By Sunni Battin
Sun Correspondent
Officials with the New Mexico Environment Department and the Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department are visiting with communities like Gallup seeking input about a statewide climate action plan. At the recent community meetings, participants provided input about forest management as climate solutions, eco-friendly agricultural methods, and new technologies to counterbalance oil and gas emissions.
“Our climate impacts everything in our lives,” Amy Rosebrough, climate action planning coordinator for the New Mexico Environment Department Climate Change Bureau, said in an interview with the Sun. “It impacts our health. It impacts the economy. It impacts our jobs. Having a healthy climate means having a healthy society.”
She explained that the New Mexico Environment Department Climate Change Bureau’s goal is to increase health and provide public access to the efforts they’re making in the state.
During the Gallup visit, there was conversation about agriculture and forests and wilderness projects. Particularly, there was interest in traditional ecological knowledge and practices as well as plants and soil management practices and best practices on how to reduce those.
“We came together to talk about how the community wants to reach these goals and how best to implement projects and policies and to get us to the goals,” Michelle Miano, director for the environmental protection division for the New Mexico Environment Department, said. “We heard a lot about values and community and state priorities.”
The final remaining round of virtual community meetings before the climate action plan is finalized are later this month and in June. The climate action plan is a result of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s 2019 executive order to decrease pollution by 45% by 2030 and by 2050 to have net-zero emissions.
The virtual meetings will take place via Zoom.
To register, visit surveymonkey.com/r/ZBHC3BG. The remaining meetings will be held May 27, May 29, and June 3.
