Important Las Cruces City Counil Meeting--Monday August 18
Courtesy of our friends at the Southwest Environmental Center
The Las Cruces City Council will consider a resolution (attached)
at its August 18 meeting calling on Congress to pass legislation to
permanently protect
Otero Mesa from oil and gas development.
The resolution is important because it would send
a strong
message that local communities support the protection of Otero Mesa and
bring
us closer to permanent protection for this unique and important area.
Both the City and County of El
Paso passed similar
resolutions in June. Other supporters include the Catholic bishops of Las
Cruces and El Paso,
Governor Richardson, and the Isleta del Sur tribe of El
Paso. (Dona Ana County and Sierra County passed
resolutions
last year calling for a temporary moratorium on drilling and leasing
until an
aquifer study could be completed—a call that has been rejected by the
Administration.)
To ensure this resolution passes, we need Las
Cruces residents to show up and demonstrate your
support. You don't have to speak (although that would be
wonderful)--your
presence alone sends a message that it is an important issue. The
meeting
starts at 1 p.m. The resolution is the first item after the consent
agenda, so
try to show up no later than 1:30 p.m.
If you are unable to attend a meeting please take a minute
to call or email Mayor Ken Miyagashima and your Las Cruces City
Councilor, and urge
them to support the resolution calling on Congress to permanently
protect Otero
Mesa's land, wildlife and water from oil and gas development.
Below are the details on the meeting, contact info, and some
key points on why Otero Mesa needs to be protected. For more
information please
call Kevin (575.522.5552).
Meeting Details:
- Las Cruces City
Council Meeting
- Monday, August 18, 1 p.m.
- Council Chambers, City Hall
- Las Cruces Avenue
and Church Street
Call or email:
Key Reasons Otero Mesa Needs to be Protected
- Otero Mesa is one of the largest remaining desert grasslands in
the Southwest,
providing important habitat for many wildlife species such as pronghorn
and the endangered aplomado falcon.
- Otero Mesa sits atop one of the largest untapped freshwater
aquifers
in the region. Oil and gas development could put this potential future
water
supply at risk.
- The amount of natural gas beneath Otero Mesa is considered
by most experts to be negligible. (The most optimistic estimate is that
Otero
Mesa, after 20 or more years of development, might produce a total
amount of
natural gas that the U.S.
currently consumes in 16 days!) We shouldn’t wreck this natural
treasure for
such a small amount of energy.
- Otero Mesa provides outstanding opportunities for outdoor
recreation for residents of Las Cruces
and other communities.
- Otero
Mesa is an important cultural landscape for
several native American tribes, with thousands of archaeological sites
and a
number of sacred sites.
CLC-Otero-Mesa-resolution.pdf