New Mexico conservation advocates say the state's budget awaiting the governor's signature would make great strides in addressing climate change and protecting public health.

Justin Garoutte, advocate, climate and energy with the group Conservation Voters New Mexico, highlighted 21 bills awaiting the governor's signature that will protect air, land, water and wildlife resources. He said Senate Bill 48, known as the Community Benefit Fund, would be a groundbreaking investment in adapting to climate change through locally driven projects that strengthen communities and create jobs, including jobs for those employed in the extraction industry.

"So, helping workers in the oil and gas industry or other industries transition to more clean jobs - there's 17-million that's going to the workforce solutions department for clean-energy worker training," he explained.

SB 48, which passed by a vote of 39 to 26, would provide grants for infrastructure and clean energy projects that reduce pollution, improve resiliency against extreme weather, and enhance grid reliability in cities and towns across the state. The governor has until April 11th to approve spending for fiscal year 2026, which begins on July 1st and ends on June 30th next year.

Garoutte said with state guidance, individual communities could implement projects unique to their region, prioritizing rural and underserved communities.

"The end goal is ensuring that we as a state continue advancing to protect our communities from the impacts of climate change that we're feeling now, right? We have to adapt, we have to do mitigation efforts, and we just want to keep moving forward as a state when we don't see that at the federal level," he continued.

Legislation included in the next budget includes two transportation provisions. $60 million for electric vehicle charging infrastructure for school districts and improved pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure are part of the spending plan.


get more stories like this via email

Starting next year, North Dakota will have a new law in place that covers local zoning restrictions for animal feedlots. The bill's passage follows a spirited debate about the presence of industrial agriculture in small towns.
Gov. Kelly Armstrong signed a bill drafted in response to discussions led by a task force.

Among other things, the bill was intended to adjust the distance counties and townships are allowed to set between communities and proposed farms with animal herds, such as a dairy operation.

Brent Larson helps run a family farm near the Minnesota border. He had opposed the bill as it advanced. In the push to add bigger operations, he worries about his neighbors.

"[I would] kind of hate to be told that, 'Oh yeah, by the way, the next three or four days, you're gonna have to be inside 'cause the stink is gonna get too bad for you,'" Larson said.

The North Dakota Legislature largely held off on controversial changes concerning distance thresholds. Instead, the law allows for the use of an odor footprint tool, being developed to determine a setback perimeter.

Supporters say it gives local officials flexibility in deciding what's best for their town in terms of air quality. But skeptics fear it will be inadequate, leading to weaker restrictions.

One of the bill's sponsors, Rep. Mike Beltz, R-Hillsboro, feels they are being responsive in aiding North Dakota's desire to boost livestock production and compete with neighboring states. For those worried about the environmental impacts, he feels there's too much misinformation out there, noting outfits with larger feedlots are making strides to reduce harmful impacts.

"In particular with the dairies, they do it right," Beltz contended. "I mean, I've toured their facilities and they are top notch."

But environmental groups say industrial agriculture is overstating those improvements. And during the bill's debate, residents from smaller communities had pushed for longer setback provisions.

Brent Larson and his wife Mary Jo Schmid play a hand in their agritourism arm. The pair owns Crooked Lane Farm Folk School. She said setting pathways for expansive feedlots conflicts with small businesses like hers.

"Part of our draw is the idea that you come out to the country and enjoy the peace, quiet, the open air, and that would be hindered," Schmid explained.


get more stories like this via email

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has abruptly ended a key disaster-preparedness program, sparking concerns as another active hurricane season looms for Florida.

The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program (BRIC) had distributed $5 billion nationwide in the last five years for projects ranging from floodplain restoration to storm-resistant infrastructure.

Ryan Ray, Leon County Democratic Party chair, called the decision "reckless" in a state still recovering from recent hurricanes.

"Hurricanes Milton and Helene did billions of dollars of catastrophic damage to Florida," he said, "and the federal BRIC program, administered through FEMA, is exactly the kind of forward-thinking, infrastructural-oriented funding that we need to get communities back on track after storms."

In announcing its end, FEMA called the program "wasteful and politicized," although it was created during the first Trump administration. BRIC's cancellation comes as climate scientists predict increased storm activity this hurricane season.

The BRIC grants have been especially important to coastal states, funding nature-based solutions to flooding, such as wetland restoration and living shorelines.

Em Donahoe. policy specialist for resilient coasts and floodplains for the National Wildlife Federation, said she worries about the economic consequences of cutting such programs.

"We know that every dollar invested in natural-disaster resilience and preparedness saves approximately $13 in long-term economic savings and damages and costs avoided post-disaster," she said.

Donahoe stressed the importance of addressing disaster preparedness, an issue that should transcend politics. But FEMA has cancelled plans to distribute $750 million in BRIC grants this year, focused on region-specific threats including Florida hurricanes and California wildfires. Advocates for the program are now pressing Congress to reverse the decision.

Wildlife advocates are alarmed by a new report from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife showing the state's wolf population fell nearly 10% last year.

The vast majority of the wolves were illegally and legally killed by humans. The report also showed the number of successful breeding pairs, a key population indicator, dropped 25% last year.

Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said seven illegal killings are under investigation, though the true number is likely higher.

"For every animal you find that has been illegally killed, there are one to two additional animals that were also illegally killed, whose deaths will never be discovered," Weiss explained.

Since 2016, wolf deaths in the state have continued to rise. Last year, the Fish and Wildlife Commission rejected a proposal to reduce protections for wolves from state endangered to state sensitive because of increased deaths.

Weiss argued many myths about wolves need debunking. She noted predator-related livestock deaths are rare, with most losses caused by issues like dehydration and birthing complications. In Washington, wolf-related losses made up less than a 10th of a percent of livestock deaths in 2024.

Weiss emphasized wolves are crucial for healthy ecosystems because they prevent overbrowsing by deer and elk.

"That allows vegetation to grow back and that provides building materials for beaver and nesting materials for migrating neotropical birds," Weiss outlined. "It provides all kinds of habitat for other species."

Weiss explained Washington's wolf plan splits the state into three recovery regions, aiming for breeding pairs in each. The third region, encompassing the southern Cascades and north coast, does not have any. As more wolves are killed in eastern Washington, Weiss added, fewer are left to move west, and they often fall victim to illegal killings.

Weiss stressed she wants the state to maintain protections for wolves: "And really do a lot more public education to help people understand we can live with them and that we need them," she urged.


get more stories like this via email