News & Updates

The Senate Conservation Committee’s swift 6-3 passage of SB 418, the much-needed New Mexico Oil and Gas Justice and Reform Act, shows promise for reform of the outdated 1935 law in the near future. We have received word, unfortunately, that the bill won’t proceed...

As the New Mexico legislation enters its final days, we applaud Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart for her introduction of SB520, the Clean Future Act. This bill—though modest and yet still facing an uphill battle in the legislature—would nonetheless prove a...

WELC is opposed to HB12, the Advanced Energy Technology Act, introduced in New Mexico’s 2023 legislative session. We fully support the creation of an Economic Transition and Justice Division to provide essential, long-needed support for New Mexico workers and...

The Western Environmental Law Center, a nonprofit public-interest environmental law firm, is proud to announce Jenna M.A. Kloeppel as its new development director. Jenna comes to WELC with 10 years of experience in fundraising and sales in the arts. She has worked for...

New Mexico Sen. Leo Jaramillo (D-5) of Rio Arriba County introduced the New Mexico Oil and Gas Justice and Reform Act (SB 418) to modernize the 1935 Oil and Gas Act. The bill, supported by a broad range of New Mexico community groups, aims to ensure that any...

Climate and conservation groups defended the Biden administration in a brief filed today responding to a lawsuit brought by North Dakota seeking to force the federal government to hold more oil and gas lease sales in the state. North Dakota sued last month, claiming...

Seventeen groups represented by Earthjustice and the Western Environmental Law Center moved to intervene (legal documents available at end of release, one for each case) today to defend the Biden administration’s postponement of several oil and gas lease sales. A...

A federal appeals court yesterday rejected the Biden administration’s defense of unchecked oil and gas fracking in the Greater Chaco region of northwest New Mexico, ruling the U.S. Interior Department flouted the law when approving 199 drilling permits in the...

Conservation groups, led by citizens from Carlsbad, N.M., filed suit today to overturn the Biden administration’s approval of nearly 6,000 acres of oil and gas leases in southeast New Mexico’s Permian Basin. Originally authorized by the Trump administration, the...