press releases

Tomorrow, Thursday, November 5 at 10 a.m. MT / 12 p.m. ET,U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) will hold a press conference call to unveil legislation to reform the nation's antiquated hardrock mining laws. The senators are introducing S. 2254,...

CIBOLA COUNTY – “More than eight years ago we asked for access,” said Mayor Martin Hicks at the beginning of an official right-of-way signing ceremony on Monday. “Fourteen months ago Senator [Martin] Heinrich became involved and things really started moving. It’s amazing what happens when you get the right people...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján responded to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Technical Evaluation of the Gold King Mine Incident. The report found that responsibility for the mine blowout, which spilled 3 million gallons of wastewater into rivers in New Mexico...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Dean Heller (R-NV) led a group of senators to introduce a bill to reauthorize the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA). Before it expired in 2011, FLTFA allowed the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and tribal, state and local officials to celebrate the Valles Caldera National Preserve, one of the America’s newest additions to the National Park Service. Former U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman, who attended the...

Saturday, October 10, U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich will join U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, former U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, and Tribal, state and local officials at a celebration welcoming the Valles Caldera National Preserve into the National Park Service (NPS). Oct. 1 marked Valles Caldera’s official transition...

PHOTO: U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich receives a briefing from U.S. Forest Service Chief Thomas Tidwell and other U.S. Forest Service officials at the U.S. Forest Service Incident Command Center in Washington, D.C., October 7, 2015. [High-Resolution Photo]  WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate...

Recently, the final piece of the Miranda Canyon property was set aside for protection as part of the Carson National Forest. This addition of historic and scenic land will bring new economic activity and recreation opportunities to the Taos area. It will also conserve a vital local water supply. The Land and Water Conservation Fund helped pay for...

RED VALLEY, Ariz. – U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich is continuing to build the steps to push mining reform in wake of the Gold King Mine spill. Heinrich and U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, both New Mexico Democrats, are working to introduce legislation to amend the General Mining Law of 1872. Under the proposal, hard rock mining companies would pay...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) raised concerns over reports of an out-of-state company manufacturing and marketing its products under the guise of authentic chile from Hatch, New Mexico. He issued the following statement today calling for better labeling protections for locally-produced products: "I am proud of...

SHIPROCK, NM-- The Navajo Nation is still reeling from the Gold King Mine spill as the nation continues to recover from another decades-old mining operation. Uranium mining operations from the Cold War and all the way back to the 1940s are still being felt on the Navajo Nation. Friday, Senator Martin Heinrich toured some key sites. "We wanted to...

FARMINGTON, N.M. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) will travel to the Navajo Nation on Friday, October 2, and Saturday, October 3, to tour the massive tribal farm south of Farmington, visit Navajo uranium legacy sites, and join the local community at this year's Shiprock Northern Navajo Nation Fair and Parade. On Friday morning, Senator...

One of my earliest memories is visiting my father in the hospital after a high-voltage accident caused him to fall from an electrical transmission pole. That fall never dampened his enthusiasm for his work as a utility lineman, climbing up power poles in the middle of lightning storms to restore electricity after outages. My father’s days as...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, and Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, are introducing legislation to help the Navajo Nation and communities in Northwestern New Mexico and Southwestern Colorado recover from the Gold King Mine blowout that spilled toxic wastewater...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the expiration of the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) fast approaching, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich joined a bipartisan coalition of 51 other senators to call on Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Harry Reid to permanently reauthorize and adequately fund the...

Last month, a large plume of bright orange toxic waste spilled into the Animas and San Juan Rivers and polluted the Four Corners region. When I toured affected areas following the Gold King Mine spill, I visited with impacted residents and joined the San Juan County Fire Department to deliver water to farmers in Aztec. I was also briefed on the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich congratulated Jorge Silva-Bañuelos on being named superintendent of the Valles Caldera National Preserve. Silva-Bañuelos's hiring marks an important milestone for Valles Caldera, which is making the transition from a unique management structure as part of the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 16, 2015) - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) spoke at a U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs oversight hearing on the Gold King Mine spill, which caused a large plume of bright orange toxic waste to spill into the Animas and San Juan Rivers and pollute the Four Corners region last month. The committee examined...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) spoke at a U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) oversight hearing on the Gold King Mine spill that occurred last month. The committee examined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) response to the accident, which caused a large plume of bright orange...

On Wednesday, September 16, 2015, at 8 a.m. MT/10 a.m. ET, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) will speak before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works during a hearing, "Oversight of the Cause, Response, and Impacts of EPA's Gold King Mine Disaster." Senators Heinrich sent a letter to the Committee's...