It's been a busy week at the Roundhouse!
We kicked off the week by taking part in Acequia Day at the State Legislature, where we joined our local acequia leaders and supporters from across the state to advocate for meaningful legislation to protect our waters.
Later on, we saw major victories for H.B. 35 (Children's Health Protection Zones), S.B. 48 and S.B. 49 (The Community Benefits Fund), S.B. 21 (Pollutant Discharge System Elimination Act), and S.B. 22 (Water Quality and Pollution) during their committee hearings as we made our voices heard to urge legislators to act with the courage that is necessary to address the climate crisis and protect our communities from the impacts of oil and gas pollution.
The action will continue into this weekend as more critical bills are heard by the Senate Conservation Committee and House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee tomorrow morning – read on to learn more about how you can get involved with YUCCA and take action today to support our priority bills!
HELP US PASS S.B. 178, THE PRODUCED WATER & ABANDONED WELLS FUND!
Right now, thousands of abandoned wells are wreaking havoc on our land, air, water, and climate – all while our leaders attempt to push through dangerous false solutions like the Strategic Water Supply Act (H.B. 137) that would do nothing but continue to turn the oil and gas industry's waste crisis into a public burden.
That's why YUCCA is proud to stand in strong support of S.B. 178 (Produced Water & Abandoned Wells Fund), which would restrict the use of "produced water" (toxic liquid fracking waste) off the oilfield with the exception of research conducted in accredited laboratories, and impose a five-cent-per-barrel fee on fracking waste that would be used to fund the plugging and remediation of abandoned wells.
This crucial bill will be heard by the Senate Conservation Committee tomorrow morning, and we need your help to get this legislation through its first committee hearing! Take action with us today by sending a personalized email to the members of the committee urging them to vote YES on S.B. 178:
Chair Elizabeth "Liz" Stefanics, lstefanics@msn.com
Vice Chair Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, a.sedillolopez@nmlegis.gov
Ranking Member Candy Spence Ezzell, csecows@aol.com
Senator Joseph Cervantes, joseph.cervantes@nmlegis.gov
Senator Angel M. Charley, angel.charley@nmlegis.gov
Senator Carrie Hamblen, carrie.hamblen@nmlegis.gov
Senator Harold Pope (Bill Sponsor), harold.popejr@nmlegis.gov
Senator Larry R. Scott, larry.scott@nmlegis.gov
Senator James G. Townsend, townsend@pvtn.net
TAKE ACTION TODAY: SUPPORT H.B. 222 TO BRING TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
H.B. 222 – Fracturing Fluid Disclosure and Use – is a vital bill that would help to protect the public from reckless oil and gas industry practices that have gone unchecked for far too long.
This bill represents a long-overdue step toward transparency and accountability for the oil and gas industry, prohibiting the use of PFAS in drilling operations, requiring the full disclosure of chemicals used in oil and gas operations, and protecting our drinking water and public health by ensuring companies cannot use undisclosed, potentially hazardous chemicals underground.
This bill will be heard by the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee tomorrow morning – help us pass this critical bill by sending a personalized email to the members committee urging their support for H.B. 222:
Chair Matthew McQueen, matthew.mcqueen@nmlegis.gov
Vice Chair Debra Sariñana, debbie.sarinana@nmlegis.gov
Ranking Member Rod Montoya, rod.montoya@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Michelle Paulene Abeyta, michelle.abeyta@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Meredith Dixon, meredith.dixon@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Miguel P. García, miguel.garcia@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Yanira Gurrola, yanira.gurrola@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Jonathan A. Henry, jonathan.henry@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Mark B. Murphy, mark.murphy@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Elaine Sena Cortez, elaine.senacortez@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Nathan P. Small, nathan.small@nmlegis.gov
EXCITING UPDATE: H.B. 35 CLEARS THE HOUSE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE!
We also have an exciting update this week!
H.B. 35, Children's Health Protection Zones, was passed out of its second committee – the House Health & Human Services Committee – by a 6-4 vote on Wednesday. The bill's progress through the Legislature is marks a critical step forward in our work to safeguard the health of the 34,000 children and young people who are living within one mile of oil and gas sites, which put them at risk for serious pollution-induced health consequences such as asthma, respiratory diseases, and pediatric cancers.
This bill would create 1-mile health protection zones surrounding schools, prohibit construction of new oil and gas wells within these zones, and implement additional pollution controls, monitoring, and reporting for operators of oil and gas facilities within the buffer zones.
H.B. 35 will now head to the House Judiciary Committee for its next hearing – while there's no scheduled hearing date yet, you can take action today by helping us reach 300 signatures on our petition and emailing committee members to urge them to vote YES on this bill when it comes up for its hearing!
THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS FUND PASSES 1ST COMMITTEE!
In another huge win, S.B. 48 and S.B. 49 – The Community Benefits Fund and Community Benefits Fund Transfers – passed the Senate Conservation Committee last weekend!
The Community Benefits Fund is a reflection of YUCCA's longstanding call for the establishment of a just transition fund that would support planning and investments in alternatives to our dependence on extractive industry.
We're grateful to Senator Mimi Stewart for her introduction of these important bills, which would help to diversify New Mexico's economy and make critical investments in vital climate projects and initiatives including clean energy projects, local air pollution reduction projects, and climate resilience initiatives to support our rural communities.
You can help us take action today by sending a personalized email to Senator Stewart (mimi.stewart@nmlegis.gov) to thank her for her introduction of the Community Benefits Fund, which is now headed to the Senate Finance Committee for its next hearing.
PROTECT OUR WATERS: S.B. 21 AND S.B. 22 PASS THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE!
As a result of the Supreme Court's 2023 Sackett v. EPA ruling, 95% of New Mexico's streams and waters have lost federal protections under the Clean Water Act.
As we face the impacts of an incoming federal administration that has made it clear that they are unwilling to protect our health or environment, the passage of S.B. 21 and S.B. 22 would represent a critical step to protect our waterways from pollution.
These bills would strengthen our ability to prevent contamination, hold polluters accountable, and invest in long-term water protection by providing our state the authority to take over permitting from the EPA for waters that remain federally protected and creating a permitting program for waters that have lost federal protections.
We're excited to report that S.B. 21 and S.B. 22 have advanced through the Senate Judiciary Committee as a combined bill (S.B. 21), which is now headed to the Senate Finance Committee for its next hearing!
HELP US STOP THE STRATEGIC WATER SUPPLY ACT & THE RECLAIMED WATER ACT
This week, the Strategic Water Supply Act (H.B. 137) passed the House Agriculture, Acequias and Water Resources Committee in a decision that threatens our waters, environment, and public health.
H.B. 137, The Strategic Water Supply Act, seeks to expand the use of produced water – which is actually toxic waste generated by oil and gas operations – outside the oilfield by allowing state agencies to enter into public-private partnerships to research and develop ways to "treat" produced water for potential reuse outside of the oil and gas industry, despite the fact that there is no proven way to treat produced water to make it safe for reuse or discharge outside of the oil and gas sector.
H.B. 311, the Reclaimed Water Act, poses a similar threat to our communities. This bill is an attempt to make an end run around the Water Quality Act and the Water Quality Control Commission by moving the regulation of so-called "Reclaimed" Produced Water (toxic fracking waste) outside normal oversight. This dangerous legislation would remove any scientific oversight and installing fracking waste treatment industry insiders as de facto regulators of their own industry.
YUCCA stands in strong opposition to both of these bills, which prioritize the profits of polluters over the health and wellbeing of the people of New Mexico – and we need your help to urge committee members to vote NO on H.B. 137 and H.B. 311.
You can take action today by sending an email to the members of the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee today urging them to oppose H.B. 137 (The Strategic Water Supply Act) when it is heard in committee:
Chair Matthew McQueen, matthew.mcqueen@nmlegis.gov
Vice Chair Debra Sariñana, debbie.sarinana@nmlegis.gov
Ranking Member Rod Montoya, rod.montoya@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Michelle Paulene Abeyta, michelle.abeyta@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Meredith Dixon, meredith.dixon@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Miguel P. García, miguel.garcia@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Yanira Gurrola, yanira.gurrola@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Jonathan A. Henry, jonathan.henry@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Mark B. Murphy, mark.murphy@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Elaine Sena Cortez, elaine.senacortez@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Nathan P. Small, nathan.small@nmlegis.gov
Next, you can email the House Agriculture, Acequias and Water Resources committee to urge them to oppose H.B. 311 (The Reclaimed Water Act) during its next hearing:
Chair Kristina Ortez, kristina.ortez@nmlegis.gov
Vice Chair Kathleen Cates, Kathleen.Cates@nmlegis.gov
Ranking Member Tanya Mirabal Moya, Tanya.MirabalMoya@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Martin R. Zamora, martin.zamora@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Micaela Lara Cadena, micaela.cadena@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Susan K. Herrera, susan.herrera@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Marian Matthews, marian.matthews@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Randall T. Pettigrew, randall.pettigrew@nmlegis.gov
Rep. Angelica Rubio, angelica.rubio@nmlegis.gov
FIGHT FOR OUR FUTURE: JOIN US FOR YUCCA RECRUITMENT SESSIONS
The world is burning. Cities are flooding. Winters feel like summer, and the rivers are running dry. From the megafires in New Mexico and LA to the heat waves killing crops and communities, we’re living in the collapse they told us was decades away. The people in power—the politicians, the CEOs, the oil executives—knew this would happen. They chose profit over life, and now they tell us to wait, to trust them, to let them “fix” the very crisis they created.
We don’t have time to wait. If we don’t fight for our future, there won’t be one.
That’s what YUCCA is all about—holding corporate polluters and complicit politicians accountable, exposing their lies, and demanding real climate justice. We are done with false promises and performative policies.
Are you between the ages of 13-24, or is there a young person in your life who is eager to get involved in the movement for climate justice? Click the button below to sign up for our virtual recruitment sessions on February 24th, February 26th, or March 1st to organize, take action, and build the power we need to fight for a livable future!
SIGN UP FOR OUR LEGISLATIVE ACTION ALERTS!
If you're eager to get involved during the 2025 Legislative Session to make your voice heard in support of our priority legislation, be sure to sign up for our Legislative Action Alerts by clicking the button below, where we send out daily emails to keep you in the loop on the progress of our bills and share time-sensitive advocacy opportunities!
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