New Mexico conservation advocates say the state's budget awaiting the governor's signature would make great strides in addressing climate change and protecting public health.

Justin Garoutte, advocate, climate and energy with the group Conservation Voters New Mexico, highlighted 21 bills awaiting the governor's signature that will protect air, land, water and wildlife resources. He said Senate Bill 48, known as the Community Benefit Fund, would be a groundbreaking investment in adapting to climate change through locally driven projects that strengthen communities and create jobs, including jobs for those employed in the extraction industry.

"So, helping workers in the oil and gas industry or other industries transition to more clean jobs - there's 17-million that's going to the workforce solutions department for clean-energy worker training," he explained.

SB 48, which passed by a vote of 39 to 26, would provide grants for infrastructure and clean energy projects that reduce pollution, improve resiliency against extreme weather, and enhance grid reliability in cities and towns across the state. The governor has until April 11th to approve spending for fiscal year 2026, which begins on July 1st and ends on June 30th next year.

Garoutte said with state guidance, individual communities could implement projects unique to their region, prioritizing rural and underserved communities.

"The end goal is ensuring that we as a state continue advancing to protect our communities from the impacts of climate change that we're feeling now, right? We have to adapt, we have to do mitigation efforts, and we just want to keep moving forward as a state when we don't see that at the federal level," he continued.

Legislation included in the next budget includes two transportation provisions. $60 million for electric vehicle charging infrastructure for school districts and improved pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure are part of the spending plan.


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Conservation groups are pushing back on a timber industry lawsuit brought against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, seeking to remove Northern Spotted Owl protections across millions of acres in Oregon, California, and Washington.

The industry aims to reinstate a rollback from President Donald Trump's first term, opening 3.5 million acres of habitat to logging.

Nick Cady, legal director for the advocacy group Cascadia Wildlands, one of the intervening groups, said the owl remains protected under the Endangered Species Act.

"It's a way for them to bypass public processes and processes for designating critical habitat," Cady explained. "It goes through scientific review and public comment, and they're trying to just shortcut that whole thing and just sweep this all under the rug."

The American Forest Resource Council, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said barred owls and wildfires pose the biggest threats to Northern Spotted Owls, not logging. Cady argues habitat protections are essential to prevent extinction, adding he is optimistic about the legal challenge.

Joe Liebezeit, statewide conservation director for the Bird Alliance of Oregon, said protecting spotted owl habitat safeguards clean water for millions, as unchecked logging increases sediment, damaging water quality. He added preserving the forests also supports Oregon's economy.

"If we have healthy forests that have trail systems that people want to go to and visit that have these old mature trees, that's going to generate money for tourism," Liebezeit pointed out.

Liebezeit argued there is no reason why the timber industry needs to take away from spotted owl habitat, adding they have plenty of other national forest land to log.

"Every year, the industry makes millions and millions of dollars from logging areas that are not critical habitat."

In 2020 the Forest Service found Northern Spotted Owls should be classified as endangered rather than threatened. Cady emphasized the agency has yet to provide stronger protections for the species.

Minnesota has its own carbon emissions reduction goals in place but under a changing federal Environmental Protection Agency, it is an open question how stalled pollution enforcement will affect the Great Lakes region.

The Trump administration and congressional Republicans are taking steps to limit the reach of the EPA, including loosening regulations for laws like the Clean Air Act, along with staffing cuts. Watchdogs said new federal cases targeting pollution violators have ground to a halt.

Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center and a former environmental crimes prosecutor who worked under both Republican and Democratic leadership, said it is unusual.

"The environmental laws require EPA, working with the states, to protect the environment," Learner explained. "Those laws apply regardless of who the president is."

States can try to fill gaps but Uhlmann noted history has shown the federal government sets the tone in going after violators. He argued diminished enforcement hurts communities' health and creates a competitive disadvantage for companies complying with federal orders. The agency's new leaders have said overhauls save taxpayers money and align with the President's promise to "unleash American energy."

Minnesota is one of six states in the EPA's Region Five, which Uhlmann described as one of the more active parts of the country for enforcement. He pointed out the Great Lakes have come a long way from their reputations as big, polluted waterways in the 1970s.

"Year in and year out, there's more enforcement cases brought in Region 5, and some of the biggest cases are brought in Region 5," Uhlmann emphasized. "Not because Region 5's more polluted than the rest of the United States, but EPA has committed more resources to the area. The population density is significant, the amount of industry is significant."

The Environmental Law and Policy Center said public polling indicates most Americans want clean air and water. Uhlmann underscored the bipartisan sentiments trace back to the Nixon White House creating the EPA. But with political forces now a factor, he urged private companies to hold firm.

"They need not to take advantage of this moment and put us at even greater risk," Uhlmann asserted. "They need to step up and say, 'You know what? The private sector has a responsibility here, too.' They need to be good stewards of the environment."


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CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this story did not capture the correct scope of economic benefits identified in the Jacksonville University study. This update more accurately represents the study's findings on job creation and annual savings. (12:20 p.m. MDT, May 28, 2025)

The Florida Legislature's failure to pass a budget before adjourning has left key environmental projects in limbo, including a Senate-approved proposal to restore the Ocklawaha River by dismantling the Rodman Dam.

For residents like Samuel Carr, president of the Bartram Trail Society who fished the river before the dam's 1971 construction, the more than $6 million project represents a chance to revive what he called a "free-running wild river" from what he said he believes turned into "a mud hole."

"Since they put that dam in, 150 million gallons of fresh water doesn't come into the St. Johns River now per day, as it did before 1971," said Carr. "So, the restoration would literally turn the faucet back on to get that cool, clear water to the St. Johns River."

Carr noted the dam blocks 20 springs and forces periodic pollution releases into the St. Johns, which he said has suffered catastrophic algae blooms and lost critical eelgrass.

Lawmakers will reconvene sometime after June 2 to resume budget talks. The Senate has already approved the funding, but House approval remains uncertain amid broader disputes over tax cuts.

A study a study commissioned by The Pew Charitable Trusts and authored by a work group of subject matter experts, estimates the project would create hundreds of jobs during construction and ultimately generate nearly $20 million annually in outdoor recreation revenue - from fishing, kayaking, and wildlife tourism.

Former Putnam County Commissioner Linda Myers frames the restoration as an economic imperative for rural Florida.

"This area of northeast Florida has so many rivers that connect to the St. Johns and this specific structure, the dam, has actually eliminated some of that connectedness," said Myers. "So, opening that up would just give the opportunities - and here in Florida, we know the tourism dollars, we know how important they are."

Ecologically, the study also shows it would reconnect over 200 miles of river habitat and bring back 20 natural springs that have been drowned under the reservoir for decades. Myers believes the project aligns with lawmakers' stated priorities of water quality, conservation and leveraging Florida's tourism industry.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.



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