Sr. Joan Brown discusses the complexities of the shift to sustainability

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In an interview for Global Sisters Report (a project of the National Catholic Reporter), Sister Joan Brown addressed the complexities of the shift to sustainability.   Here are some excerpts.

“The communities feel that they’re ‘a sacrifice zone’ and are continually ‘a sacrificed zone,’ ” Brown said. “They’re suffering from pollution now. Everybody else is using their energy. And yet with this transition, where are the jobs going to come from?”

These are challenging and daunting questions with no easy answers, and balancing respect for local needs with the demands required for the good of the entire planet will not be easy, she said.

But Brown stressed that local participation “at the table” is necessary, as is the voice of the faith community.

GSR: In your advocacy work, you’ve seen how difficult this process of just transition can be. Give us some idea of that.

Brown: We did an energy transition act in New Mexico that passed in 2019. That was to address the coal-fired power plants. The bill itself was to provide carbon-free energy by 50% by 2030 and 100% by 2045. In that process, the effort of a large collaboration was to move toward renewable energy while engaging communities in the transition for new jobs, training and ways to address local needs for tax revenue as we addressed climate change.

What about the need to shift to other technologies? There are complexities with that dynamic, right?

Yes. A story comes to my mind where there’s been an effort to get public comment on a large transmission line through the state of New Mexico to take all of the renewables from our wind and from solar. It’s going through rural areas again and through some sensitive environmental areas. Some ranchers, farmers and others in the affected rural areas are concerned. The energy is going elsewhere and they feel they are paying the price.

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The article appears in the A Just Transition feature series. View the full series.

New Mexico Supreme Court Rules Energy Transition Act is Constitutional

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The New Mexico Supreme Court today rejected New Energy Economy’s challenges to the constitutionality of the Energy Transition Act (ETA) and upheld the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) decision relating to the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station. These rulings end months of delays in sending transition funds to communities and issuing bonds that will reduce customer costs.

The court rejected all of the remaining challenges to the constitutionality of the ETA and concluded that the state legislature properly exercised its authority to set energy policy when enacting the legislation. The court also rejected challenges to the PRC decision to approve a financing order for the transition costs associated with the PNM decision to abandon its interest in the San Juan Generating Station.

“We are grateful that the ETA is continuing to empower communities toward clean energy and a new path forward with our economy. We need to continue to address climate change as we care for our communities and our sacred land, water and air,” Sr. Joan Brown, osf, Executive Director, New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light. 

Among the positive outcomes resulting from the Energy Transition Act in its first two years are:

  • Replacement of San Juan Generating Station coal with 100% solar and battery storage, providing $1 billion investment in impacted communities;
  • PNM relied on the ETA and the PRC’s rejection of gas in the San Juan case to propose a 100% solar and battery replacement for the power served by its expiring lease at Palo Verde nuclear plant;
  • PRC denied rate recovery for El Paso Electric’s proposal to expand Newman Gas Plant;
  • All investor-owned utilities in New Mexico are on track to provide 40% renewable energy supply by 2025; and to fully decarbonize their energy portfolios by 2045 or earlier;
  • Rate savings for customers resulting from the ETA’s low-cost financing of San Juan costs, and its renewable/battery replacement power, are millions less than what customers are paying today for those San Juan assets;
  • Millions of dollars in funding for transitioning workers and the communities impacted most by polluting coal will now be able to flow into communities.

Environmental, Community, Tribal, Faith Grassroots Groups Celebrate

“This decision is welcome news. It clears away the obstacles that were keeping support from flowing to communities like Farmington, which desperately need assistance to help in the transition to post-coal economies. That includes funding for innovative clean energy projects that will be such an important part of our rebuilding.” Mike Eisenfeld, Energy and Climate Program Manager, San Juan Citizens Alliance.

“NAVA Education Project thanks the New Mexico Supreme Court for making the decision today to affirm its constitutional responsibility to Navajo workers and communities by upholding the Energy Transition Act. Now that this legal barrier has been lifted, impacted communities will soon have access to the $40 million in Section 16 funding. This action will bring forward a strong diversified economy and emission-free electricity.” Joseph Hernandez, NAVA Education Project, Diné Energy Organizer.

“We are thankful that the New Mexico Supreme Court upheld the ETA. We want healthy communities and  economic opportunities that are not fossil fuels based. This decision is a step in the right direction to secure a healthier  future for our communities.”

Carol Davis, Executive Director, Diné C.A.R.E.\

“The Energy Transition Act has led to 100% solar and battery replacement of coal power, billion-dollar investments in frontline communities, savings for utility customers and rejection of gas plants and other dirty energy. Today’s Supreme Court ruling affirms the law and allows us to finally move forward on a just climate transition in New Mexico.”  Camilla Feibelman, Sierra Club – Rio Grande Chapter, Director.

“WRA is pleased the court has finally put to rest, and rejected, the bogus claims New Energy Economy made about the ETA. Unfortunately, NEE’s advocacy did not come without a cost to communities and workers, who had millions of dollars of important transition funds held up during the pendency of the appeal. The court’s decision now frees up this important funding for worker training and community assistance,” said Steve Michel, deputy director of Western Resource Advocates’ Clean Energy Program.

“This is a great victory for the New Mexico Energy Transition Act. Now all the promises that the ETA has can move forward and the much needed funding can be released to the Communities.  New Mexicans have waited too long for Environmental and Climate Justice to protect our New Mexico communities and our beloved and Sacred Land of Enchantment. Let the Energy Transition begin!” Terry A. Sloan, Director, Southwest Native Cultures.

“Today’s ruling affirms that the New Mexico state legislature can establish critical clean energy policies like the Energy Transition Act,” said Noah Long, Western climate and clean energy program director at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). “This legislative session, our state leaders should go even further by speeding up our transition to clean energy, setting binding pollution limits for every sector, and ensuring job opportunities and utility bill savings for working families.”

“The ETA was nation leading when it passed, allocating real life resources for community transition away from fossil fuel sources.” said Conservation Voters New Mexico’s executive director Demis Foster. “The case against it delayed much-needed financial support for tribes, communities and workers in the transition from coal and brought uncertainty to clean energy projects. Now we can move ahead with building a zero emission economy for New Mexicans.”

“Today’s decision is an important milestone in our state’s transition away from fossil fuels and toward a clean energy future,” said Kyle Tisdel, Climate & Energy Program Director with Western Environmental Law Center. “It allows critical transition funding to start flowing into communities that have long-shouldered the burdens from a legacy of fossil fuel exploitation, while accelerating our ability to address the climate crisis.”

“We are grateful that the ETA is continuing to empower communities toward clean energy and a new path forward with our economy. We need to continue to address climate change as we care for our communities and our sacred land, water and air,” Sr. Joan Brown, osf, Executive Director, New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light. 

 

Rev. Nick King Letter Urges EPA to Ban Flaring, Venting of Methane

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(The Albuquerque Journal printed this letter from Rev. Nicholas King, pastor of Albuquerque Mennonite Church, on Tuesday, January 11, 2022).

As a Christian pastor, I stand with a growing movement of faith leaders who are concerned with issues like air pollution and climate change. It is our duty to stand up for the gift of this Earth that God has bestowed upon us as well as for the welfare of the communities around oil and gas facilities and the workers inside them. 

It is the responsibility of each of us to protect the planet with every small action that affects it. This is why I’m grateful for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent steps to regulate methane and other dangerous emissions from oil and gas facilities across the country.

The venting and flaring of methane at oil and gas facilities is regulated by the EPA, which recently released a proposal that would cut methane and other harmful pollutants from new and existing oil and gas operations. The proposal will also reduce methane waste from leaks at roughly one million oil and gas wells currently operating across the country.  While a great start, these rules must go further to protect frontline communities like mine. 

The EPA must follow in the footsteps of New Mexico and ban this wasteful, routine flaring and venting, because emissions do not know state or national borders, and those of us in the Permian Basin are affected by a lack of regulation from other states. The banning of routine venting and flaring will mean that the health of the workers, who are caught in the middle of trying to make a living while working in polluted circumstances, as well as our national parks and neighborhoods, will be more protected from pollution.

Life is precarious, and nature is, too. In thinking only about economics, we can become so short-sighted that we can end up poisoning our workers, neighbors, and the very air we breathe. That’s one of the many reasons I promote love and concern for all our world and for our children, and why I partner with organizations that protect our public lands, like the National Parks Conservation Association. Together, we work to make sure our national parks and surrounding communities are protected from air pollution and the effects of climate change.

New Mexico’s national parks and heritage sites, like Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands, Chaco, and Bandelier are the perfect symbol of God’s creation and human history in this world. They are sacred gifts we want to protect from the damages of air pollution and methane flares for generations to come. How we cherish our national parks is indicative of what we believe in and where we are going as a country; uplifting and protecting them sets a standard for the rest of the world to rise up to.  

God’s creation is our inheritance on this Earth, and we must look past our own noses and economic interests to protect our gift of nature. New Mexico has already dedicated itself to preserving our public lands by abolishing methane flares; we must take that dedication further by not only supporting the EPA proposal, but also by pushing the EPA and Congress to continue to make our air, public lands, and conditions for our facility workers safe. In doing so, we glorify God in our care for the creation with which we have all been entrusted.