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New Mexico News & Alert Center
Mobilizing Organic Consumers in New Mexico
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Recent New Mexico Forum Posts
New Mexico News
- 11/12/08 - Eating Organic Food Shouldn't Be a Luxury
- 11/11/08 - Dreaming the Future Can Create the Future
- 10/27/08 - GMO-Crop Crisis a Rapidly Growing Concern
- 10/27/08 - The Ongoing GOP Campaign to Steal the Elections: Summary of Latest News
- 10/24/08 - No Child Left Behind, Mexican-Style
- 10/24/08 - Will the Future of New Mexico's Chile Include Genetic Engineering?
- 10/15/08 - Bogus 'Organic' Dairy Feedlots Threaten Small Dairies & Organic Integrity
- 10/08/08 - Railroading Immigrants
- 10/06/08 - Organizers Heartened by Young Attendees at Annual Sustainable Agriculture Forum
- 10/05/08 - More on GMOs: Who Will Step Up to Challenge Them?
- 10/04/08 - Historian Questions Impact of Genetic Modification
- 09/29/08 - Tribes Want Action on Tuba City Dump Site
- 09/26/08 - Farm Worker Helping to Protect Traditional Chile Crop
- 09/25/08 - "Curse of Black Mesa" Took Down Lehman Bros
- 09/19/08 - Yes, Chile Does Grow in Taos County
- 09/10/08 - The Local Food Movement Reaches Into the Breadbasket for Flour That Has the Flavor of Home
- 09/05/08 - Mexico Stops Exporting Meat After USDA Audit Reveals 'Systemic' Food Safety Problems
- 08/28/08 - Remembering When the US Government Was at Least Approachable
- 08/28/08 - The Greatest Failure of Thought in Human History: Global Warming
- 08/27/08 - Behind the Headlines, Scientists Warn That Climate Change is Already Hitting New Mexico
- 08/27/08 - Dispatch from Denver: Making Climate Change THE Issue
- 08/25/08 - As Democrats Gather, Liberal Positions Gaining in Popularity
- 08/22/08 - Grassroots Direct Action: San Francisco Voters Nov. 4 Will Tell Their Congress Reps to Defund the War
- 08/15/08 - Many Restaurants Lying About Menu Items Being 'Organic' or 'Locally Produced'
- 08/14/08 - Roadless Rule is Tossed Out Again
- 08/03/08 - EPA Approves Coal-Fired Plant Despite Opposition from Navajo Nation
- 07/24/08 - Has Your Town Declared Peace Yet?
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Ask Senators Bingaman and Domenici to Introduce the El Rio Grande del Norte National Conservation Area Legislation
The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and the Bureau of Land Management have been working to get a north-central New Mexico National Conservation Area bill introduced. This bill would cover over 235,878 acres of public land, 24,000 acres of which would be designated as Wilderness Areas.
This bill would:
- Create El Rio Grande del Norte National Conservation Area (NCA);
- Create the Ute Mountain Wilderness Area;
- Create the Rio San Antonio Wilderness Area;
- Specifically protect existing ranching within the boundary of the NCA;
- Protect hunting, fishing, firewood gathering, pinon nut gathering, bird watching, hiking, biking, camping, etc within the boundaries of the NCA;
- Prohibit the sale or disposal of federal PUBLIC land;
- Prohibit mining or mineral development on public lands within the boundary of the NCA;
- Protect two wilderness areas under the 1964 Wilderness Act which means road building, use of motorized and mechanized equipment and commercial extraction is prohibited while primitive recreational uses such as hunting, hiking, and fishing as well as traditional uses such as grazing of livestock and gathering of herbs, etc. is protected;
- Contribute to Taos County's economic development portfolio.
Even though this bill has been under discussion for over a year, it still hasn't been formally introduced. Please write Senator Bingaman and Senator Domenici and ask them to introduce and support this important piece of legislation
Take Action
Updated 7/23/08
New Mexico Legislative Roundup
(From Progressive States Network)
While it failed to enact the more far reaching campaign finance and ethics reforms sought by the Governor and advocate groups, New Mexico did approve public financing for contested statewide judicial elections and barred financial services and investment contractors from giving gifts or campaign contributions to state officials, particularly those like the treasurer dispensing government contracts in those areas.
For working families, the state made significant progress:
- With passage of SB 324, New Mexico will raise its minimum wage to $7.50 over two years, increasing the income of an estimated 160,000 workers statewide.
- HB 436 creates a state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) worth eight percent of the federal EITC for which a family is eligible.
- HB 92 will strictly regulate predatory payday lending, restricting loans to 14 to 35 days, prohibiting rollover loans, and capping interest rates.
On health care, legislators are waiting for the report from the Health Coverage for New Mexicans Committee which will propose more far-reaching reforms for the next legislative session, but a few reforms were enacted:
- The state budget expanded Medicaid coverage to include adults up to 100% of the poverty line, increasing coverage from adults earning less than $4000 per year up to those earning $10,200 per year.
- SB 428 allows small employers to use the state's Small Employer Insurance Program even if they had previously provided insurance in the last 12 months.
On clean energy, New Mexico took major action:
- It became the first state in the nation to create a Renewable Energy Transmission Authority to administer renewable energy use in the state and mandated that 20% of state's energy come from renewable sources by 2020.
- The state also enacted a Green Buildings Tax Credit to help boost sustainable building.
- SB 269 creates a solar tax credit for solar electrical and thermal systems that, in conjunction with federal credits, will give consumers about 30% off the cost of typical residential solar systems.
On education, teacher salaries were raised 5%, the number of pre-kindergarten slots were nearly doubled, and after-school enrichment program funding was expanded.
The state failed to act on Governor Richardson's bills to enact domestic partnerships in the state, and broader campaign finance reform remains on the agenda for the next session, but there were solid progressive gains for the state's residents.
Take Action. Support Green Jobs!
The Green Jobs Act of 2007 authorized $125 million per year to create an Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Worker Training Program as an amendment to the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The Green Jobs Act (GJA) is an initial pilot program to identify needed skills, develop training programs, and train workers for jobs in a range of industries - including energy efficient building, construction and retrofits, renewable electric power, energy efficient vehicles, biofuels, and manufacturing that produces sustainable products and uses sustainable processes and materials. It targets a broad range of populations for eligibility, but has a special focus on creating "green pathways out of poverty."
Congress has not yet appropriated money for the Green Jobs Act. Please contact your Senator today and urge them to fund the Green Jobs Act of 2007!
Read more at Green for All's web site.
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