NMIPL IN THE NEWS

Oil & Gas Threat Map Shows Tens of Thousands of New Mexicans Vulnerable to Emissions

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A geospatial analysis released by Earthworks in May shows 144,377 New Mexicans including 38,749 children, reside near or attend schools or day cares within a ½ mile threat radius of active oil and gas operations. See Oil & Gas Threat Map  and New Mexico Threat Map fact sheet. Here is a video of the media briefing and official release of the map.

Acequias are Mobilizing to Respond to Wildfires

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The following piece appeared in the May 26 issue of Noticias de las Acequias newsletter, published by the New Mexico Acequia

(Courtesy of Paula Garcia,  executive director)

The watershed that feeds the Canoncito and Encinal acequias in Mora County following the Hermits Peak-Cow Calf Fire. Photo credit: Zach Bumgarner

Across the state, thousands of families have been impacted by devastating wildfires. We are facing immediate concerns over safety, survival and displacement, and also long term worries about our watersheds, forests, fields, and homes.

“We will forever measure our lives as ‘before the fire’ and ‘after the fire,” New Mexico Acequia Association Executive Director Paula Garcia has written about her first-hand experience with the catastrophic wildfires impacting land-based communities in northern New Mexico.  In an article published on May 7 in The New Mexican (Santa Fe), she describes the immeasurable impacts to a beloved landscape and a way of life in the mountain communities of Mora and San Miguel counties.

Acequia leaders in the affected communities are tirelessly working to respond to the impacts of fire on watersheds and the threat of flooding by engaging with the USFS, NRCS, counties, and SWCDs to include acequias in the mapping and planning process to address fire and flood impacts. In the coming weeks and months, NMAA will report regularly on our work to recover and heal our beloved lands and our families from the trauma of wildfire. To get current updates all the various fires in New Mexico, including McBride, Cerro Pelado, Cooks Peak, and Hermits Peak/Cow Calf, please visit Inciweb and click on the fire icons to learn more about the status of each wildfire.

New Mexico Acequia Association and partners will work to support families and communities in post-wildfire recovery. Mindful that recovery and healing from a disaster on a large scale will take years, this project seeks to make long-term commitments to families and communities to rebuild their generational farms and ranches as well as to reimagine their beloved places to be equitable and resilient. Our work will be grounded in the values embodied in querencia, love of place and community, and we will dedicate ourselves to healing and building communities where land-based families can thrive for generations to come.

While the NMAA makes progress on building our vision, programs, and projects for recovery, we are sharing the following information resources that are helpful in addressing wildfire impacts:

After Wildfire New Mexico Guide for Communities

This guide was created to help communities organize and respond to wildfire and subsequent flooding. The guide contains safety information, flood information, state and federal agency resources and contacts for assistance, ways to mobilize your community, and financial and funding tips for communities and families. It is intended to provide useful guidance through a difficult time, and to start you and your community on the road to recovery. If you are reading this before a wildfire occurs, use it to help you plan ahead.

FEMA Assistance

Those affected by the wildfires, either by loss or damage to property or by displacement/evacuation, can apply to FEMA for assistance. To apply for FEMA assistance: call the Helpline 800-621-3362 or visit disasterassistance.gov. The deadline to apply for assistance (property damage, etc.) is July 5, 2022. For miscellaneous expenses up to $500 for evacuees (temporary housing, food, etc.), the deadline has been extended to June 1, 2022.

FEMA Flood Insurance

Those who are potentially impacted by post-fire flooding can apply for flood insurance, which would go into effect after 30 days of purchasing an insurance policy (Governor Lujan Grisham has asked for a waiver of the 30 day period because the federal government is responsible for the start of the wildfire through a prescribed burn). For more information about how to buy insurance, go to the FEMA flood insurance page.

USDA Assistance for Farmers and Ranchers

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) has disaster relief programs that are longer term, which don’t address the immediate emergency but are available to offset costs in restoring agricultural operations. The NMAA will be sharing more details about these programs in the weeks and months to come. In the meantime, interested growers can get familiar with the various programs (click here).

Additional resources are listed on these handouts:

On World Environment Day, Join Us in Studying ‘Choosing Earth’

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The United Nations is commemorating World Environment Day, on Sunday, June 5, with the theme #OnlyOneEarth. The campaign calls for collective, transformative action on a global scale to celebrate, protect and restore our planet.  Here is a short video with more information on World Environment Day.

Our Local Campaign

At New Mexico El Paso Region Interfaith Power & Light,  we are observing World Environment Day by encouraging the study of Choosing Earth. by Duane Elgin. The book examines the challenges facing humanity—from increasingly severe climate change and resource exhaustion to escalating social injustices and the rising threat of authoritarianism—and calls for a radical transformation in how we live on the planet.

Inviting us into a “wide, deep, and long” view of our present moment and what lies ahead, Elgin urges the human community to open to the transformative work of facing grief and loss, and to work for reconciliation and healing of injustices.

Here is a PDF version  of the book.

Companion Documentary

Watch a 70-minute film. entitled “Facing Adversity: Choosing Earth, Choosing Life . 

Carlsbad Current Argus. Sep. 3, 2020 New Mexico finalizes oil and gas wastewater regulations, lawmakers hear testimony (Rev. Nick King Quoted)

Las Cruces Sun-News,  Aug. 19, 2020, Report on solving climate crisis brings hope (Co-authored by Michael Sells, Clara Sims and Edith Yanez)

Santa Fe New Mexican, Aug. 15, 2020 Vote your values this November  (Commentary by Larry Rasmussen and Tabitha Arnold)