Author Archives | Citizen Coalition
The Citizen Coalition was born out of the efforts of one man, Jerry Nivens, who sadly passed in 2012. Jerry learned that a dairy was planned for the flood plain of Percha Creek near his home and realized that the public process for dairy permits was badly flawed. Through his persistence and some help from the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club and Amigos Bravos the New Mexico Environment Department in 2008 denied, for the first time ever, a dairy permit. Since then, the Coalition has participated in creating, and now defending, fair and effective pollution prevention rules for dairies in New Mexico – rules that protect the public health and the state’s precious groundwater resources. The Citizen Coalition also includes the Socially Responsible Agricultural Project, and a number of individuals impacted by dairies. The Coalition is represented by The New Mexico Environmental Law Center.
What Happened to Transparency and Openness?
Less than four weeks into her term, Governor Susana Martinez had to be reminded by the New Mexico Supreme Court that, “Nobody is above the law.” The reason: the Governor had tried to prevent recently approved dairy rules, among other new environmentally protective rules, from going into effect.
The Governor’s Administration is still dodging the rules in order to help her industry friends. This time, the Administration is helping the dairy industry avoid taking common sense steps that would prevent their cows’ waste from continuing to contaminate New Mexico’s precious groundwater...
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20. May 2014
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