As the end of July approaches, election races start to heat up. With numerous state and national seats up for grabs, candidates have to meet with voters to win them over.

The COVID-19 pandemic makes an already difficult race more difficult since many states have placed a ban on large gatherings, given their potential to become “super spreader” events. As such, candidates have jumped over this hurdle by holding virtual meetings through Zoom or other similar means.

Congressman Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., is taking that route on his goal of becoming a senator for New Mexico. Starting July 24, Luján is holding a series of “virtual road trips” in collaboration with multiple Democratic...

Drilling, sand mining, herbicides imperil rare lizard in New Mexico, Texas

SILVER CITY — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced July 15 that the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard may warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act and initiated a year-long status review.

Found only in the Permian Basin of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, the lizard historically possessed the second-smallest range of any North American lizard. It was first identified as needing protection in 1982 and proposed for listing as an endangered species in 2010. However, opposition from the oil and gas industry has prevented that much-needed step.

Over the years this three-inch lizard lost more of...

WASHINGTON D.C. —U.S. House Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., issued this statement celebrating the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act – landmark conservation legislation to fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund and restore our National Park System:

“The Great American Outdoors Act fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund at $900 million annually and creates the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund. This will provide funding to the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Indian Education to fix buildings, trails, roads, and other...

Reinstates Obama Administration BLM Waste Prevention Rule

SAN FRANCISCO — In a resounding victory for taxpayers, public health, and the environment, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California invalidated the Trump administration’s rollback of the Obama-era Waste Prevention Rule on July 15. This ruling means that the Waste Prevention Rule goes back in effect in 90 days, and the oil and gas industry will have to comply with the rule’s requirements to prevent waste of gas on federal lands.

Enacted in 2016, the Waste Prevention Rule was designed to protect the public from wasteful venting, flaring, and leaking of gas from drilling operations on federal and...