Join us in protecting the public health, land, air, and water of the Rio Chama Watershed.
Call for Board Members
Would you like to make a meaningful and creative contribution to the Community of the Rio Chama Watershed?
We are inviting interested citizens to meet with us to discuss becoming a
Rio Arriba Concerned Citizen Board Member.
Please contact us at info@rioarribaconcernedcitizens.com or just come meet us at our next Board Meeting of 2019:
The last Friday of every month, public portion of the meeting 2-3pm, at the El Rito Public Library
Thank you!
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Have you heard? This in from the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club. The House Natural Resources Committee has passed H.R. 2181 to protect Chaco, now one step closer to becoming a federal law. Huge thanks to our great legislators who are leading the way toward reigning in oil and gas in Chaco. Thank you, Reps. Ben Lujan, Deb Haaland and Xochitl Torres Small!
“Chaco Canyon is too sacred to drill, and it’s not the only sacred site the Trump administration is happy to pollute,” Chair Grijalva said. “Communities all over the country are calling for their landscapes, environment, resources and way of life to be protected from excessive oil and gas drilling. My colleagues and I went to New Mexico to hear directly from leaders and community members on this issue, and passing this bill today is the right thing to do. I’m grateful for the leadership of my colleagues from New Mexico who have worked tirelessly to protect Chaco, and I look forward to getting this bill to the House floor.”
“Oil and gas drilling in the Greater Chaco region would destroy that beautiful and sacred landscape and would permanently impact New Mexicans’ health and quality of life,” said Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján. “Passing my legislation to protect Chaco through the Natural Resources Committee today creates critical momentum to permanently ban oil and gas drilling. Critically, this legislation also sends a clear message that we will not allow the destruction of sacred lands by companies seeking to prohibit. I will continue to fight to protect this world-renowned site that holds significant cultural value to New Mexicans, Tribal communities, and the Pueblos. I implore the House to pass this bill so future generations may enjoy Chaco Canyon.”
“Protecting Chaco is part of who we are as New Mexicans,” Rep. Haaland said. “However, there are serious threats to our efforts from the oil and gas industry and my colleagues who benefit from those industries on the other side of the aisle. Some things are more important than money. Today, our bill to stave off those interests and protect the ancient homeland of the Pueblo people and a place that all New Mexicans treasure is one step closer to becoming a reality.”
naturalresources.house.gov
The House Committee on Natural Resources - Democrats - Ranking Member Raul M. GrijalvaWe highly recommend this 5 min. video. A member of Frack Off Greater Chaco hand delivering nearly 30,000 protest and technical comments regarding the BLM's upcoming September lease sale. She explains the exasperating hurdles the BLM puts on the public when trying to protest the sale of fracking land leases in New Mexico (10 days to do so...protests ignored). We will not give up, nor stop raising our voices!
ClimateWest
New Mexico BLM oil and gas lease sale comment delivery
We must hold the BLM accountable - and as this report reveals - watch them at every turn as they seem to try and wiggle around even court rulings.
..."The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in May that BLM violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when it approved environmental assessments for five sets of oil and gas wells that did not address the cumulative water impacts of nearly 4,000 horizontal Mancos Shale wells in the Greater Chaco region. The ruling covered environmental assessments approved by BLM for 25 applications to drill in the area.
..."According to WildEarth Guardians, (the) BLM published its revised environmental assessments additional information two days after the court ruling, and opened a 10-day comment period during the first week of July—during the 4th of July holiday."
“The Tribes have spoken, Congressional leaders have spoken, and the courts have ruled that BLM must do more than rubber stamp oil and gas proposals, yet the agency continues to do more to benefit industry and less to benefit people,” Navajo Nation Council Delegate Daniel Tso said in a statement. Tso represents the Tribal chapters that are impacted by the BLM’s actions and is a signee of the letter."
..."The letter included support from local organizations Southwest Native Cultures, the Counselor Chapter of the Navajo Nation, Tewa Women United, Native American Voters Alliance Education Project, Pueblo Action Alliance, Torreon Community Alliance, Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment, San Juan Citizens Alliance, WildEarth Guardians, Earth Holder Community, MoveOn New Mexico and New Energy Economy as well as five out-of-state organizations."
Navajo government officials, environmental groups want review of BLM’s Chaco Canyon leases
nmpoliticalreport.com
Environmental groups and Navajo government officials are criticizing the U.S. Bureau of Land Management over the bureau’s handling of oil and gas leases approved in the Greater Cha...