By Kayley Shoup

CCFF Organizer

As the pandemic has begun to lift CCFF Leaders have had a chance to meet in person once again, and we have lots of news to share! In early April Nathalie Eddy & Joan Brown, our incredible allies from up North, were able to make a trip down to Southeast New Mexico. It was wonderful to break bread with them, and just catch up and be in community with one another. It was much needed and a great reminder as to why we do this important work. Now onto the news!

Both Joan & Nathalie were extremely busy while they were in town. They truly are Superwomen if you ask us! Joan connected our new organizers, Chris & Kayley, with faith leaders in both Carlsbad and Hobbs that she knows through her work with “Interfaith Power & Light.” These are new and exciting connections that we believe will expand our community as we continue our work to raise awareness of the dangers of oil & gas production to our health and planet. Nathalie spent her time out in the field tracking methane pollution and reporting sites that were out of compliance as part of her work with “Earthworks.”

In addition to that strenuous work, she also took the time to meet with some local leaders from Carlsbad & Jal in order to show them the pollution & to educate them on the state of regulation (or lack thereof) in the Permian. Nathalie & Joan, along with a few of the leaders,  also took the time to meet with reporters. You can read the coverage of our time with Adrian Hedden at “The Current Argus” in this article entitled,  “It Doesn’t Feel Like Home Anymore”

After we said our goodbyes it was onto another busy week! On April 15th CCFF held a virtual community meeting where we heard from leaders around the state that have taken part in a “Health Impact Assessment.” There is little to no data on the health effects of oil & gas production in the Permian, and we are on a mission to change that! It was a wonderful & informative meeting where we seemed to acquire a roadmap as to how we can take on the huge task of organizing a HIA.

We also, for the first time, had Spanish interpreters present at our meeting. Joan has done incredible work to make sure that CCFF is inclusive to the Hispanic community, and we are proud to announce that our meetings going forward will include an interpreter! We will be posting the recording of the event in English and Spanish later this week. So make sure to check that out! You can read more about the speakers in this link

On the same week as our community meeting CCFF Leaders Gene Harbaugh & Kayley Shoup, along with Nathalie Eddy, spoke at a virtual press conference that was held with allies from the San Juan Basin. It was the first time that community members from the San Juan & Permian Basin have spoken out in unity. We are very excited to forge these new relationships with our brothers & sisters from the North, who face many of the same issues we do, and we know that it will make the work we do that much more impactful.

The press conference was held on the last day of public comment that the “Department of Interior” allowed as part of their investigation into the federal oil & gas leasing program. The impact statements shared were submitted as official comments. You can read coverage in this article entitled, Groups seek oil and gas leasing reform

Last but not least, we welcomed the incredible Penny Aucoin back to our leadership team! Penny is an outspoken voice for the health & safety of our community in the face of record oil & gas production, and we are so grateful to have her on board! You can check out a recent ad she worked on with “Methane Matters” by following the link below.

New Mexico Holds Opportunity To Craft Nation Leading Rules, But Proposed Loopholes Must First Be Closed

Exciting progress is being made on a federal and state level, as a new administration has taken over. We are grateful to have leaders that care for our environment, and we look forward to the progress that “Citizens Caring for the Future” will be able to make as a community!

(Citizens Caring for the Future (CCFF) brings together Southeastern New Mexico community members who support protecting our air, water and public health and safety during the current oil and gas boom in the Permian. Check out the work of CCFF)