New Mexico’s first district representative in the U.S. House has announced her candidacy for an important committee leadership position.
Melanie Stansbury, fresh off her election to a third consecutive term in congress, made it official yesterday that she’ll run to become her party’s ranking member on the House Natural Resources Committee.
Her announcement followed a key endorsement on Thursday from the Arizona representative who has been the Democratic committee leader for the past 10 years.
Raúl Grijalvsa praised Stansbury as a quote "strategic and tenacious advocate" citing her work in environmental justice, tribal sovereignty, and water conservation.
In a press conference on Friday, Stansbury discussed her qualifications and ideas, should she be elected to the ranking member post.
The New Mexico congressperson said she would work across the aisle for a balance between economic strength and environmental protection, an aim that could be tested by a GOP plan to extract oil from Chaco Canyon, in northwestern New Mexico.
“This is a place that is important to all humankind, and it's a place that's especially important and sacred to our indigenous communities," Stansbury said.
"There is plenty of oil and gas out there to drill and to make a profit on. There is absolutely no reason why these companies need to be granted access into the greater Chaco Canyon area and to irreparably destroy a World Heritage site.”
Grijalva is stepping down due to health reasons. Another democratic representative, Jared Huffman of California, is also vying for the committee leadership post.
Stansbury said that there has never been a woman in a leadership position on the House Natural Resources Committee.
She talked about other challenges she and colleagues are anticipating as Donald Trump prepares for his second term as president.
Mentioning Project 2025 several times, including in relation to Republican immigration proposals, Stansbury said that the incoming administration is threatening to deport families of undocumented people and to prosecute "governors seeking to protect communities from unconstitutional activities."
“This is the kind of authoritarian behavior that we warned of, and all the signs are pointing to Donald Trump and his people gearing up to try to execute on that plan," Stansbury said.
"We have to do everything we can to protect families. So that should these horrific and frankly unconscionable concepts try to be implemented, that families are protected.”
The 119th congress will convene on January 3, 2025.
