Legislative Briefing (Jan. 25, 2022): The Green Amendment (HJR2 and SJR2)

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Our legislative briefing on Jan. 25, 2022, included four important issues we’re following in the 2022 NM State Legislature.

In this video, Maya K. von Rossum, founder of the Green Amendments for the Generations, spoke of HJR2 and SJR2, The Green Amendment.  The initiative proposes to amend the Constitution of New Mexico by adding a new section of Article 2 that provides the people of the state with environmental rights, including the right to a clean and healthy environment and the right to protection of the environment.

The proposal directs the state to serve as a trustee of natural resources of New Mexico for the benefit of all New Mexicans. It also repeals the current pollution control provisions of Article 20, Section 21. It would allow legal redress when this right is violated by government action or inaction. The amendment needs to pass the State Legislature before going to the voters for approval.

Join a Briefing on Climate Initiatives in 2022 NM Legislature

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New Mexico El Paso Region Interfaith Power & Light and Citizens Caring for the Future invite you to a briefing on the New Mexico State Legislature, Tuesday, January 25, 5:00 p.m.

Learn how you can use your voice during this legislative session to ensure that New Mexico remains a leader on climate.

The meeting will feature several outstanding guests who will bring us up to date on four different bills moving through the legislature that impact our vulnerable communities and our work on climate.

The public is invited.

Click here to attend the meeting

 

Sponsors Pre-File Green Amendment Resolution in NM Legislature

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The 30 Day session of the New Mexico State Legislature is upon us and we need your help to get the word about the New Mexico Green Amendment. If we can get the Green Amendment through with majority support in each legislative house, the amendment can go to the ballot in 2022 for the people to vote on. We need your help to let the legislators know this is an amendment the people want; and to let them know the people of New Mexico deserve a right to a clean and healthy environment.  Here are some ways to take action

Participate in a Call to Action Webinar on Jan. 11 (Registration Requested)

A Joint Resolution proposing the amendment was pre-filed by the sponsors on Wednesday, January 5, for the 2022 legislative session.   The proposed New Mexico Green Amendment, as it is being called, is receiving strong upfront support with 24 legislators already signing on in support including:  by Senator Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, Representative Joanne Ferrary, Senator Harold Pope, Jr., Senator Bill Soules, Senator Elizabeth “Liz” Stefanics, Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino, Senator Carrie Hamblen, Representative Tara Lujan, Senator Shannon Pinto, Representative Andrea Romero, Representative Karen Bash, Representative Debbie Sarinana, Representative Roger Montoya, Senator Linda Lopez, Representative Patricia Roybal Caballero, Senator Bill Tallman, Senator Jeff Steinborn, Representative Kay Bounkeua, Representative Christine Trujillo, Representative Elizabeth “Liz” Thomson, Representative Gail Chasey, Representative Miguel Garcia, Representative Kristina Ortez, and Senator Roberto “Bobby” J. Gonzales

The Joint Resolution proposes amending the state constitution’s Bill of Rights to recognize and protect the rights of all of the people of New Mexico “to a clean and healthy environment, including water, air, soil, flora, fauna, ecosystems and climate, and to the preservation of the natural, cultural, scenic and healthful qualities of the environment”; to ensure these rights are protected for present and future generations; and to designate all the state’s government officials as trustees of the natural resources of the state constitutionally obligated to “conserve, protect, and maintain” them.

A New Mexico constitutional Green Amendment is a must have for our beloved ‘Land of Enchantment’,” said Terry A. Sloan, Director of Southwest Native Cultures, Albuquerque, New Mexico, a leader in the Green Amendment movement since its inception here in New Mexico and nationally and an ECOSOC accredited member of the United Nations.  Sloan is also a member of the board of directors of New Mexico and El Paso Region Interfaith Power & Light.