The BLM has always leased land for things like oil and gas and grazing. Now it will sell leases for conservation, too.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a final rule to designate two types of PFAS chemicals as hazardous substances. The agency says it will make it easier to ensure the parties responsible for PFAS contamination pay to clean it up. In New Mexico, PFAS have been documented in rivers downstream from urban areas and in groundwater near military bases and airports.

Last summer, the U.S. Supreme Court slashed protections of many waterways and wetlands. Their decision left water advocates and experts alarmed over the potential impact on New Mexico’s streams and rivers. On the next Let’s Talk New Mexico, we’ll discuss a new report labeling the state’s rivers as particularly vulnerable.