Senator Ben Ray Lujan & Protecting Our Vulnerable Waterways | 5.24.21

This time on New Mexico in Focus, Sen. Ben Ray Lujan joins the program from Washington, D.C. to talk about the federal government’s plans to pay for and expand access to broadband internet service. It’s been a major challenge in New Mexico. Correspondent and Axios reporter Russ Contreras also speaks with the senator about the immigration crisis at the southern border. In March, the pueblos of Jemez and Laguna sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over a 2020 rule that weakens or eliminates protections for ephemeral or intermittent waterways. The pueblos are represented by the University of New Mexico Clinical Law Program, and according to the complaint, the Trump-era rule “ignores the U.S. Government’s trust responsibilities to Indian tribes and violates the Administrative Procedure Act and intent of the Clean Water Act.” It would also make it harder for pueblos to regulate upstream polluters. Laura Paskus speaks with two key players in the suit. Segments: Sen. Ben Ray Lujan Correspondent: Russell Contreras, Axios Guest: Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-New Mexico NM Tribal Communities Sue Over Trump Water Rule Correspondent: Laura Paskus Guests: Clifford Villa, UNM School of Law Chris Toya, Pueblo of Jemez