press releases

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., is one of three recipients of awards given this year by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, the group announced Thursday. The organization operates under Roosevelt’s belief that conservation should be at the forefront of American interests, and it aims to ensure the country has access to...

The U.S. Congress voted on Friday to repeal the 40-year-old ban on exporting U.S. crude oil in an energy policy shift sought by Republicans as part of a bipartisan deal that also provided unprecedented tax incentives for wind and solar power. The Senate, on a 65-33 vote, approved lifting the ban and providing five-year extensions of tax breaks to...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall, the lead Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján announced that they included a provision in the end-of-year appropriations bill that encourages the...

CARLSBAD -- Among many policies and provisions in the 2016 spending "Omnibus" bill in Congress is a policy that would lift the ban on exporting oil, according to a news release and national reports. Lifting the ban on exporting oil would repeal restrictions on exports of products such as coal, petroleum products and natural gas. This would...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, announced that an extension of wind and solar energy tax credits and the reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund are included in the deal reached by Democratic and Republican negotiators to lift the ban on...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - During a Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) highlighted the need to provide support for the National Park Service and its conservation projects, and he discussed the importance of addressing the maintenance backlog facing U.S. national parks. The hearing was held to...

Like many New Mexicans, some of my favorite memories with my family are from camping, fishing or hunting in our mountains and public lands. Last year, my 11-year-old son and I went on his first backcountry elk hunting trip on national forest land. The bull elk that we brought home from the Carson National Forest fed our family for the year, but the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.) announced that the United States Senate unanimously passed the National Bison Legacy Act, which designates the American bison as the national mammal of the United States. The bill also recognizes the historical, cultural, and economic significance of the bison, the...

For far too long, Indian Country has been left to fend for itself in dealing with the legacy of hardrock mining. Too many tribal communities, including many on the Navajo Nation, live among abandoned mining and milling sites that contaminate their water, air, and food. In August, a large plume of bright orange toxic waste spilled from the abandoned...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) participated in a forum on the future of energy delivery entitled Energy Across America: A Policy Discussion on Microgrid Technology hosted by The Hill. During the forum, Heinrich highlighted on the importance of energy storage, modernizing our electric grid, and the clean energy...

As the seasons change in New Mexico, it’s a good time to reflect on what might have been possible during this wet and green year to prevent future devastating wildfires if we had a fire budget that made sense. Wildfire seasons have grown longer and more intense, forcing the U.S. Forest Service to cut back on other essential programs to pay...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, made the following statement today after the U.S. Department of the Interior signed an agreement with the New Mexico Central Arizona Project Entity (CAP Entity) that initiates a process to thoroughly evaluate the full range...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich's (D-N.M.) Sportsmen's Act of 2015 cleared the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources today with bipartisan support. Senator Heinrich introduced the bill in February with Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). The Sportsmen's Act...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and a bipartisan coalition of 12 other senators sent a letter asking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kent.) and Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to include the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) along with full mandatory...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - During a U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) underscored the need to increase wildfire suppression efforts and continued his call for wildfire funding reform. The hearing focused on a review of previous wildfire seasons to inform and improve future federal wildland...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) will participate in the signing ceremony for the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Department of the Interior and Department of Energy establishing the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and U.S. Secretary of...

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nov. 6, 2015) - U.S. Sentor Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) released the following statement after President Obama announced the United States will reject the Keystone Pipeline: "Approving this foreign tar sands project would have meant doubling down on one of the world's dirtiest energy sources. The President made the right call....

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nov. 5, 2015) - Today, after unveiling S. 2254, the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2015, during a teleconference, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) delivered a Senate floor speech on the bill to reform the nation's antiquated hardrock mining laws. Senator Heinrich joined U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M), Michael...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) introduced legislation to reform the nation's antiquated hardrock mining laws. S. 2254, The Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2015, will ensure mining companies pay royalties for...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, participated in a forum last night hosted by The Atlantic on the future of energy in America. Washington Editor-at-Large Steve Clemons moderated the conversation at The Watergate in Washington, D.C. with Senator Heinrich, Siemens...