the need for the BLM to complete its ongoing Resource Management Plan Amendment. As…
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…
Hey all, there is a really important meeting on Tuesday, February 16th in Farmington that we want you to know about. It’s from 1-4 pm, which we know is hard for a lot of people. If you can make it,…
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,…