Letters to the Editor

Join a climate pilgrimage for Our Shared House

Editor:

My stepdaughter, a minister and dedicated climate advocate, born and raised in Valencia County, is walking from Carlsbad to Santa Fe to bring attention and to call for action to address our rising temperatures and increasing water scarcity resulting from the CO₂ and methane emissions from oil and gas production and our transportation sectors using fossil fuels.

I joined Clara Sims and other members of NM Interfaith Power and Light (NM-IPL) staff and community on the first eight miles of the journey, witnessing the smells and sights of fossil fuel development in and near Carlsbad and experiencing the headaches from the pollution exposure.

The pilgrims, after walking 328 miles, will arrive in Santa Fe at the Roundhouse at noon on Thursday, Feb. 5, to share their hopes, prayers and time-pressured requests for action with our legislators. The pilgrimage will arrive at the State Capitol on Climate Action Day, Feb. 5, joining a broad coalition of climate justice organizations and advocates calling on legislators to take bold action.

A revised Clear Horizons Act (SB18) has been introduced in the 2026 legislative session. NM-IPL is a member of the Clear Horizons New Mexico Coalition advocating for this Act, which provides a regulatory framework aligning state and industry pollution reduction goals to meet greenhouse gas emission targets.

The pilgrimage aims to bring voices and stories of affected communities directly to legislators, urging support for the Clear Horizons Act and other policies that:

• Enshrine the fundamental right to a stable climate and livable future

• Develop a long-term strategic plan for a just transition to renewable energy

• Hold the oil and gas industry accountable for waste and pollution

• Protect communities from extreme weather events

New Mexico faces critical challenges, including worsening wildfires, prolonged droughts, and deteriorating air quality. These threats not only compromise our health and landscapes but also our state’s economic stability. The urgency to act is now, as delays heighten risks and inflate future costs.

The Clear Horizons Act (SB18) (clearhorizonsnm.org/clear-horizons-act/) proposes a comprehensive plan to reduce emissions, accelerate energy innovation, and ensure sustainable economic growth for New Mexico. The message from the climate pilgrims is legislators must act to pass SB18. Support is crucial — join them in advocating for this vital legislation!

“Our leaders have a powerful choice,” pilgrim and executive director of NM IPL, Desiree Bernard says, “Remain beholden to the financial interests of the few or commit to the common good of all. We are part of a coalition uplifting stories of families who can no longer wait for positive change to restore health to the living systems within which we are embedded.”

Please join in this bold call for action to support the Clear Horizons Act (SB 18) at noon, Thursday, Feb. 5, at the Roundhouse or join them for the last mile in — whatever works for you, to demonstrate to our elected leaders that addressing the climate catastrophe can’t wait!

Ward B. McCartney

Belen

New road isn’t great

Editor:

While reading “Corridor project might travel east” in the Jan. 8 edition of the Valencia County News-Bulletin, one sure gets the impression that they want to run all the traffic from the new Los Lunas Boulevard through the quiet neighborhoods surrounding Orona Road.

I only wonder why they aren’t looking at all at Otero Road. Otero is a straight shot from N.M. 47 to the east side of the El Cerro Loop, N.M. 263.

A road that is already complete and runs the full distance, from end to end. My question is this: why doesn’t the county just admit they messed up when they terminated Los Lunas Boulevard where they did and not at the intersection of N.M. 47 and El Cerro Loop, a mere 3/4 mile south of where this boulevard is contracted now?

Take the money you are planning to spend on building a new road to Orona and give it to the contractor for the Los Lunas Boulevard with a change order to terminate it at the intersection of N.M. 47 and 263.

The perfect terminus of the new road where it can do the most good and not disturb quiet established neighborhoods on Orona, where people walk their dogs and ride their bikes.

Roy Wurdeman

Los Lunas

(Editor’s note: The Los Lunas Boulevard project is a village of Los Lunas endeavor, not a Valencia County project.)