Oil and Gas Activity Returns to Santa Fe County - Rio Grande Chapter

Central Group News
Central Group
Directory
Executive Committee
P.O. Box 25342
Albuquerque, NM 87125-0342
Michal Mudd, Chair
mudd_pi@mac.com 884-3315
Eva Thaddeus, Co-Chair, Secretary, Global
Warming Issue Chair
evathad@nmia.com 266-9646
David Ther, Treasurer, Outings Chair
grelbik@att.net 260-1553
Patrick Redmond, Political Chair, Water Chair
redmonpa@law.unm.edu 298-1298
Rick Preston, Newsletter Editor
pepreston@gmail.com
Howard Karnes
einstructionhk@aol.com 379-1294
The Executive Committee meets on the 2nd
Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m., at the
Sierra Club office, 142 Truman NE, Albuquerque.
Great Chain of Being Conference
The Center for Action and Contemplation
will hold a 2007 summer conference, The
Great Chain of Being: Simplifying Our Lives,
at the Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town, Friday-
Sunday, August 3-5. Many organizations will
be tabling at the event, and the Central Group
plans to participate. For more information or to
register, please visit www.cacradicalgrace.org or
call 242-9588.
New Member Joins Group ExCom
Rick Preston has joined the Central New
Mexico Group Executive Committee. Rick
is an attorney who recently relocated to Albuquerque
from Washington, DC. When he not
busy doing his lawyer thing, he spends a lot of
time cycling, hiking, and doing photography.
Call for ExCom Nominations
Are you interested in running for the Central
Group Executive Committee We are currently
accepting names and statements from
people interested. The ExCom meets monthly
(2nd Tuesday of the month) at the Sierra Club
office in Albuquerque, and sets policy for the
Central Group. We expect a lot of electoral
activity in 2008, along with our usual work of
designing interesting general meetings, supporting
the Cool Cities campaign, and working on
local issues in coalition with other environmental
groups. We are in particular need of a Membership
Chair. This person’s job would be to
track membership, reach out to new members,
and encourage people to get active in the Club.
For more information please contact one of
the members of the nominating committee:
David Ther, Eva Thaddeus, or Rick Preston.
Saturday, July 21 • Mt. Taylor via Gooseberry
Trail hike – Easy to moderate hike to 11,301'.
This is the prominent peak on the western skyline
from Albuquerque, higher than Sandia Crest.
Superb views in all directions. Cool and pleasant
temperatures. Expect good weather, but come prepared
for afternoon showers. Meet at Smith’s, Carlisle
at Menaul, 8:00 a.m. Hike: 5.5 miles roundtrip.
Elevation:1900'. Drive: approximately 150
miles round-trip. Leader: David Ther (260-1553,
grelbik@att.net).
Saturday, August 11 • Sandia Mountain Wilderness
hike – This is a good time of year to enjoy
our backyard treasure, the Sandia Mountains. We
A
proposal being heard before the Albuquerque
City Council would require a basic level of
energy efficiency in new construction and
major renovation (renovation costing over 50% of
the value of the building). Ordinance #0-07-73,
sponsored by Councilors Benton, Heinrich, and
Cadigan, contains requirements including:
• Ducts must be insulated and sealed to minimize
leakage.
• South-facing windows must be shaded to maximize
solar gain in winter and minimize it in
summer.
• All appliances installed by contractors must be
Energy Star rated.
• All cooling equipment shall meet a minimum
efficiency level of 15 SEER, or use evaporative
cooling.
• Solar-thermal heating will provide the primary
source for heating swimming pools and be used
for preheating in industrial processes.
Do these sound like no-brainers Indeed, according
to Julie Pearson, green architect and member of
Albuquerque’s Cool Cities core group, the practices
detailed by the ordinance are already standard among
environmentally responsible architects and builders.
We are having a party! All Sierra
Club members are invited to visit
our new office space at 142 Truman NE,
on Saturday, July 28, starting at 6 p.m.
We are holding this event instead of a
general meeting for the month of July,
because the heart of summer seemed like
a good time for a party.
We have a lot to celebrate! We are
going to use the occasion to:
• Thank our volunteers for all the great
work done over the last year
• Celebrate the Club’s recent successes
• Honor the graduates of the recent
Leadership Development Program
Outings
will do a one-way, basically downhill hike from
the crest to Sulphur Springs, a drop of nearly
3000' in 8-9 miles. Note that downhill does not
always equate with easy, especially at elevations of
10,000'. Wear boots; bring rain gear, lunch, and
plenty of liquids. We will carpool from the city
and do a car shuttle at the trailheads to accommodate
the one-way hike. Meet in Albuquerque
at 9:00 a.m in the northwest corner (near gas
pumps) of Smith’s parking lot at Tramway and
Central, just south of I-40. For more information,
contact hike leader Carol Chamberland (341-
1027). No need to reserve a spot; simply showing
up is fine.
Sierra Club Supports Albuquerque
High-Performance Building Ordinance
However, that doesn’t mean that responsible practices
are as widespread as they should be. According
to the ordinance, “These standards will help use
energy, water and materials more efficiently, reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the cost of
building operations... These requirements establish
the minimum standards that should be expected in
any building.”
Councilor Isaac Benton, a green architect who
was the primary author of the ordinance, spoke at
our Sierra Club group’s general meeting in April.
He invited his own contractor to the meeting, who
came and stayed for the whole meeting but sat there
so quietly, not revealing his point of view. Later,
Councilor Benton asked him, “Would this put any
burden on you or your clients” He shook his head
and answered, “It’s really useful for me to be able to
tell my clients: Look, it’s the law.”
Ordinance #0-07-73 is currently scheduled to be
heard at the Council meeting on June 18, so with
luck it will be law by the time you receive this newsletter.
To read the whole text online, and to find out
what happened at the meeting, please visit the City
Council website at www.cabq.gov/council/ and click
on “find legislation, meetings, agendas.”
Central Group HOOTenanny
• Show off our new green office space
• Eat, drink, and maybe even dance!
Come hungry.
In addition, we plan (barring technical
difficulties) to show the movie HOOT on
the side of the building once darkness
falls. This is a movie about a bunch of
kids who work together to protect owls
in their habitat. It got good reviews and
should be family entertainment!
If you will be attending, please let
Shrayas Jatkar know (243-7767, shrayas
.jatkar@sierraclub.org). Shrayas (rhymes
with “play-us”) is the National Club’s new
conservation organizer in Albuquerque.
12 Rio Grande Sierran July/August 2007