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In a wilderness of political wilderness designations
Michael Swickard There are plenty of nature-centric places in New Mexico to preserve, but not to exclude human entry. Preserve the nature-centric areas of New Mexico for all Americans but make sure all...
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The one Democrat who will fight for the environment
Richard D. Barish For New Mexicans who care about protecting the environment and investing in clean energy, Eric Griego is the one Democrat who can be counted on to fight for these issues. In the race...
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It’s time to support national monument proposal
The Organ Mountains (Photo by Heath Haussamen) It is time for Doña Ana County residents to stand up to the special interests and support the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument proposal. We...
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We need to strengthen the Pit Rule, not do away with it
Gwen Lachelt Governor Martinez and her Oil Conservation Commission should be seeking ways to strengthen protections instead of doing away with the Pit Rule altogether. Last week, Governor Martinez’s...
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Time to fire the political fire managers
Michael Swickard Perhaps the Lincoln National Forest should be taken over by the State of New Mexico. If the federal managers of these resources cannot effectively manage these resources, then a...
View ArticleState officials dispute account in Swickard column about fire
In his column this week, Michael Swickard argues that it’s “time to fire the political fire managers” who he says made “the political decision” to let the Little Bear Fire near Ruidoso continue as a...
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The less-than-sweet smell of sewage
Michael Swickard Note from the author: Yes, there is more to the story than just the stink. But the core issue for me is that a community has no right to make another community smell its filth. While...
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Pearce wrong about Little Bear firefighting efforts
Ellen Wedum If Congressman Pearce thinks that the U.S. Forest Service should be able to respond to fires faster than on foot, he and his fellow Republicans should stop cutting the Forest Service...
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Setting the record straight
Ray Powell I would love to discuss the work we are doing to create jobs for New Mexicans, support our public schools and protect the health of our lands. However, Pat Lyon’s recent Op-Ed was so filled...
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Protecting rivers is vital to our economy and way of life
Ben Ray Luján We have an opportunity to restore the health of the Colorado River and its tributaries, including the San Juan River in New Mexico. Western rivers are hurting. The Colorado River, for...
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Public investments in our precious resources must be smart, sustainable
COMMENTARY: New Mexico has a long history of forging innovative solutions to a whole host of problems. Our knowhow and ingenuity have influenced everything from the creation of the personal computer to...
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From Mexico to NM and Arizona, jaguar conservation efforts grow
Eric Kilby / Creative CommonsLast year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated nearly 1,200 square miles of combined critical jaguar habitat in the southern borderlands of Arizona and New Mexico....
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Researcher hopes to aid binational management of endangered river
Heath Haussamen / NMPolitics.netWhile swimming isn’t a common activity in the Rio Grande near Las Cruces — which is a dry riverbed much of the year — other sand-based recreational activities are. “I...
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So-called ‘fix’ bill is a thinly veiled attempt to kill conservation fund
COMMENTARY: Some dictionaries define chutzpah as shameless audacity or impudence. Near that definition in every dictionary should be a photo of U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah. Courtesy photoAlexandra...
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‘Somebody intervened in Washington’
Courtesy photoA scene from the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. From his seat in the small plane flying over the largest remaining swath of American wilderness, Bruce Babbitt thought he could...
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Obama articulated the strength and spirit of the American people
Editor’s note: This piece is in response to President Barack Obama’s Tuesday State of the Union address. COMMENTARY: President Obama articulated the strength and spirit of the American people, and that...
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Scientists probe groundwater changes in Doña Ana County
Heath Haussamen / NMPolitics.netFaced with cutbacks in irrigation water from the Rio Grande, shown here, in recent years, many farmers in Doña Ana County turned on pumps to keep their crows — and...
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State environment chief blasts EPA over lagging mine spill cleanup efforts
La Plata County / Courtesy photoA scene from the Animas River in La Plata County, Colo., after the Gold King Mine spill in August. While the EPA has claimed the water is safe and back to “pre-spill”...
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Unaccountable Gila Diversion project puts local water projects on backburner
COMMENTARY: Sen. Howie Morales deserves the thanks of Grant County residents this legislative session for working to pry loose $13 million from the Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) for Grant County...
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In Texas, Rio Grande Valley residents have been eating toxic fish for decades
Douglas Young / The Texas TribuneOne of four warning signs posted next to polluted Donna Lake. DONNA, Texas — When Emma Quintero moved into her modest, bright blue house eight years ago, she’d watch...
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