in the news

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation weren’t crying wolf earlier this year when they voiced concerns the state could lose millions of dollars in defense project funding to pay for a wall on the border with Mexico. The state took quite a hit when considering what projects could have been affected. Of...

Members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation are criticizing a Department of Defense decision to divert $125 million from projects at two state military bases to help pay for the construction of a wall on the Mexican border. The lawmakers were informed of the decision Wednesday. It puts on hold an $85 million project for an unmanned...

A New Mexico clean energy summit this week led by U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) concluded with state, tribal, and local leaders committing to reducing carbon emissions. The summit brought together nearly 200 local officials and participants from across New Mexico, including the governor, the Albuquerque mayor, and representatives from...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The debate over guns is one that is very divisive, and one that many people are passionate about. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich says he is a hunter and believes in protecting the rights of law abiding gun owners. He also believes there should be changes in gun laws.  "Every shotgun I have has a plug in it so that I...

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich has heard the stories about people passing off agriculture products as Native American made. Now he, U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján and other lawmakers want to find out how widespread the activity is. “I’ve been working on this issue for five years now,” Heinrich told the Journal. “Tesuque Pueblo...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich criticized Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell last week for blocking legislation he said would protect elections from foreign interference. He called on the Republican senator from Kentucky to allow votes on legislation following testimony by former Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the...

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico’s national parks and monuments attract visitors from all over the world. However, the majority of those sites are in bad shape and need millions of dollars in order to fix them up.  Many consider New Mexico’s national sites to be crown jewels of the state. “I am really glad we came...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico’s U.S. senators are calling for hearings after reports of alleged sexual assault and inhumane treatment of migrant children in federal detention facilities. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall sent a letter to U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., on Wednesday requesting a...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich testified before the Senate on Monday about what he called the global “climate crisis,” advocating for carbon pollution pricing legislation to reduce harmful emissions. Heinrich is a co-sponsor of the American Opportunity Carbon Fee Act, a bill that would charge coal, oil and natural...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The U.S. Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2020 in an 86-8 vote; it is now being deliberated by the U.S. House of Representatives. The Senate version of the bill gives more than $15 million to build a combat rescue helicopter simulator at the Kirtland Air Force Base, another $26 million...

Wind power has been one of America’s fastest growing energy sources in recent years, and there’s good reason for that—it’s both clean and affordable. In fact, in many parts of the country, wind is the cheapest source of new electric generating capacity, even accounting for government incentives. I’ve seen the evidence...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich is criticizing the president’s plan to limit the number of asylum seekers coming into the United States. Earlier this month, the U.S. and Mexico reached an agreement that prevented President Trump from imposing tariffs on goods from Mexico. Part of that plan includes expanding the Migrant...

This coming Thursday, the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission (ISC) will vote on whether to spend an additional $1.8 million to continue plans to dam the upper Gila and San Francisco Rivers. That is on top of the $15 million they have already spent. It is far past time to scrap this doomed plan to remove water from the Gila and to instead...

Who would have guessed that a Trump administration appointee with such close ties to the oil and gas industry would be willing to press pause on oil and gas leases on and near a historically and spiritually significant piece of land in New Mexico? It’s a tongue-in-cheek question, but the fact remains that few detractors of newly minted...

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich has been soundly criticized for his votes to approve President Donald Trump’s nominees for secretary of the interior. Critics want to know how Heinrich, a self-professed environmentalist, can vote in favor of nominees with industry ties — men who see public lands as places to exploit rather than areas the...

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt has agreed to defer oil and gas leasing within a 10-mile radius of New Mexico's Chaco Culture National Historical Park for at least a year after touring the park yesterday with Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). Bernhardt's leasing moratorium is a major concession to mounting pressure from lawmakers like Heinrich,...

A new generation of young leaders in New Mexico and around the world recognize that climate change is an existential threat. They are demanding that their elected leaders get to work on finding solutions to mitigate its devastating impacts. Unlike previous generations who have delayed and denied climate change, I strongly believe that this rising...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — After reports that U.S. Border Patrol has in recent weeks released more than 4,000 migrants applying for asylum in the United States in Las Cruces, members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation are seeking federal funds for humanitarian relief. U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich on Tuesday sent a letter with...

Members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation on Tuesday announced legislation preventing the sale of oil and gas leases on federally owned lands in a 10-mile radius surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park. U.S. Sens. Tom Udall, D-N.M., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and U.S. Reps. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Xochitl Torres Small,...

The push to elevate a vast expanse of shifting white sand dunes in New Mexico to national park status was renewed Tuesday as members of the state’s congressional delegation reintroduced legislation aimed at boosting the profile of the already popular tourist destination. “Like no place on earth” is how the National Park Service...