A Major Win for New Mexico's Water–Join Us Tomorrow to Reground and Recharge

VICTORY AT THE WATER QUALITY CONTROL COMMISSION: NO DISCHARGE OF FRACKING WASTE!

Earlier this week, YUCCA leaders joined movement allies, community members, and fellow members of the Defend NM Water Coalition to pack the Water Quality Control Commission's final hearing on the proposed Wastewater Reuse Rule.

Our demand was clear: No discharge of fracking waste into our lands and waters and absolutely no reuse without proper oversight and permitting.

And we won.

After nearly a year of community opposition, grassroots mobilization, expert testimony, and a final wave of pressure from over 2 dozen legislators, this week the Water Quality Control Commission reversed its dangerous April decision that would have allowed up to 2,000 barrels a day of toxic liquid fracking waste (also known as "produced water") to be dumped into our lands and waters – under a flimsy process that would have allowed projects to move forward with no real opportunities for oversight or public opposition.

Toxic fracking waste isn't water. It’s radioactive, filled with harmful chemicals, and contains substances that the oil and gas industry won’t even name because they’re protected by trade secrets. As YUCCA Policy Campaign Manager Ennedith López shared with SourceNM, "Fracking waste is by no matter a light concern. It's radioactive wastewater that they want to potentially use for agriculture projects, for construction and development, and that comes at the harm of people's health."

During this week's hearing, the Water Quality Control Commission adopted a final Wastewater Reuse Rule that:

✅ Prohibits industrial and demonstration reuse projects.

✅ Prohibits the discharge of treated and untreated toxic oil and gas waste ("produced water").

✅ Rejects the proposed flimsy "Notice of Intent" procedure that would have allowed closed-loop pilot projects to proceed without public input or opposition, despite evidence that these projects can spill toxic waste during operations.

✅ Requires strict permits for any pilot projects for the use of produced water off the oilfield, ensuring that community members and advocates will have the opportunity to voice their opposition to any proposed projects.

✅ Requires pilot projects to properly dispose of and report residual waste generated during the treatment process.

This decision is a direct result of community pressure and advocacy. It was people like you–who showed up to hearings, held signs, and took action–who made this happen.

This is a big victory – but we know that the fight isn't over.

The oil and gas industry will keep trying to offload their toxic waste problem onto our lands, waters, and communities. But we'll keep organizing, fighting, and building a future rooted in environmental justice, care, and community—not corporate greed.

Water is life – and we will never stop defending it. ✊

READ MORE FROM SOURCENM

TOMORROW: JOIN US FOR RADICAL SELF-LOVE – A TRAINING FOR COLLECTIVE CARE IN THE STRUGGLE

Each of YUCCA's political education workshops is built on a shared truth: we are not just resisting systems–we are building new ones. Systems rooted in justice, care, and collective power.

But we also know that this work is heavy. And it takes a toll. Organizing in the face of constant violence–whether it's environmental, racial, economic, or spiritual–can wear us down. That's why our next training is focused not on the systems we fight, but on the practices that help us stay in the fight for the long haul.

We'd love to have you join us tomorrow, Saturday, May 17th from 11:00 am-1:00 pm MT for Radical Self Love: A Virtual Training on Collective Care led by Ricki Lee Bloom.

This training is a virtual space to slow down, reconnect, and build the inner tools we need to keep going. We'll talk about what radical self-love actually means in the context of movement work, how to cultivate collective care that doesn't just respond to burnout–but helps prevent it, and how to be gentle with ourselves without letting go of our fire.

Whether you're new to this work or you've been organizing for years, this space is for you. You don't need to come with any preparation – just bring yourself, your experiences, and a willingness to reflect.

We say it often, but we mean it: our movements must be sustainable. And sustainability means care. It means rest. It means joy. It means knowing that we are not alone.

We hope you'll join us tomorrow as we root into that care, together

REGISTER FOR RADICAL SELF-LOVE

SUNDAY: THE 77TH YEAR OF ONGOING NAKBA – UNDERSTANDING PALESTINE AND ISRAEL

This Sunday, YUCCA will join our friends at Southwest Coalition for Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace ABQ, and 8 other organizations for a powerful and urgent conversation between Samia Assed and Phyllis Bennis – The 77th Year of Ongoing Nakba: Understanding Palestine and Israel.

YUCCA's Policy Campaign Manager Ennedith López will moderate the discussion between Phyllis Bennis, author and fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, and Samia Assed, Palestinian American community organizer and human rights activist.

The organizers write:

"The Nakba, catastrophe in Arabic, commemorated on May 15, refers to the expulsion of over 700,000 Palestinians in 1948 when the State of Israel was declared. It also refers to Israel's continuous efforts to drive Palestinians from their homeland and erase their presence. This includes the current genocidal violence in Gaza that has killed over 52,000 Palestinians and destroyed most infrastructure since October, 2023."

At YUCCA, we know that the fight for climate justice is inseparable from struggles against militarism, colonialism, and occupation — from New Mexico to Palestine. We stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine in their fight for liberation, justice, and self-determination. We cannot have climate justice without a free Palestine.

We hope you'll join us this Sunday from 2:00-4:00 pm at St. Therese Church for this powerful conversation.