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  • — by Scott Wyland
    The U.S. Senate has approved a military spending bill that would boost funding significantly for Los Alamos National Laboratory’s nuclear weapons program and waste removal, while also providing money to clean up cancer-causing pollution at two Air Force bases. The National Defense Authorization Act, which approves $770 billion for the...
  • — by Adrian Hedden
    A bill sponsored by New Mexico’s senior U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) to fund conservation of threatened and endangered species advanced in Congress this week, receiving its first hearing in the U.S. Senate. Co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) would, if passed, provide...
  • — by Adrian Hedden
    New Mexico’s multi-billion-dollar outdoor recreation industry struggled in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic but was already recovering, officials said, as businesses reopened, and visitation surged. A study from the Bureau of Economic Analysis ranked New Mexico as 27th in the nation for outdoor recreation’s contribution to the...
  • — by U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill
    Each year, hundreds of thousands of college students drop out of their program and leave school, with significant negative impacts on their future earnings and employment. This college completion crisis has major consequences for our broader economy and workforce — millions of workers are not in the labor force and tens of billions of dollars...
  • — by Scott Wyland
    The lesser prairie chicken could be put on the threatened list for the second time in eight years, and a U.S. senator from New Mexico thinks the bird is a prime example of a species whose severe decline could’ve been avoided if there had been money to intervene sooner. Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich believes a bipartisan bill he and Sen....
  • — by U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich
    The scale of climate change can be debilitating at times, even for me. When I see cottonwoods dying from heat stress along the Rio Grande or acequias running dry, it can be overwhelming. At times like that, I find that it’s important to back up and refocus on all the things I can do to change our unsustainable status quo. When I do that, I...
  • — by Dave Kovaleski
    A group of Democratic lawmakers in Congress recently established the Electrification Caucus, which will work to advance policies to accelerate widespread electrification. The caucus was created by U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Tina Smith (D-MN), and U.S. Reps. Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Kathy Castor (D-FL). The lawmakers said widespread...
  • — by Noel Lyn Smith
    FARMINGTON — New Mexico will receive $25 million in federal funding for a transportation project on the Navajo Nation. Congressional members from New Mexico announced the state was awarded funding through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants, which is administered by the U.S....
  • — by U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich
    For some students, getting into college and being able to afford it is enough. But for many others – particularly first-generation students, those from low-income families, and students of color – there are more obstacles to overcome between orientation day and graduation day. From help with transportation and housing, to academic...
  • — by U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich
    While COVID-19 precautions have moved this year’s Crane Fiesta into a virtual format, the Friends of Bosque del Apache will have an incredible lineup of events from November 18 to 19, bringing together experts on wildlife photography, birding, and landscape painting for webinars and other exciting events. There will be photography and art...
  • — by Ryan Boetel
    The Democratic members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation are touting the massive infrastructure bill that cleared the House last week, which will pour billions of dollars into the state for things like road improvements and water projects. The Democrats all supported the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which will bring at least $3.7...
  • — by Daniel Chacon
    New Mexico’s deteriorating roads and bridges — and everyone who uses them — stand to be the biggest beneficiaries of a $1 trillion infrastructure bill President Joe Biden is expected to sign into law this week. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is poised to deliver at least $3.5 billion to the state for a wide...
  • — by Hannah Grover
    In the face of climate change and a history of proposals to dam or divert water from the Gila River, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, Democrats from New Mexico, have introduced legislation that would designate a section of the Gila River in New Mexico as a wild and scenic river. This legislation bears the name of M.H. Dutch...
  • — by Hannah Grover
    In the face of climate change and a history of proposals to dam or divert water from the Gila River, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, Democrats from New Mexico, have introduced legislation that would designate a section of the Gila River in New Mexico as a wild and scenic river. This legislation bears the name of M.H. Dutch...
  • — by Geoff Plant
    In a Tuesday press conference, Democratic U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan announced the reintroduction of federal legislation to protect 450 miles of waterways within the Gila River system under the 1968 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. “It’s long past time to protect these segments as Wild and Scenic,” Heinrich told...
  • — by Justin Schatz
    On Tuesday New Mexico Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján introduced legislation to designate the Gila River as a Wild And Scenic River, which would protect the watershed from mining and agricultural interests in the region. The Gila River is one of the last remaining free-flowing rivers and tributary systems to the Colorado...
  • — by U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich
    We continue to stare down dangerous and overt threats to our democracy in the U.S. Congress must do more to ensure our most fundamental constitutional right to vote is secure, accessible, and easy to navigate for every single lawful American. We should all be proud that New Mexico is setting a national example for what it looks like to enhance...
  • — by Kevin Robinson-Avila
    Trees and plants are nature’s best ally for capturing and sequestering carbon dioxide, and New Mexico State University wants to harness that power to help fight climate change in arid environments.   As the state’s land grant university, NMSU is well prepared to lead the way in decarbonizing agriculture in rural and urban areas...
  • — by Adrian Hedden
    To combat climate change brought on by air pollution, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) continued to rally support for electrifying homes and businesses to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the U.S. Heinrich introduced the Zero Emissions Homes Act earlier this year to provide tax rebates for electric appliances in single- and multi-family...
  • — by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Sheldon Whitehouse
    It’s hard to find states more different than New Mexico and Rhode Island. One is big, the other small; one is landlocked mountain ranges and high desert, the other seaside coast.  But both count on a healthy, clean environment, and each presents wondrous natural beauty. So we both fight tirelessly to defend that environment as climate...