Six years ago this week, the U.S. Supreme Court created a Wild West of campaign finance regulations. With their decision in Citizens United, five justices set the stage for a flood of secret special interest money trying to buy elections nationwide. But with the race for the White House well underway, voters are only now seeing the full consequences of unchecked political spending.
Last week, U.S. Senator Tom Udall announced he has joined several senators, including Jon Tester (D-Mont.), in introducing legislation to increase voter protections and access to the polls for Native Americans. Many Native Americans live in rural communities and are often forced to travel long distances to the closest polling location. According to the National Congress of American Indians, Native American voter turnout was 17 percent less than non-natives in 2012.
On Monday, President Barack Obama announced the Clean Power Plan that states carbon pollution nationwide will have to be reduced by an average of 30 percent.
The plan would require different target reduction rates for each state, but New Mexico has already reduced its carbon emission by 8 percent since 2008.
In the absence of global action to curb greenhouse gas emissions, the United States by the end of the century may face up to $180 billion in economic losses because of drought and water shortages, according to a report released Monday by the White House and Environmental Protection Agency. White House officials said the report, […]
A bill to stop the bulk collection of data as allowed through the post-9/11 Patriot Act passed the Senate on Tuesday and was quickly signed by President Barack Obama. Both members of the Senate from New Mexico voted in the majority on the 67-32 vote on the bill dubbed the USA Freedom Act. The bill […]
Sen. Tom Udall’s attempt to overhaul the nation’s chemical regulations got a big boost Tuesday when the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted 15-5 to advance the legislation after several Senate Democrats successfully pushed for changes to the bill. The legislation, which aims to overhaul the 40-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act, would require the […]
Congressed passed the Toxic Substances and Control Act (TSCA) 40 years ago — and since then it’s been used to restrict just five chemicals. It even failed to ban asbestos. Harmful chemicals are pumped into household cleaners, plastic containers, and other goods that families in New Mexico and across the country use everyday. Our current […]
A new bill introduced Tuesday by Democratic U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich would allow national laboratories to receive more money for research. The bill is intended to increase the maximum percentage of funds available to the Department of Energy for laboratory-directed research and development.
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