Albuquerque, NM – Nuevo México podría ser el líder en la minería del siglo XXI. El Senador Bingaman, quien preside el Comité del Senado de Recursos Naturales, está preparando ser líder de una cuenta de ley que reformaría la ley de 1872 que gobierna sobre la minería de piedra en tierras federales. Bajo la actual ley, las garantías federales ambientales no siempre son aplicadas a las compañías mineras, y no tienen que pagar regalías por recursos extraídos de tierras públicas como lo hacen las compañías de petróleo y gas natural.

Nathan Newcomer, Director Asociado de la New Mexico Wilderness Alliance (Alianza de Nuevo México de Parques Naturales) en Albuquerque menciona que ya es hora de que la industria minera pague.

"Esto es incrédulo, considerando el daño que la minería causa al la calidad del agua y a las tierras públicas."

La reforma a la ley minera que está siendo considerada en el congreso requerirá de pagos por regalías. Mientras que las compañías mineras dicen que no se oponen a pagar regalías, creen que las cantidades propuestas y otros cargos son muy altos y que pueden causar despidos y que operaciones mineras pequeñas no ocurran. Pero los que apoyan la reforma dicen que cargos por reclamación pueden ayudar a los gobiernos locales que se encuentran sufriendo al proveerles con fondos para limpiar los sitios de minas abandonadas y a la vez crear empleos.

La Casa de Representantes ya tuvo su audiencia a principios de este año acerca de su versión de la reforma minera y Newcomer anticipa la introducción de la cuenta de ley en el Senado. También comparte que reformar esta ley es especialmente importante para la Tierra del Encanto, la cuál es hogar de más de 21 mil derechos de minería activos y de unas estimadas 20 mil minas abandonadas.

"Muchas de las cuales no tenemos información de donde se encuentran o que tipos de tóxicos se filtran hacia nuestras cuencas de agua del oeste."

Dice Newcomer que la manera en la que operan las minas ahora bajo la ley antigua deja a los gobiernos federales y locales atados de pies y manos con poco poder para poder poner alto a las compañías mineras, aún cuando se enfrentan con oposición de la comunidad local.

"Eso es bastante inquietante cuando tenemos una industria que viene y básicamente se llevan todo por debajo de nuestros pies, no pagan ni un centavo por ello, y después no toman en cuenta ninguna de tus preocupaciones acerca de la protección de la flora y fauna, de las áreas salvajes o de la calidad del agua."


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This month, the federal government announced funding for next year's wildfire management, totaling $236 million and experts hope threatened communities in Wyoming receive some of the funds.

Money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be used to help reduce wildfire risk, improve firefighter training, rehabilitate burned areas and advance research, according to the Interior Department. The focus areas are partly based on a report last year by the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission, with 148 recommendations on how the U.S. can approach fires more effectively.

Kimiko Barrett, wildfire researcher and policy analyst for the nonprofit research group Headwaters Economics and a member of the commission, said the recommendations build off one another but the federal government has focused on some more than others.

"It's not surprising that some of the policy is cherry-picking those recommendations that seem to be easiest or more reasonable, given the time constraints of the current administration," Barrett asserted.

The U.S. House of Representatives will consider a bipartisan bill this month, called the "Fix Our Forests Act." It could adjust permitting under the National Environmental Protection Act to make wildfire prevention projects happen faster, among other changes.

Most wildfire management is supported at the federal level, through agencies that manage public lands, as well as state foresters and natural resource managers.

Barrett notes communities are often the first line of defense when a fire ignites.

"Communities and counties need to be additionally empowered and provided the funding, the resources, the technical assistance, to be able to have more ownership over becoming more resilient," Barrett contended.

Barrett added the protection of the built environment is especially important to communities, including home and neighborhood infrastructure.


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A sanctuary for stargazing in Oregon is the largest in the world and is set to get even bigger.

In eastern Oregon, the organization DarkSky International declared 2.5 million acres of the Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary in the first phase of its process in March. It plans to increase the sanctuary to more than 11 million acres in the next few years.

Damon Motz-Storey, director of the Oregon chapter of the Sierra Club, recently visited the area.

"Anybody who's visited it on a clear summer night or otherwise will agree that it is very spectacular," Motz-Storey observed. "It's a very unique and amazing place to stargaze and get into astronomy."

Motz-Storey pointed out the area is far from urban centers like Portland and Boise, and is sparsely populated. It is estimated more than 2.5 times as many stars are visible than in urban areas. DarkSky International has designated sanctuaries since 2007 and the Oregon Outback is the first in the state.

Motz-Storey emphasized protecting dark areas is good for wildlife and humans alike because both are affected by artificial lighting.

"These kinds of designations help to spread awareness around people preserving the dark sky for both wildlife and human enjoyment," Motz-Storey stressed. "And also to serve as a little bit of a warning signal to future development to say, hey, this is really worth preserving."

Within the Oregon Outback is an area known as the Owyhee Canyonlands. However, Motz-Storey noted Congress has been unable to pass protections for the unique landscape. A coalition of organizations, including Motz-Storey's, are pushing the Biden administration to declare it a national monument.

"That would pair very nicely with this dark sky designation and help to protect everything that's on the ground around the Owyhee Canyonlands, which is just as special as the sky you look up at," Motz-Storey contended.

A new poll indicates strong support for protections of the West's greater sage-grouse. The results come as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management considers a plan for improving conservation of the bird. BLM is reviewing public comments on its draft environmental impact statement for amending and strengthening sage grouse protections. The agency has plenty of public support for this: a poll commissioned by The Pew Charitable Trusts found 93% of people surveyed back the BLM's efforts to protect the bird and its habitat.

Tyler Dungannon, conservation coordinator with Oregon Hunters Association, said many support even greater protections.

"In the Western U.S., roughly 70% favored restricting some development of specific public lands to ensure long term habitat protections for sage grouse," he explained.

The poll also found that nearly 60% of respondents say sage grouse conservation efforts boost economic development. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife data from 2019 says hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing fueled $1.2 billion in spending in the state.

Josh Collins, a retired landscape ecologist in Bend, said there are positives to BLM's plans for conserving sage grouse, including the expansion of Areas of Critical Environmental Concern for the bird and the agency elevating conservation as one of is priorities on public lands. But he added that there's also room for improvement, such as a focus on ensuring sage grouse chicks have wildflowers to feed on in their first few weeks of life.

"One of the things missing in the BLM report and almost every other state or federal report concerning the sage grouse is a focus on the dietary needs of the chicks and the brood hens," he continued.

Collins adds that bringing back the sage grouse means bringing back wildflowers in the region, which will benefit other species.

"Young pronghorn benefit from that, they eat wildflowers. And, of course, the pygmy rabbit does. Many birds are feeding on the insects that are attracted by the wildflowers. So, the wildflower is kind of a missing piece of the foundation of the ecological health for the whole system," he said.


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