Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Climate Change and Clean Energy
Udall Highlights 30 by 30 Resolution to Save Nature During Colorado Stop on ‘Road to 30 Virtual Tour’
WASHINGTON-Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) joined Jennifer Rokala, Executive Director of the Center for Western Priorities and Kelly Nordini, Executive Director of Conservation Colorado, for a virtual event to discuss urgent conservation priorities to address the nature crisis and how the national goal of conserving 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 would benefit the West. The event represented the Colorado "stop" on the "Road to 30 … Continue Reading
June 19, 2020
VIDEO: Udall and Dr. Enric Sala Explain Urgent Need to Protect 30 Percent of U.S. Land and Water by 2030
VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/I4VmOchhp8o WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Dr. Enric Sala, National Geographic Explorer in Residence and leading marine conservationist, announced the release of a new "whiteboard" video project made in concert with the Center for Western Priorities explaining why America needs to lead the world in protecting 30 percent of America's land and water by 2030. Udall introduced the Thirty By Thirty Resolution to Save Nature in the Senate with U.S. Senat… Continue Reading
June 18, 2020
Udall Statement on ISC Ending Gila River Diversion
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall issued the following statement on the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission voting to end work on the Gila River Diversion: "I thank the Interstate Stream Commission for listening to New Mexicans and voting against throwing more good money after bad. Any way you look at it, potential water from a Gila Diversion project is too expensive and comes at too high a price for the Gila River itself. The Gila is a jewel and deserves to be protected for future… Continue Reading
June 17, 2020
Historic, Udall-Championed Conservation Bill Clears Senate
WASHINGTON-Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, celebrated Senate passage of legislation he championed - the Great American Outdoors Act - which fully and permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and makes a major down payment towards the maintenance backlog in the country's national parks and federal land agencies. The landmark legislation will, for the first time, f… Continue Reading
June 17, 2020
VIDEO: Udall Testifies Before Senate Committee on His Landmark Legislation to Tackle the Plastic Pollution Crisis
VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/vt-zuEoztD4 WASHINGTON-Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on his landmark legislation to address the plastic pollution crisis. Udall introduced the first-ever comprehensive legislation to tackle the plastic pollution crisis, the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, in February as a groundswell of Americans across the country are pushing for bold action to address the plastic waste that has i… Continue Reading
June 17, 2020
VIDEO: Udall Testifies Before Senate Committee on His Landmark Legislation to Tackle the Plastic Pollution Crisis
VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/vt-zuEoztD4 WASHINGTON-Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on his landmark legislation to address the plastic pollution crisis. Udall introduced the first-ever comprehensive legislation to tackle the plastic pollution crisis, the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, in February as a groundswell of Americans across the country are pushing for bold action to address the plastic waste that has i… Continue Reading
June 09, 2020
Udall Calls for Urgent Action to Protect Marine Ecosystems In Virtual Keynote Launching Capitol Hill Ocean Week
WASHINGTON-Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, delivered a virtual keynote speech to kick-off Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW) 2020, sponsored by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. Udall called for urgent legislative action to protect marine biodiversity and ecosystems and for Congress to pass his bold legislation to halt the plastic pollution crisis. Udall spoke about his Thirty By … Continue Reading
June 03, 2020
Udall, Heinrich, Luján Applaud Nearly $3 Million DOT Grant for Low Emission Bus Program
WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded a $2,920,000 grant to the North Central Regional Transit District (NCRTD) for the Low or No-Emission bus program to replace gas-powered buses in its fleet with electric buses and the accompanying charging infrastructure. The NCRTD serves residents of northern New Mexico across five counties, includi… Continue Reading
May 20, 2020
As Wildfire Season Approaches, Udall Leads Bipartisan Push in Letter to Vice President Pence to Secure PPE, COVID-19 Testing for Firefighters on the Front Lines
WASHINGTON-Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, joined Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior and Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), ranking member of the Senate ENR Committee in a bipartisan letter to Vice President Mike Pence urging the White House Coronavirus Task Force to assist … Continue Reading
May 19, 2020
VIDEO: Udall Kicks Off “Road to 30 Virtual Tour” to Protect 30 Percent of America’s Lands and Water by 2030
VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/W5TokjE5m5U WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), along with the Center for Western Priorities and the Sierra Club, kicked off a "Road to 30 Virtual Tour" of states across the West to emphasize the importance of his bold legislation to set a national goal of protecting 30 percent of America's lands and water by 2030, known as the 30x30 initiative. In the kick-off event, Udall joined Dr. Enric Sala, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and one of the w… Continue Reading
May 01, 2020
AUDIO: Udall, Tribal Leaders, Experts Demand Trump Administration Give Communities Hit Hard by COVID-19 Time to Comment on Proposed Interior Department Chaco Drilling Plans
AUDIO LINK: Senator Udall's remarks begin at minute 1:06 here. SANTA FE, N.M.-Today U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) joined Tribal leaders and other experts on a press conference call urging the Trump administration to extend the period for public input on the controversial draft Farmington Resource Management Plan Amendment - which includes the Interior Department's preferred alternative to open up more areas around Chaco Culture National Historical Park to oil and gas drilling. The call follow… Continue Reading
May 01, 2020
Udall, Senate Colleagues Urge Interior Department to Maintain Oil and Gas Royalties to Protect Western State Budgets
Senators seeks answers to questions about BLM plan which is unlikely to stop job losses & would exacerbate oil oversupply and price collapse WASHINGTON-Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, led seven of his colleagues in a letter to Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt opposing the Department of Interior's plan to expedite action to relieve oil and gas companies of their obligati… Continue Reading
April 22, 2020
Udall: Reflecting on the 50th Earth Day During a Time of Crisis
Read the full Medium post here. SANTA FE, N.M. -Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), ranking member for the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, marked the 50thEarth Day by highlighting the nexus between the COVID-19 pandemic and the crises facing our planet, and outlined a vision for the future to help prevent future public health crises, fight the dual nature and climate crises, and advance environmental justice. Excerpts from Udall's piece… Continue Reading
April 21, 2020
Udall Statement Ahead of 50th Earth Day
SANTA FE-Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, released the following statement ahead of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, which falls on Wednesday, April 22nd: "Across the United States, 20 million people of all ages and backgrounds united on April 22, 1970 to protect our planet and build an environmental movement from the ground up to chart a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable f… Continue Reading
April 20, 2020
AUDIO: Udall Joins Leading Scientists to Discuss the Nexus of Coronavirus and Nature Crises, Calls for Bold Conservation Vision to Help Prevent Future Pandemics
AUDIO LINK: Udall's remarks begin at 2:19 here. WASHINGTON- Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) joined world-renowned scientists Thomas Lovejoy, Senior Fellow on Biodiversity and Environmental Science at the U.N. Foundation, and Enric Sala, Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society, during a press call ahead of the release of a new issue brief by the Center for American Progress on the intersection between the coronavirus pandemic and the nature crisis. During the press call, … Continue Reading
April 02, 2020
Udall, Heinrich To EPA: Be Transparent About Agency Actions During COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), along with nine Democratic colleagues have sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler, asking detailed oversight questions about how the agency is adjusting its operations in light of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) while continuing its critical mission to protect human health and the environment. While EPA has announced it will reduce enforcement of environmental laws during th… Continue Reading
March 31, 2020
Udall Statement on Trump Administration’s Rollback of Clean Car Standards
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) issued the following statement on the Trump Administration's rollback of fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks. The Obama-era standards represented the federal government's strongest effort to combat climate change. The Trump rollback will send nearly one billion more tons of carbon dioxide into the air over vehicles' lifetime - roughly equivalent to one-fifth of all U.S. CO2 annual emissions, along with increased air toxins that worsen… Continue Reading
March 20, 2020
N.M. Delegation Urges Nuclear Regulatory Commission To Extend Holtec Public Comment Period, Adhere To CDC Guidance
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), and Xochitl Torres Small (D-N.M.) today sent a letter to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chairman Kristine L. Svinicki, to urge the NRC to delay any public meetings and to extend the 60-day public comment period regarding the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Holtec's proposed spent nuclear fuel storage facility in southeast New… Continue Reading
March 11, 2020
Udall Releases New GAO Report: Hundreds of Thousands of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Pose Serious Danger, Sticking Taxpayers with $11.6 Billion Potential Clean-up Bill
As Congress considers mining-related legislation, report shows urgent need to modernize hardrock mining laws, make companies pay their fair share for cleaning up mines in exchange for extracting minerals from public land WASHINGTON - In a report requested by U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M), the non-partisan U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that federal and state agencies have identified more than 215,000 abandoned hardrock mine sites that pose either a physical safety risk or an… Continue Reading
March 06, 2020
Udall Leads Indian Affairs Hearing on Tribal Wildlife Corridors Act of 2019
WASHINGTON - This week, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, joined committee chairman John Hoeven (R-N.D.) to convene a legislative hearing on S. 2891, Udall's Tribal Wildlife Corridors Act of 2019, which he introduced last November with U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.). The Tribal Wildlife Corridors Act seeks to facilitate Tribal implementation of wildlife corridors on Indian lands and adjacent public lands to help wildlife overco… Continue Reading
