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Our Future Is On The Line: 4 Ways To Take Urgent Action This Week

It's shaping up to be a busy week at YUCCA, and the stakes couldn't be higher.

 

From the Senate Conservation Committee's hearing on the Clear Horizons Act (SB 18) tomorrow, to a major update in our fight to stop the use of toxic fracking waste off the oilfield, to the Public Regulation Commission's Public Comment Hearing on Blackstone's proposed buyout of PNM, this week is a critical moment in the fight for climate justice and energy democracy – and we need you to take action with us today.

 

Read on to learn how you can make your voice heard, organize, and build power with us right now.


JOIN US TONIGHT FOR OUR WEEKLY WE GOT US NETWORK MEETING!



Last week, we launched our weekly We Got Us Network Meetings: a collaborative space for us to continue to build power together, share resources and opportunities, strategize for the fights we're up against, and organize for what comes next, together.

 

As we prepare for critical hearings this week and continue our fight for climate justice during a whirlwind 30-day legislative session, we're excited to come together this evening to share more information about urgent calls to action and be in community with each other.

 

If you're ready to learn how to take action this week and continue building power together, register to join us for tonight's virtual network meeting at 5:30 pm MT, spread the word, and check out what we'll be talking about this evening below.




TAKE ACTION NOW: THE CLEAR HORIZONS ACT (SB 18) WILL BE HEARD TOMORROW – HELP US URGE CRITICAL AMENDMENTS!



TOMORROW, February 3rd, the Senate Conservation Committee will hear SB 18, The Clear Horizons Act.

 

While this bill represents a critical step forward for meaningful climate action that sets important reduction targets and statewide greenhouse gas emissions limits that comply with the Paris Climate Agreement, these targets alone won't guarantee the outcomes our communities need.

 

YUCCA supports this bill only with amendments that would strengthen it. Ahead of the bill's hearing tomorrow, we need YOUR help to urge Committee Members to support SB 18 only with critical amendments that would:

 

☀️ Require renewables for all microgrid projects. This would address the microgrid loophole that new fossil fuel projects are using to bypass clean-energy safeguards in New Mexico.

 

🚫 Reject offset language, which allows polluters to meet targets on paper, but continue emitting.

 

✍️ Create rulemaking to clarify and support "most affected communities", so that communities most impacted by pollution are fully addressed and involved.

 

🗓️ Accelerate implementation timelines and secure funding, so the climate targets aren't further delayed by administrative hurdles.

 

If you haven't already, take action TODAY to urge committee members to support The Clear Horizons Act only with these critical amendments by utilizing the contact information below:

 




TAKE ACTION NOW TO STOP THE USE OF

TOXIC FRACKING WASTE OFF THE OILFIELD



At the Legislature, YUCCA is also tracking HB 207 (Water Quality Control Commission Produced Water Rules), a dangerous bill that would require the Water Quality Control Commission to adopt rules allowing for toxic fracking waste (otherwise known as "produced water") to be discharged, transported, stored, recycled, and applied off the oilfield.

 

This bill is contrary to science, contrary to the Produced Water Act, and contrary to with the strong rule that advocates won at the Water Quality Control Commission last summer, which prohibits the discharge, disposal, or reuse of produced water for non-oil-and-gas activities, allowing only tightly regulated pilot projects under strict scientific controls and public oversight.

 

Instead of protecting our communities from industry's toxic waste problem, HB 207 bows to oil and gas industry pressure, making an attempt to normalize the use of toxic fracking waste generated by extraction and override the strong environmental protections that advocates have spent the past 2 years fighting for.

 

In November, after a big win against produced water in the Water Quality Control Commission, we wrote, "We know that the polluters, decision-makers, and lobbyists behind this toxic waste reuse scheme – who would rather prioritize industry profits than our lives and futures – will keep trying to push this through. But when the time comes, we'll be there to show up again and stop them." 

 

That time is now. We've fought back against produced water in the Strategic Water Supply Act and in the Water Quality Control Commission. And we're ready to do it again.

 

Despite Senate Memorial 11 asking the Senate and the Water Quality Control Commission to "affirm the scientific evidence enabling the beneficial reuse of produced water and the importance of produced water as an asset for economic development", there is no credible scientific evidence that produced water – which contains heavy metals, radioactive materials, and toxic organic compounds – is safe for human health or the environment, even after "treatment".

 

📢 Take action today to help us stop HB 207 by contacting members of the House Agriculture, Acequias, and Natural Resources Committee today to urge them to vote NO on this bill, which would override the Water Quality Control Commission's expert decision and put our communities, lands, and waters at risk in the name of industry profits:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



STOP PRIVATE EQUITY'S BUYOUT OF PNM: MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

IN PERSON OR ONLINE THIS THURSDAY!



THIS Thursday, February 5th, the Public Regulation Commission will hold a public comment hearing on Blackstone's proposed acquisition of PNM – this is our chance to make our voices heard and say NO to a private equity buyout of New Mexico's largest electric utility. 🚨


In September, YUCCA and the No False Solutions Coalition traveled to New York City to bring the fight directly to Blackstone's doorstep in Manhattan and sound the alarm about this deal, which would mean higher bills for our families, water-intensive energy projects in the middle of the desert, and an energy system controlled by Wall Street billionaires instead of being accountable to the people.


Young people across New Mexico deserve an energy democracy and an equitable just transition that ends our dependence on extractive industry, not an energy future dictated by out-of-state investors who have never set foot in our communities.


We need you in this fight with us. Make your voice heard at the Public Regulation Commission's Public Comment Hearing THIS Thursday – RSVP to provide public comment virtually or in person during the February 5th hearing from 4:00-7:00 pm by heading to bit.ly/no-blackstone and help us spread the word to your friends, family, and networks.




If you want to learn more about the fight against Blackstone's buyout and how YOU can provide a powerful public comment at the Public Regulation Commission to send a clear message that New Mexico is not for sale, you're invited to join the New Mexico No False Solutions Coalition for a virtual Public Comment Training and Webinar TOMORROW, February 3rd from 6:00-7:30 pm MT.

 

Join us to learn the latest about Blackstone in New Mexico, our urgent call to action for THIS Thursday's Public Regulation Commission Public Comment Hearing, and how we can resist and build energy democracy in our own communities.

 
 
 

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