"On Point" on WBUR in Boston took a look at mayoral races across the country yesterday and invited me on to talk a little about Albuquerque's.
Hear the episode about how local politics can be a bellwether for what's to come nationally.
Why the New Mexico United stadium bond failed
Neighborhoods alliance puts stadium project in historical context
Opponents of the New Mexico United stadium bond question marched on Monday, the day before Election Day.
With the $50 million New Mexico United stadium bond defeated, officials from Albuquerque city government and the soccer franchise still plan to build the stadium, just not in the historic neighborhoods of South Broadway or Barelas.
The stadium's defeat is a win in part for the Historic Neighborhoods Alliance (HNA), one of the groups that organized against it.
Led by women of color, HNA argued that such a large expense would be counter to residents' actual needs in terms of providing affordable housing for people of color, especially the “pocket of poverty” that encompasses the Downtown, Barelas, Wells Park, South Broadway and San Jose neighborhoods, where they have been organizing since the 1990s.
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The EPA could learn a thing or two from New Mexico’s methane rules
In an aerial view, some pumpjacks operate while others stand idle in the Belridge oil field on Nov.3, 2021, near McKittrick, California. The Biden administration pledged to cut methane emissions from oil and gas production yesterday. In California, 35,000 oil and gas wells sit idle, many of which are unplugged and could leak methane gas. Scientists estimate that one-third of human-induced global warming is caused by methane.
The state of New Mexico found itself ahead of the curve on a national issue when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its plans on Tuesday to implement new, more restrictive methane rules for oil and gas operators across the country sometime next year.
But Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s climate change initiatives face an additional, growing challenge: The vast number of wells in the state is still growing.
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Deb Haaland talks offshore wind energy in Scotland
In her first news conference at the COP26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland described her global challenge for every applicable country to join in setting ambitious domestic offshore wind energy commitments.
“Climate change doesn’t recognize territorial or political boundaries. It’s a global problem that requires a global effort to address it,” Haaland said.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Money won seats on Albuquerque’s school board
The Albuquerque Public Schools district will have four new members joining the school board from campaigns that raised and spent thousands of dollars in races where candidates traditionally spend much less.
Three of the four candidates elected last night could push the board in a direction led by GOP influence.
Albuquerque school board members run in a nonpartisan election, but a look at their campaign finance reports indicates which supporters back their run.
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