in the news

Washington, D.C. - With a total of 51 original co-sponsors, Democrat Darren Soto (Florida) introduced yesterday the new bill in favor of Puerto Rico becoming the 51st state of the United States, setting in motion a process with which Governor Pedro Pierluisi intends to find out if Congress is willing to grant statehood to...

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) announced Tuesday they would introduce legislation to start the motions for Puerto Rico statehood. Why it matters: More than 52% of Puerto Ricans voted last November in favor of statehood, three years after Hurricane Maria struck and caused one of the worst natural...

We have known for a long time that pumping unlimited groundwater from the Ogallala Aquifer is unsustainable. The future of water for eastern New Mexico communities like Clovis and Portales depends on us securing an alternative supply. That's why I have worked so hard over the last decade to support the construction of the Eastern New Mexico Rural...

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat, is reintroducing three conservation bills with the hope they will gain traction under a bluer Senate and the Biden administration. Heinrich is jump-starting bills to restrict hard-rock mining in the Pecos watershed, bar mining on four federal sites in Sandoval County and designate a section of a...

New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich (D) is calling on the Biden administration to "reorient the driving missions" of public land management agencies toward addressing climate change and away from activities like extractive industry and timber harvesting. Heinrich, who serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, made the remarks Friday...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.- Sen. Martin Heinrich was upset after seeing images of the National Guard in a parking garage. "It immediately rubbed me the wrong way and I started reaching out to my colleagues to see what they knew," Heinrich said. The senator from New Mexico said he offered his office space to members of the National Guard. "At the end of the...

Congress voted again to impeach President Trump, and law enforcement is preparing for potential violence at state capitals around the U.S. as we count down to Inauguration Day on Wednesday, Jan. 20. Martin Heinrich is now the senior senator for New Mexico, and he was one of the first lawmakers to see the mob make their way to the Capitol steps....

Martin Heinrich is among 14 U.S. senators calling for an investigation into white supremacy in the military after rioters, including one waving a Confederate flag, ransacked the U.S. Capitol last week. A number of military veterans and service members took part in the Jan. 6 insurrection, creating concern they were recruited by violent extremists,...

More help for New Mexico's hospitals, public health systems, and struggling New Mexicans is on the way. Congress finally reached a new bipartisan agreement at the end of last year to support our health care workers and millions of families who are struggling through no fault of their own. The emergency COVID-19 relief package extended unemployment...

This has been the worst year in recorded history for wildfires in the United States, and the vast majority of over 9.5 million acres burned so far has occurred in the American West. Huge sections of states were closed by fire, smoke clogged the air in cities and national forests, monuments, parks and wilderness areas were shut off to visitors....

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The hopes of Congress passing another COVID-relief package this week remain dashed for now. Congressional leadership remains at odds over what should be included in the bill while members of New Mexico's delegation remains hopeful for a deal. Rep. Deb Haaland is calling on Congressional leadership to include restaurants in any...

LAS CRUCES - In the closing weeks of the 116th Congress, New Mexico's congressional delegation in Washington celebrated the completion Thursday of a $740.5 billion compromise defense bill for 2021.  The conference bill reconciles versions previously passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Among the 53 House conferees was...

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST: America is divided over many things, but protecting public lands and national parks enjoys broad public support. This summer, President Trump signed a bipartisan bill to do just that. But three months later, the Trump administration's implementation of the new law is being criticized. NPR's Kirk Siegler has more. KIRK...

According to a U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis report released a couple of weeks ago, New Mexico’s $2.4 billion outdoor recreation economy accounted for 2.2 percent of the state’s gross domestic product in 2019, and supported 35,000 jobs. In a separate report, also released this month, market research firm Southwick Associates found...

Dave Gold has hiked New Mexico trails for more than 40 years, descending into rugged canyons and trudging up to summits with breathtaking views.  Gold, 65, thinks open spaces should be expanded, especially after he's seen public access to some scenic hiking areas closed off over the years when easements were removed.  "You really can't...

The Pecos watershed is home to some of the state’s most pristine riparian habitat, but Lela McFerrin, vice president of the Upper Pecos Watershed Association, is worried that a proposal to drill new mines in the area will threaten the creeks, streams and drainages that make up the headwaters of the Pecos river.  “What we’re...

New federal claims to extract minerals, including oil, gas and metals, would be barred in the Pecos watershed under a bill introduced by a New Mexico senator. Democratic U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich said he seeks to avoid accidents in the area, such as a disastrous toxic waste spill from a closed mine in the 1990s that killed fish for 11 miles in the...

New Mexico’s outdoor recreation industry is one of its fastest growing, and officials at the both the state and federal level advocated for it to receive more federal relief funds to survive the COVID-19 health crisis and maintain the momentum. Recently released data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) showed the outdoor...

As firefighters across the West continue to battle what experts are describing as one of the most destructive wildfire seasons in recent memory, a group of U.S. senators, including Democrats Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, are trying to get a sense of how prepared the National Guard is to help combat large-scale blazes. Udall and...

U.S. Senate Republicans voted 52 to 48 to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away Sept. 18. President Donald Trump held a celebration at the White House Monday evening after the Senate vote and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas swore her in at the White House to the...