Non-Profit Org N E W M E X I C O US Postage PAID En viro nmen tal Law C ent er Santa Fe, NM 1405 Luisa St reet, Suite #5 | Santa Fe ,NM 875 05 Permit No. 259 505.989.9022 nmelc .org RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Twitter .com/NMELC Facebook .com/NMELC Impact Report 2New Mexic016o Environmental Law Cente r | NMELC 2016 DOC KET 20 16 Clients: Representation by Amigos Bravos CASE TYPE Colonias Development Council 16 Communities for Clean Water Uranium Mining Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety & Reclamation Earthworks Eastern Navajo Diné Against Uranium 9 Mining (ENDAUM) Federal Facilities Friends of Santa Fe County (LAN L/ KAFB) Gila Conservation Coalition 5 Gila Resources Information Project (GRIP) Air Quality Honor Our Pueblo Existence (H .O.P.E.) Individuals 5 Lea County Concerned Citizens Hardrock Mariano Lake Chapter Citizens Mining Mesquite Community Action Committee Multicultural Alliance for a Safe 4 Environment (MASE) Water Right s& Speculation New Mexico Health Equity Working Group Nuclear Watch New Mexico 4 Oil and Gas Accountability Project 2016 Year In Revie w: Oil & Gas Pajarito Village Association Drilling Red Water Pond Road Community Assoc. 3 Rio Bonito Preserve Pr otecting New Mexico’s communities Industrial Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club Dairies Rio Valle Concerned Citizens and our air, land and water in the fight 5 SouthWest Organizing Project (SWOP) for environmental justice. Other Taos Pueblo TEWA Women United Turner Ranch Properties Cover photo: Protesting the proposed Santolina mega-development, courtesy of SWOP 2016 Unaudited Financial Report 2016NMELC Annual Report By the end of 2016 we knew the road ahead was going to be a ( Januar y1,2016 – Decembe r31,2016) rocky one. We didn’t know then just how difficult it would be. But as I write this letter in spring 2017, it’s clear that our environment – and low-income communities and communities of Bequests realized • • Special Events, Products, Interest 2017 Law Center Board of Directors color that often bear the brunt of environmental degradation – Fees &Cost • & market gains Michael Casaus, Albuquerque, President are going to be even more vulnerable over the next four years. reimbursements 5% 1% 5% Eileen Gauna, Albuquerque , Vice-Pre sident In New Mexico, we have been dealing since 2011 with an Ramón Padilla, Jr., Las Cruces, Secretary administration that favors the financial interests of industry Harry Browne, Treasurer, Silver City and development over the basic protections of individual Myron Armijo, Santa Ana Pueblo residents’ health and wellbeing. We fought hard every day Stuart Bluestone, Santa Fe of 2016 to preserve protective regulations, promote safe and 31% Sandy Buffett, sustainable industry practices, and to defend the right of the Individuals & Albuquerque public to participate in rulemaking processes. Green Business Susanne Hoffman-Dooley, Santa Fe Partners 58% Donna House, Alcalde As you’ll see in our Top 10 list of case highlights through the year, Foundations Renee Ingold, Fallbrook, CA we achieved a number of important successes. Environmental law A. Paul Mitchell, Albuquerque is a long game. Some victories, such as the hard-won termination Terry Odendahl, Boulder, CO of the Churchrock uranium permit, are meaningful outcomes for Kitty Richards, Albuquerque our clients. Other successes came in the form of simply preserving Juan Reynosa, Albuquerque the right to keep fighting. This is important, as while we are fighting , Frank Sanchez, Roswell often the destructive activity we are fighting against cannot move Total Income: $815,347 forward. Law Center Staff Administration We vow to fight just as hard when rollbacks of federal regulations & general • Jonathan M. Block, Staff Attorney and decimation of protective agencies such as the Environmental Juana Colón, Protection Agency itself threaten harm to the air we breathe, the Public Education Officer 7% water we drink, and the land we inhabit here in New Mexico. Eric Jantz, Staff Attorney And we promise to keep fighting our own state administration Janiece Jonsin, Administrative Assistant when necessary to protect our resources and our communities 15% Shelbie Knox, Development Officer as well. The fight can only happen with your support. Development Elizabeth Lee, Director of Philanthropy & fundraising Douglas Meiklejohn, Executive Director Yana Merrill, Director of Administration & Finance 78% Jaimie Park, Staff Attorney Program Expenses Baxter, Brisa and Lulu, Office Dogs General community & Native American Thank you for making it possible. representation If you have any questions about our accounting, please contact Douglas Meiklejohn Yana Merrill, Director of Exe cutive Director Administration and Finance, at [email protected] or call Total Expenses: $935,321 (505) 989-9022. Foundation revenue does not include multi-year grants pledged in 2016 and does not include revenue from multi-year grants booked in earlier years, as required by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. 2 ww w.nmelc.org Photo: ©2015 Marjorie Kamine 3 Cover photo: Protesting the proposed Santolina mega-development, courtesy of SWOP 2016 Unaudited Financial Report 2016NMELC Annual Report By the end of 2016 we knew the road ahead was going to be a ( Januar y1,2016 – Decembe r31,2016) rocky one. We didn’t know then just how difficult it would be. But as I write this letter in spring 2017, it’s clear that our environment – and low-income communities and communities of Bequests realized • • Special Events, Products, Interest 2017 Law Center Board of Directors color that often bear the brunt of environmental degradation – Fees &Cost • & market gains Michael Casaus, Albuquerque, President are going to be even more vulnerable over the next four years. reimbursements 5% 1% 5% Eileen Gauna, Albuquerque , Vice-Pre sident In New Mexico, we have been dealing since 2011 with an Ramón Padilla, Jr., Las Cruces, Secretary administration that favors the financial interests of industry Harry Browne, Treasurer, Silver City and development over the basic protections of individual Myron Armijo, Santa Ana Pueblo residents’ health and wellbeing. We fought hard every day Stuart Bluestone, Santa Fe of 2016 to preserve protective regulations, promote safe and 31% Sandy Buffett, sustainable industry practices, and to defend the right of the Individuals & Albuquerque public to participate in rulemaking processes. Green Business Susanne Hoffman-Dooley, Santa Fe Partners 58% Donna House, Alcalde As you’ll see in our Top 10 list of case highlights through the year, Foundations Renee Ingold, Fallbrook, CA we achieved a number of important successes. Environmental law A. Paul Mitchell, Albuquerque is a long game. Some victories, such as the hard-won termination Terry Odendahl, Boulder, CO of the Churchrock uranium permit, are meaningful outcomes for Kitty Richards, Albuquerque our clients. Other successes came in the form of simply preserving Juan Reynosa, Albuquerque the right to keep fighting. This is important, as while we are fighting , Frank Sanchez, Roswell often the destructive activity we are fighting against cannot move Total Income: $815,347 forward. Law Center Staff Administration We vow to fight just as hard when rollbacks of federal regulations & general • Jonathan M. Block, Staff Attorney and decimation of protective agencies such as the Environmental Juana Colón, Protection Agency itself threaten harm to the air we breathe, the Public Education Officer 7% water we drink, and the land we inhabit here in New Mexico. Eric Jantz, Staff Attorney And we promise to keep fighting our own state administration Janiece Jonsin, Administrative Assistant when necessary to protect our resources and our communities 15% Shelbie Knox, Development Officer as well. The fight can only happen with your support. Development Elizabeth Lee, Director of Philanthropy & fundraising Douglas Meiklejohn, Executive Director Yana Merrill, Director of Administration & Finance 78% Jaimie Park, Staff Attorney Program Expenses Baxter, Brisa and Lulu, Office Dogs General community & Native American Thank you for making it possible. representation If you have any questions about our accounting, please contact Douglas Meiklejohn Yana Merrill, Director of Exe cutive Director Administration and Finance, at [email protected] or call Total Expenses: $935,321 (505) 989-9022. Foundation revenue does not include multi-year grants pledged in 2016 and does not include revenue from multi-year grants booked in earlier years, as required by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. 2 ww w.nmelc.org Photo: ©2015 Marjorie Kamine 3 Im pact Report To p10 Stories of the Ye ar P 2016 O W S f 1 o Once again, the Law Center held the line at the State Legislature! Thanks to persistent efforts by executive y s e t director Doug Meiklejohn and our many allies at the Roundhouse, not a single bad environmental bill got r u o through in the 2016 session. C o t o h 2 In a case that threatens drinking water for half a million residents of Albuquerque, the Law Center Photo: Kirtland AFB P entered into negotiations with the US Air Force to push for expedited cleanup of more than 24 million gallons of highly carcinogenic jet fuel that was discovered in 1999 to be leaking from a facility on the 7 Bringing the (former) might of the EPA down on local polluters, the agency decided to Kirtland Air Force Base. The toxic underground plume is moving toward several drinking water wells. investigate the Albuquerque Air Board for civil rights violations after Law Center staff The Air Force requested the confidential negotiations after the Law Center filed intent of notice to sue on attorney Eric Jantz and our client SouthWest Organizing Project (SWOP) filed a complaint behalf of SWOP, two state senators and several Albuquerque residents. against it for ignoring poor air quality in environmental justice neighborhoods. Following the EPA notice, the Board agreed to respond to complaints in writing and to engage in informal n ó l o dispute resolution with SWOP . Since Trump took office, however, the Board has taken no substantive C a n or meaningful steps toward addressing the problems.