Blog: Learn about the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)

Overview

Passed by bipartisan votes in both the Senate (69-30) and the House (228-206), and signed into law on Monday, November 15, 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is a transformative investment. It covers funding authorizations for our nation’s roads, bridges, highways, drinking and clean water infrastructure, internet access, electrical grid and transmission system, and wildlife crossing and natural infrastructure projects. It also includes notable provisions to remediate and reclaim abandoned coal mines, orphaned oil and gas wells, and Superfund sites, improve forest conditions to lessen the impacts of wildfires and better protect communities, and restore ecosystems on public and private land.

The IIJA is a bipartisan $1.2 trillion legislative package, with $650 billion of that amount paid for by existing trust funds that are automatically raised through existing taxes. That means that $550 billion is new infrastructure spending over 5 years, which includes $47 billion for new climate resilience initiatives—the largest federal investment yet to address the climate crisis.

Statement: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Signed into Law

Washington D.C. -- President Biden has signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law, the largest federal investment focusing on tackling the climate crisis, setting a precedent for the protection of our communities, health, and landscapes.

Addressing the climate crisis by creating jobs, advancing environmental justice, and highlighting outdoor economies, it will enhance our existing infrastructure making it resilient against the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events with key investments to protect against droughts, heat, floods, and wildfires. Water systems, roads, bridges, power infrastructure, public transit, and railway systems will receive much-needed updates to create safe, efficient, and climate-friendly solutions. It’ll tackle legacy pollution, build a national network of electric vehicle chargers, and deploy cutting-edge energy technology to achieve a zero-emissions future.

Blog: Enforcing Air and Water Pollution - Laws Promotes Public Health, Trump Administration Must End the Enforcement Holiday

The Trump administration should be proactively helping the most vulnerable people during the COVID-19 pandemic. At a minimum, they should not proactively put people in harm’s way. Yet, during this public health crisis, the administration has acted against public health-- from suspending enforcement of environmental protection laws to concealing information about how much pollution will be released into our air and water. The EPA must end this policy now and enforce our environmental laws.

Statement: HECHO Statement on Halting Enforcement of Pollution Regulations Amid Public Health Crisis Despite Link Between Air Pollution and Covid-19 Deaths

Recent reports demonstrate the link between air pollution and deaths from COVID-19. This distressing connection underscores existing failures of the Trump Administration to prioritize public health-- from restricting access to health care to allowing corporations to pollute the air, land, and water-- making the Trump administration’s shamefully inadequate response to this public health crisis even worse. In response HECHO issued the following statement.

Press Releases/StatementsadminApril 22, 2020Statement, Utah, Pollution, Mark Archuleta Wheatley, Advisory BoardComment

Blog: Five Conservation Issues that Affect Our Community

At HECHO, our mission inspires us to care for the natural resources that we all rely on. We know that Hispanics and Latinos care about protecting our outdoor spaces and resources, but that hasn’t always translated into action. That is why HECHO is working to provide opportunities to weigh in and advocate for conservation issues that affect us all. From the air we breathe, to the waterways we recreate in, issues such as climate change, wildlife protection, clean water, conservation funding, and cutting methane are essential to learn about and participate in for the protection of generations to come. Read on to learn about 5 conservation issues that affect our community.

Oil & Gas, URG, Grand CanyonCamilla SimonOctober 10, 2019Climate Change, Wildlife, Water, Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), PollutionComment

Guest Blog: Protecting the Pecos River

I was born and raised in Pecos, New Mexico, where my family has been for several generations. I grew up eating deer meat and trout. Nature is what sustained me growing up. My father was a hunter and a fisherman, and we depended on that for our food source. We’d gather berries and pick piñon in the fall. Food gathering has always been really important to my family.

I still share the tradition of picking berries and making jelly with my family. My daughter asks me why we’re doing it since we still have leftover jelly from last year, but I tell her it’s about remembering grandma and her recipes and continuing the tradition. I want to teach my kids and grandkids about the foods that are edible in this area and how to identify them. That’s something that’s been part of my upbringing and something that’s always been important to me.

Guest BlogGuest BloggerMarch 5, 2019Janice Varela, New Mexico, Hunting, Fishing, Traditional Land Uses, Outdoor Recreation, Pollution, WaterComment

Guest Blog: Protecting Public Lands for Future Generations

As a 26 year-old living in Phoenix, I hear all the time from the Latino community that camping and hiking is not part of our culture. That’s not true. This is part of who we are. It is part of our identity to enjoy the earth and what it provides for us, and also to have our role in protecting it. People are disengaged from their history and their roots. But if you can’t directly experience public lands, it’s harder to advocate on their behalf, or speak to elected officials about why they should care.

Featured Story, Guest BlogGuest BloggerOctober 29, 2018Access, Arizona, Outdoor Recreation, Environmental Justice (EJ), PollutionComment

Blog: HECHO Board Member Kent Salazar Hard at Work – and Play - in New Mexico

HECHO Board Member Kent Salazar, lifelong resident of New Mexico and an avid hunter and outdoorsman, has been busy lobbying for important conservation bills in the state legislature. Just a 30-day session in 2018 (New Mexico’s legislative sessions alternate each year between 30- and 60-day sessions), there is a lot to do in a short amount of time!

Guest BloggerFebruary 6, 2018Kent Salazar, Advisory Board, New Mexico, Pollution, Renewable Energy, HuntingComment

Action Alert: Take Action to Stop the Rollback of Protections for Taxpayers and Public Health

Congress’s effort to rollback the Natural Gas Waste rule would allow the waste of America’s energy resources and more pollution such as ozone that can trigger asthma attacks and worsen emphysema. The BLM’s Natural Gas Waste Rule is widely supported by local officials, businesses, landowners, Latino organizations, taxpayer groups, and others across the U.S. Call your Senator now!

Press Release: Latino groups unite over reducing natural gas waste, concerns for the future of BLM rule

Today, five Latino groups announced the formation of a new initiative, “Latino Partnership to Cut Waste, Protect Our Health.” The partnership includes Hispanic Access Foundation; HECHO; Chispa Nevada, League of Conservation Voters; Mi Familia Vota; and Por la Creación Faith-based Alliance.

Press Releases/StatementsCamilla SimonFebruary 7, 2017Press Release, Methane Waste, Pollution, Oil and Gas, Public LandsComment

Blog: House voted to overturn the BLM methane waste rule; Senate should put a stop to this

Today, the House used a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to block the BLM’s rules to limit natural gas waste. The CRA is a reckless and blunt tool that would prevent any “substantially similar” rule from being issued – allowing the oil and natural gas industry to continue to waste hundreds of millions of dollars-worth of taxpayer owned resources every year.

Oil & GasCamilla SimonFebruary 3, 2017Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Methane Waste, Pollution, Oil and Gas, Public LandsComment

Statement: Bernalillo County Passes Resolution Supporting Bureau of Land Management Natural Gas Waste Rule

On October 25, the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners resolved to support the Bureau of Land Management’s rule to charge royalties on wasted methane—the primary component of natural gas—on federal and tribal lands. The resolution addresses the serious problem of methane waste, which is impacting state revenues, harming the environment and threatening the health of New Mexicans.

Blog: Energy Diversification in New Mexico, Do it for the Kids

There’s no doubt that the oil and gas sector is an essential source of jobs and revenue to the state of New Mexico. It is a critical part of our economy. At the same time, New Mexico can’t afford to tie its fiscal health, and the welfare of our schools, colleges, and universities to the boom-and-bust cycles of fossil fuel markets.

Oil & GasCamilla SimonSeptember 29, 2016Oil and Gas, New Mexico, Pollution, Leasing ReformComment

Blog: Why A Decision to Drill 4,000 Oil Wells Affects Us All

Decision-making about where to drill typically excludes diverse stakeholders, including Latino communities that hunt, fish, camp, and use public lands. As a result, our access to public lands for recreation, subsistence, education, and traditional cultural uses are impeded. And, worse yet, sometimes the landscape, wildlife, or water is irreparably damaged.

Oil & GasCamilla SimonSeptember 13, 2016Oil and Gas, Pollution, Leasing Reform, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Utah, Master Leasing Plan (MLP)Comment

LTE: San Miguel County, NM supports clean air and less waste of our natural resources

The methane also creates harmful smog, which has increased asthma attacks and aggravated lung diseases, especially devastating the state’s Latino population, which is three times more likely to die from asthma than any other racial or ethnic group. Fortunately, we are now on a better path.

Blog: Good News - BLM Natural Gas Waste Rules Move One Step Forward

Last week brought some very good news for New Mexicans. In a unanimous ruling, the San Miguel County Board of Commissioners resolved to support the Bureau of Land Management’s rules to charge royalties on wasted methane – the primary component of natural gas – on federal and tribal lands.

Oil & GasCamilla SimonJune 23, 2016New Mexico, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Methane Waste, PollutionComment

Press Release: HECHO launches ad campaign calling on NM State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn to back measures to end natural gas waste

Each year in New Mexico, $101 million in natural gas is wasted on public lands through venting, flaring, and equipment leaks. As hunters and anglers, we use every bit of what we kill or catch. Surprisingly, New Mexico State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn is against common-sense rules to curb and capture natural gas waste. We call on Commissioner Dunn to support efforts to rein in waste on public lands and ensure New Mexicans get their fair share of revenues from the mining of our publicly owned resources.

Press Release: BLM kicks off effort to strike balance in heart of San Rafael Desert

“Latinos have a long and enduring heritage on the Colorado and Wasatch Plateaus starting with the expedition of Fathers Dominguez and Escalante who crossed this area in 1776,” said Camilla Simon, Director of Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors. “The Old Spanish Trail crossed the San Rafael region where traders brought goods from Santa Fe to Los Angeles. Latino heritage continues today with Hispanic populations in Price and Green River, Utah.”

Blog: Report Back from the Farmington Methane Hearing

On February 16th, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) held a public hearing in Farmington, NM on their proposal to update regulations to address the wasteful release of natural gas into the atmosphere from oil and gas operations on public and Tribal lands. HECHO Board member Kent Salazar attended the hearing and discusses the diversity of people supporting the rule, from Tribal people, people of faith, elected officials, and enviros. The oil and gas industry made a showing, but their economic arguments were not valid; we must do a better job in the future of informing local officials and industry workers as to the economic benefits of capturing natural gas on public and Tribal lands.

Action Alert: We need you in Farmington, New Mexico on Tuesday, February 16!

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing to update its regulations to address the wasteful release of natural gas into the atmosphere from oil and gas operations on public and American Indian lands.

There will be a public hearing to weigh in on the proposal in Farmington on Tuesday, February 16th at 1:00 pm. Can we count on you to come?

Oil & GasCamilla SimonFebruary 2, 2016Bureau of Land Management (BLM), New Mexico, Oil and Gas, Pollution, Methane WasteComment

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