Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Environment & Conservation
Udall, Heinrich, Western Senators Lead Call for Expedited Hearing on Anti-Public Lands Crusader William Perry Pendley’s Nomination to Bureau of Land Management
WASHINGTON - Following President Trump's formal nomination of anti-public lands activist William Perry Pendley to lead the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, joined several Western senators in calling for an expedited Senate confirmation hearing for Pendley, who was… Continue Reading
July 21, 2020
NM Delegation Applauds AmeriCorps Grant for Navajo Nation and Zuni Pueblo
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.) announced that the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency responsible for AmeriCorps and other national service programs, has awarded $159,164 to the Tse Daa K'aan Chapter of the Navajo Nation and the Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment (COPE) group in Zuni Pueblo. The fun… Continue Reading
July 17, 2020
Udall, Heinrich Urge Support For Outdoor Tourism And Recreation Industry, Jobs In Next COVID Relief Package
WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), along with 10 Democratic Senate colleagues, have sent a letter to Senate Leadership urging them to include support for outdoor recreation and public land infrastructure jobs in the next COVID-19 relief package. With supply chains stalled, retailers shuttered, parks closed, and trips and travel canceled, the $778 billion outdoor industry is uniquely impacted by COVID-19 mitigation efforts. "The crisis before us requires t… Continue Reading
July 16, 2020
NM Delegation Celebrates EPA Grants for Valle de Oro and Taos Valley Acequia Association
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) and Xochitl Torres Small (D-N.M.) announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $60,000 to the Friends of Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge Project and the Taos Valley Acequia Association. The grants will provide resources for these organizations to conduct research, provide education and training, and develop community-dr… Continue Reading
July 16, 2020
Udall Statement Honoring Downwinders on 75th Anniversary of Trinity Test
SANTA FE, N.M.-Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) released the following statement honoring the Tularosa Basin downwinders on the 75th anniversary of the Trinity nuclear test. Udall has for years fought to expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) and provide compensation to all New Mexicans, Tribal members, and families throughout the country - including the Tularosa downwinders - affected by exposure to radiation during the Cold War. "Let us mark this solemn anniversary by lif… Continue Reading
July 16, 2020
Udall Statement on Court Ruling to Block Dangerous Trump BLM Decision to Eliminate Methane Rule
WASHINGTON-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 after the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a ruling last night that blocked the Trump Bureau of Land Management attempt to eliminate methane waste and pollution rules: "Methane is a greenhouse gas that super-pollutes our air and atmosphere and exacerbates the crisis of climate… Continue Reading
July 15, 2020
Udall Statement on Trump Rollback of Bedrock Environmental Law
WASHINGTON - 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 on new rules expected from the White House Council on Environmental Quality that will weaken enforcement of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). "Since NEPA was signed into law in 1970, the act has given every American the right to petition the government regarding federal projects that impact the h… Continue Reading
July 15, 2020
Udall Statement on Trump Rollback of Bedrock Environmental Law
WASHINGTON - 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 on new rules expected from the White House Council on Environmental Quality that will weaken enforcement of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). "Since NEPA was signed into law in 1970, the act has given every American the right to petition the government regarding federal projects that impact the h… Continue Reading
July 10, 2020
VIDEO: Udall, HECHO, Community Leaders Push for Full Conservation Funding During Roundtable Discussion on Great American Outdoors Act Benefits for New Mexico
Find the Facebook Live video link here. SANTA FE, N.M.-Yesterday, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, hosted a virtual roundtable with Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors (HECHO) and small business and community leaders from across New Mexico. During the roundtable, Udall and the panel discussed the Senate passage of the Great American Outdoors Act and how the major public la… Continue Reading
June 30, 2020
Udall: 30 by 30 National Conservation Goal a Part of House Climate Action Plan
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) applauded the inclusion of the national conservation goal, his 30 by 30 Resolution to Save Nature, in the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis' Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America. On Sunday, Udall authored an op-ed in the Denver Post with Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), calling on the Senate to take action on the 30 by 30 Resolution. U.S. Representative Deb Haaland (D-N.M.… Continue Reading
June 30, 2020
Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act Highlighted in House Democrats’ Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), announced that their landmark legislation, the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act, is highlighted in the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis's Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America. The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis was created by Speaker Pelosi at the outset of the 116th session of Congress to make science-ba… Continue Reading
June 26, 2020
Udall Statement on Nomination of William Perry Pendley to Serve as Bureau of Land Management Director
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, issued the following statement on President Trump's nomination of William Perry Pendley to serve as director of the Bureau of Land Management: "William Perry Pendley has no business running the Bureau of Land Management. He is an anti-public lands extremist who has repeatedly made it clear that he does not believe in conservation at all. Unl… Continue Reading
June 25, 2020
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 24, 2020
Udall, Heinrich, Torres Small Applaud Water Infrastructure Grants to Reuse Water and Address PFAS Contamination
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Xochitl Torres Small (D-N.M.) announced that the Bureau of Reclamation within the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), has awarded $499,377 to the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and New Mexico State University for desalination and PFAS water purification research projects. "As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I've been working to ensure that New Mexico can sustainably manag… Continue Reading
June 23, 2020
Udall: Four Years After TSCA Reform, Fight Continues to Protect Bipartisan Chemical Safety Measure from Trump Administration
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) issued the following statement marking the fourth anniversary of Congress passing the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, bipartisan legislation Udall authored that comprehensively reformed the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The reform act represented the first major environmental legislation passed by Congress in over 25 years. "Four years ago, Congress took the bold, bipartisan step of fixing our broken chemic… 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
Udall Calls on White House to Withdraw Nancy Beck Nomination Following Announcement of Republican Senators’ Opposition
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) issued the following statement calling on the White House to withdraw the nomination of Nancy Beck to serve as the chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), after two Republican senators indicated that they would oppose her nomination: "Nancy Beck is the absolute wrong choice to be the nation's top consumer watchdog, and that is now a bipartisan conclusion. It is becoming clear that Dr. Beck's nomination faces a likely impossib… 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
