SANTA FE, N.M. – New Mexico state lawmakers are heading back to the Roundhouse this week for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s public safety special session.

It’s been in the works for months now and with just three days left to prepare it seems legislative leaders aren’t feeling very confident about the governor’s top goals.

“The unintended consequences of passing something that is not ready are far too great,” said Speaker of the House Javier Martinez. 

“Unfortunately, it feels a little bit like the governor’s throwing spaghetti up against the wall to see what sticks,” said House Minority Leader Rod Montoya.   

Martinez and Montoya appear to be on the same page when it comes to Lujan Grisham’s special session agenda.

“We just don’t think that a special legislative session is the place to do it, given how complex these bills are,” said Martinez. “These are very, very complicated areas of law. As one of my colleagues said, this is actually kind of rocket science.”

He’s talking about the governor’s plan to rework New Mexico’s criminal and civil competency laws. They’re proposals that consumed nearly half a dozen legislative meetings ahead of the special session, and are still far from the finish line.

“The committees that have seen these bills have seen variation after variation after variation of bill that, frankly, the legislators, are unwilling to bite on any one of them,” said Montoya. 

But that’s not because lawmakers don’t support the big picture idea.

“Do I think that these things need to be addressed? Absolutely. Will they have an impact? Yeah, they will,” said House Minority Whip Alan Martinez. 

And not for lack of trying either.

“We’ve been working diligently, very hard over the past several weeks, six dedicated interim committee meetings to these issues, countless staff hours, countless legislative hours working on these different concepts,” said Martinez. “We just don’t think that we’re in a place where there’s agreement.” 

But it seems both sides do believe the special session may be much shorter than anticipated.

“We’re not even sure necessarily if there will be a session, or if there is a session. We don’t know if we’re gonna walk in and gavel down because there’s no consensus and walk out the door,” said Montoya. 

“Whether or not we have a special session, whether or not it lasts 15 minutes or lasts a today, this work is going to continue, right? A special legislative session is not the end all be all for these issues,” said Martinez. 

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say one of the other big concerns here is the price of a special session. It costs taxpayers roughly $50,000 a day to bring lawmakers back. Without some type of consensus ahead of time, it seems that money could go to waste.

So what are the big hangups on the competency bills? It seems lawmakers want more time to address constitutional concerns.

These bills would essentially force some New Mexicans into behavioral treatments against their will, and there are a lot of potential issues there.

Some lawmakers also raised concerns about the simple lack of behavioral health resources across New Mexico, and suggest these bills might be putting the cart before the horse.

SANTA FE, N.M. – The Bureau of Land Management New Mexico State Office today opened a 30-day public scoping period to receive public input on three oil and gas parcels totaling 1,261 acres that may be included in a May 2025 lease sale in New Mexico. The comment period ends Aug. 14, 2024.

The parcels the BLM is analyzing, as well as maps and instructions on how to comment are available on the BLM’s ePlanning website at: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2033311/570.

The terms of federal fluid mineral leases will be consistent with the Fluid Minerals Leasing and Leasing Process Rule, which reflects Congressional direction from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including a 16.67 percent royalty rate for production on any new leases. Revenues are split between the state where the drilling occurs and the U.S. Treasury.

Leasing is the first step in the process to develop federal oil and gas resources. Before development operations can begin, an operator must submit an application for permit to drill detailing development plans. The BLM reviews applications for permits to drill, posts them for public review, conducts an environmental analysis and coordinates with state partners and stakeholders.

All parcels leased for oil and gas lease include appropriate stipulations to protect important natural resources. Information on current and upcoming BLM leases is available through the National Fluid Lease Sale System.

No matter where you live, climate change should be on your mind.

New Mexico is warming and it is drying. Our forests are changing, and our rivers and aquifers are dwindling, even as we demand more from them all the time.

Climate change touches every aspect of all our lives, whether you’re a farmer in the Lower Rio Grande or you own a mountain home and fear losing homeowners insurance. Fire season is longer and frankly, terrifying — especially when accompanied by post-fire flooding. Warming affects public health, whether fueling the pernicious spread of Valley Fever or making people who take certain medications more vulnerable to heat-related illnesses. And the more-than-human species we share this state with are suffering, too.

So, yes, if you’re paying attention to climate change, you’re probably feeling some existential dread. Our new show, “Loving Our Changing Homelands,” highlights some of those challenges. But, I’m not asking you to lie in bed at night and worry. Nor do I want you to give in to despair or apathy. 

In fact, when it comes to climate change, habitat loss, and environmental challenges, there remains good work to do on every scale, from your yard to the planet.

Policy changes and politics are important, for example, and it’s critical to elect officials who acknowledge — and understand — human-caused climate change, and then to hold them accountable every day they are in office. Greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced and where possible, eliminated, across industries. Certainly, new technologies can help us be more water- and energy-efficient. And there are easy ways for us each to make do with less. Less water, less electricity, less demand for consumer goods strewn about in our throw-away culture.

But most of all, living in a climate changed world means that we need to remember, or decide upon, what we value, and what we love.

We can all love this place, New Mexico, that is our home, whether we’ve lived here since time immemorial, for eight generations, or just moved here recently. In loving our changing homelands, we can exhibit respect and reciprocity. And, we can come together in community, in all of our diverse ways, to adapt to a warming world.

Years ago, the writer Barry Lopez was in Albuquerque on a book tour. As a journalist, as a mother, and as a New Mexican, I always think of something he said. He said that it is okay to be in love with the world and to articulate that.

And so, at Our Land, with this special, we articulate our love of the world. A world that I know we can adapt to, equitably, sustainably, and joyfully.

Please join me in the coming days as I share with you some of what I’ve learned from our guests on this special show, including hydrologist Phoebe Suina from the Pueblo of Cochiti; Paula Garcia, executive director of the New Mexico Acequia Association; Theresa Pasqual, director of the Tribal Historic Preservation Office at the Pueblo of Acoma; Sister Joan Brown, executive director of New Mexico & El Paso Interfaith Power and Light; and Aaron Lowden, Indigenous Seed Keepers Network Program Coordinator and a farmer at the Pueblo of Acoma.

A longtime reporter, Laura Paskus is senior producer for “Our Land: New Mexico’s Environmental Past, Present, and Future” on NMPBS. Learn more and watch at: newmexicopbs.org/productions/newmexicoinfocus/our-land/ and youtube.com/c/OurLandNM/videos