(Santa Fe, NM)— For the 10th year in a row, Conservation Voters New Mexico (CVNM) and allies successfully defeated every anti-conservation measure introduced in the state legislature during the 2014 New Mexico Legislative session which ended today at noon.
“I am so proud to be a part of this conservation legacy that CVNM is continuing for the people of New Mexico,” CVNM Executive Director Demis Foster said. “For a decade CVNM has been on the frontlines, fighting the good fight, protecting our air, land, and water for a healthy Land of Enchantment.”
Of note, CVNM successfully defeated Senate Bill 283 and House Bill 296 Economic Development Utility Rates. These companion bills would have allowed utility companies to negotiate discounted rates for large companies, and pass those costs onto all other rate-payers without oversight of the Public Regulation Committee or a reasonable limit.
“We care deeply about jobs in New Mexico,” CVNM Executive Director Demis Foster said. “And we can create them while at the same time advancing good energy policy that promotes energy efficiency and protects New Mexicans from unfair cost increases.”
CVNM brought forward House Bill 343, a piece of proactive legislation that would have established a fund to conduct a baseline community health study of the Grants Mineral Belt covering a huge area of western New Mexico. Legacy waste sites from uranium mining threaten scarce resources and pose severe risks to public health. However, there is no process in place to study the impacts that this environmental degradation has on the quality of community health over time. While HB 343 failed in the House Health, Government, and Indian Affairs Committee, the resulting conversation among legislators and stakeholders is shining a light on an issue that continues to affect New Mexicans.
CVNM actively advocated for or against more than 30 bills for the good of New Mexico’s air, water, land, and communities. Visit our website at www.CVNM.org for full results of our 2014 Legislative Agenda.
CVNM is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that is connecting the people of New Mexico to their political power to protect our air, land, and water for a healthy Land of Enchantment. We do this by mobilizing voters, helping candidates win elections, holding elected officials accountable, and advancing responsible public policies.
Contact: Communications Manager Liliana Castillo, 505-992-8683
Executive Director Demis Foster, 505-992-8683
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