What: 350 New Mexico Speaker Series: Atencio vs New Mexico; A Historic Constitutional Challenge to Oil and Gas Industry Pollution in NM.

Where: Pre-register on Zoom at LINK

When: 6:30 PM MDT, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023

Who: Plaintiffs with lead counsel, Gail Evans,

Description: The 350 New Mexico Speaker Series will present Atencio vs New Mexico lawsuit with guests talking about their historic challenge to business as usual in the New Mexico oil and gas fields.

On May 10, 2023, a group of frontline community members, Indigenous peoples, youth, and non-profit organizations filed a constitutional challenge to the New Mexico government’s fifty-year dereliction of its mandated duty to protect New Mexicans’ air, water, environment and other natural resources, and fundamental rights. The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys with the Center for Biological Diversity, WildEarth Guardians, and Daniel Yohalem.

New Mexico passed an environment amendment to our state constitution (Art. XX, Sec. 21) in 1971 that established a duty for the state government to protect New Mexicans’ air, water, environment, and other natural resources.  Nevertheless, the State continues to authorize and promote oil and gas extraction, without establishing and implementing a statutory, regulatory and enforcement scheme that ensures the protection of New Mexico’s beautiful and healthful environment.