New Mexico Needs PDACNM — And PDACNM Needs You!

StickyOpinion

Following a time of reflection and consultation with our friends and allies about PDACNM’s future, as well as celebrating our mid-term victories, it’s clear that New Mexicans need a strong progressive voice and PDACNM is uniquely positioned to fill that role.

We believe the vast majority of New Mexicans want and deserve a single-payer universal healthcare system, a stable climate that can support all life, good jobs with fair wages and benefits, and a social safety net that protects our families and children. The challenges are many: including economic inequality, intergenerational inequities, discrimination against women, people of color, indigenous, and our LGBTQ brothers and sisters, homelessness and persistent hunger, a for-profit criminal justice system, and a military with an insatiable appetite for more profit from weapons of war and occupations. They’re all interconnected.

New Mexico is blessed with a large pool of talent and expertise to tackle each of these issues, and there are many groups working to move our state and communities in the right direction, among them Retake Our Democracy, New Energy Economy, Middle Rio Grande Water Advocates, New Mexico Working Families, ACLU-NM, New Mexico Common Cause, Think New Mexico, 350 New Mexico, Indivisible Albuquerque and many more. Working together when our interests are aligned strengthens us all.  However, given our shared goals and strengths, it’s fair for New Mexicans to ask: why does our state remain at the bottom of so many national lists on poverty, education, crime, homelessness, infrastructure, etc.?

Corporate control over our economy and our politics has rigged the system. When voters don’t see the system working for them, and elected leaders don’t appear to have the willpower to fix it, our country, state and communities suffer. That’s why we believe PDACNM is needed more today than ever before.

New Mexicans need a strong progressive voice to speak truth to power at all levels of government. Since 2004, Progressive Democrats of America has been working both inside and outside the Democratic Party to communicate and demand that our elected leaders act consistently with our “progressive vision of a renewed nation, fully integrated into the community of nations and peoples, respectful of the rule of law at home and abroad, and committed to the universal values of human dignity, justice and respect, and stewardship of the planet on which we live.” PDACNM’s strength is our role as progressive Democrats speaking to other Democrats to support the progressive actions of our allies and amplify our collective wisdom. 

Progressivism requires us to keep an eye on our goals, connecting the dots, and thinking in new ways about the serious challenges. As Einstein said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” PDACNM will continue to evolve and be a strong voice for our shared progressive values.  Stay tuned and stay involved!  

December 2022 – Lora Lucero   

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CRITICAL WIPP Meeting

Uncategorized

CRITICAL WIPP Meeting April 4th 6:30-8:30pm
Santa Fe Convention Center
201 W Marcy St Santa Fe, NM 87501

The DOE and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) are breaking the agreement made with the people of New Mexico concerning operation of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) east of Carlsbad, NM. The agreement was a covenant that the facility would begin to close down in 2024, and there would only be a specific amount to transuranic (TRU) waste deposited there. New Mexico agreed to accept WIPP so that legacy waste could be disposed of. Now NNSA & DOE want to deposit NEWLY generated waste from pit production in NM and SC.

Two top NNSA executives have agreed to attend a meeting facilitated by Santa Fe County Commissioner Anna Hansen. It will be Tuesday, April 4th from 6:30-8:30pm in the Santa Fe Community Convention Center. This is the public’s first and last opportunity to address NNSA and DOE leadership specifically on the WIPP prior to NMED’s issuance of a 10-year operational permit which will be issued by NMED in 2023. It may last past 8:30pm.

The precise format of the meeting hasn’t been announced, BUT it is critical there be a VERY LARGE TURNOUT to show these officials the people of New Mexico do NOT want the facility expanded in terms of volume or time it is open.

PROMISES MADE; PROMISES BROKEN.

Willard Hunter
PDA Central NM

Testimony to the PRC on March 22 About the Proposed Avangrid Merger

Action, Meetings

My name is Lora Lucero and I’m a member of the Progressive Democrats of America – Central New Mexico chapter. Yesterday we met to discuss PRC’s rehearing of this proposed merger. I’m speaking on behalf of PDA.

Regardless of what anyone thinks about the merits of this proposed merger, this second bite at the apple stinks.  It’s no secret that Governor Lujan supports this merger and recently appointed new PRC members. The previous elected PRC members made a decision following an extensive public process in which all parties and the public participated.  Anyone not satisfied with that decision-making process has a judicial process available to air any grievances. To short-circuit the judicial process and return to the PRC, where the only change that has occurred is a change in the membership of the PRC ….. STINKS and violates any basic notion of fairness, the rule of law and due process. The decision of the previous PRC members must be respected.

Whether or not any of you have expressed an opinion about this merger, the timing of this rehearing and reconsideration has the appearance of favoritism and taints the credibility of the PRC moving forward.  We urge you to reject this proposal to place the proposed merger back in your laps.

Wells Fargo Bank – Stop the Money Pipeline!

Action, Events, Uncategorized,

The oil and gas industry knows its days are numbered.

The undeniable scientific consensus is that rapid fossil fuel phase-out and roll-out of renewable energies alongside energy efficiency measures are urgently required to avoid irreversible damage. Whatever oil and gas reserves remain underground must stay underground to preserve a livable planet for our children’s future.

Between 2016 and 2021, Wells Fargo provided $272 billion in lending and underwriting to the fossil fuel industry, third among global banks. Its fossil financing increased $20 billion from 2020 to 2021, the most of any global bank. Wells Fargo was also the world’s biggest banker of fracking in 2021.

In 2022, shareholders of Wells Fargo Bank tried to change that by introducing resolutions that proposed, by the end of this year, the bank adopt “proactive measures to ensure that the company’s lending and underwriting do not contribute to new fossil fuel supplies.” Although the bank has been making grand announcements about setting targets to reduce its lending to fossil fuel companies, in line with the Net Zero Banking Alliance, it’s mere greenwashing. Wells Fargo Bank fought the shareholder resolutions tooth and nail.

On March 21, PDA-CNM and 350NM organized an action in front of Wells Fargo in downtown Albuquerque, in concert with nearly 100 other actions nationwide organized by The Third Act, Bill McKibben’s new climate group targeted towards activists 60 years and older. Despite the rain, 20 people showed up and grabbed the attention of passersby with signs focused on the message Stop Dirty Banks!  Our message for Wells Fargo Bank — Stop funding our planet’s destruction.  If you won’t shift your business towards life-affirming investments, like the solar and wind renewable energy sector, we will cut up your credit cards and move our money to responsible financial institutions. Ward McCartney from 350NM used his gigantic scissors to symbolically cut up a huge credit card. The Raging Grannies sang songs especially tailored for the occasion, such as Which Side Are You On (life on earth or profits?) and The Climate, It Is A-Changing.  Check out ThirdAct.org to get involved in future climate actions.