Not only is the Roadrunner the state bird but also it’s just a really cool critter. My office in Albuquerque has a stunning view of the Sandia Mountains and is close to city open space so I have the pleasure of watching roadrunners quite a bit from my office window. Roadrunners are both striking and comical (not unlike the legislative session at times). They d rather run than fly – they ve been clocked at speeds of 17 mph. And they catch and eat rattlesnakes. So I m naming my New Mexico blog postings in honor of the Roadrunner and in the spirit of keeping the coyote at bay!
A lot of our OGAP work on energy issues in the Land of Enchantment takes place 50 miles north of the Duke City in the City Different, Santa Fe. The state capitol, also known as the Roundhouse, as well as the state departments governing oil and gas and energy impacts, are located in Santa Fe.
I ve spent a considerable part of the past eight years running to Santa Fe and sitting in a hearing room with one small corner window participating in and witnessing the development of new safeguards to protect New Mexico’s water, land, air and public health from oil and gas drilling and fracking. The 2011 New Mexico Legislative Session began last Tuesday with threats from the new Governor to throw out modest oil and gas protections like the Pit Rule. Neither striking nor comical, we take this threat seriously and will do all we can to keep New Mexico’s common sense drilling rules in place.
I hope you ll join me in standing up for New Mexico’s working farms, ranches, neighborhoods, public and tribal lands by following our blog and action alerts, writing and calling the Governor and legislators, coming to the Roundhouse for important committee hearings and supporting our work to uphold important safeguards like the Pit Rule.
If you d like to be put on our action alert list, send me an email with your name, mailing address, organization/business, phone number and email address and we ll keep you up-to-date on the latest happenings in Santa Fe.
Onward! Beep! Beep!
Earthworks OGAP was created in 1999 to work with communities across the country to prevent and minimize the impacts caused by energy development. Eight years ago, our New Mexico OGAP members made protecting water, landowner rights, air quality and public health their top priorities. We initiated the effort to pass the Surface Owners Protection Act and have been involved in a number of reform efforts, including the Pit Rule. We have 28,000 active members and offices in New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Texas, New York, California and Washington, D.C.
