Environmental Justice
Green initiatives in District 6.
Day one the biggest concerns we focused on was the Carlisle Cleaners Superfund site. The former Carlisle Village Cleaners, located at 3611 Simms Avenue SE in Albuquerque, operated from 1962 through 1974 in a strip mall along with three other businesses. We are requesting placement of the Carlisle Village Cleaners site on EPA’s Superfund National Priorities List (per the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, CERCLA) for not meeting federal cleanup funding requirements. (Insert one pager as graphic)
This site is currently being considered for the National Priority list. Read more about what that means here.
Carlisle Cleaners Site Proposed for National Priorities List
The Environmental Protection Agency announced their proposed addition of the Carlisle Village Cleaners site to their Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL is a list of known sites where historic releases of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants pose significant threats to human health and the environment
.
“To have this site considered and available for additional resources to clean up, is a win for Southeast Albuquerque,” said City Councilor Nichole Rogers. “Superfund cleanups provide health and economic benefits to communities and I’m encouraging our community to engage in the public comment process.”
The Carlisle Village Cleaners site, located at 3611 Simms Ave. SE, contains a soil gas plume centered within the South Carlisle Shopping Village strip mall and extends into a nearby commercial and residential area. Two former dry cleaner facilities operated at this site from 1953 to 2017.
“Families across our city deserve to grow up in safe, healthy environments,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “We are grateful for our federal partners helping us fight for historic communities so that they get the resources they need and are no longer left behind.”
The announcement starts a 60-day public comment period for the EPA. Written comments can be provided to the EPA on their website: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EPA-HQ-OLEM-2024-0375-0001
"One of the major reasons I fought hard to pass the Infrastructure Law was to drive economic development by investing in EPA’s Superfund cleanup work," said Senator Martin Heinrich. "Now that the former Carlisle Cleaners site has been proposed for the National Priorities List, I will work with Councilor Rogers, Mayor Keller, and the New Mexico Environment Department to hold the EPA's feet to the fire on cleaning up this site as quickly as possible, protecting the health and safety of local residents, and spurring economic growth for the future."
On Tuesday, October 1, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) hosted the third open house meeting to present on the site including an assessment of sampling results, proposed remediation actions for residential and commercial properties, and proposed schedule. The meeting was held at Life Tabernacle United Pentecostal Church, 1112 Carlisle Blvd.
“Keeping our communities safe and our neighborhoods clean is a priority no matter what level you hold office,” said Rep. Melanie Stansbury. “I’m grateful to Councilor Rogers for always putting her community first and working towards a better Albuquerque. This is a great step in ensuring we combat harmful chemicals and pollution that leaves residents with lasting effects.”
Albuquerque Neighborwoods Program Gives 2024 La Mesa Neighborhood Report
The La Mesa project started in 2021, with neighborhood volunteers. Those volunteers, all active International District community members, conducted door to door canvassing and neighborhood outreach for tree adoption. La Mesa is one of the International District's largest residential areas and was an area of demonstrative need for a larger tree canopy. Despite the great need, there were more than enough homes to adopt all the trees. Over 150 hours of volunteer hours from canvassing to the planting event were tracked. This past summer (2024) marked the third year for La Mesa, and thus a thorough inventory was performed in the summer of 2024.
Read the full TreeNM 2024 La Mesa Neighborhood Final Report.
Since the first tree planting in 2017, the ABQ NeighborWoods program has planted and given away over 9,000 trees.
The ABQ NeighborWoods program operates in all nine Albuquerque City Council districts. Since the first planting in 2017, the ABQ NeighborWoods program has planted and given away over 9,000 trees as of the end of 2024.
Each ABQ NeighborWoods tree planting event involves 100 climate-ready street (define) trees planted by volunteers in a single morning and 100 smaller trees given to neighborhood homeowners to plant themselves on their property. The street tree planting criteria for city egress is limited to within 20 feet of the street (more recently, the program has worked to place them within 12-15 feet). The homeowners adopting the street trees are required to sign an agreement with the city promising to water and care for the trees. The grant also includes an arborist/landscape architect audit once a year for three years with feedback to the homeowners if any issues are found. Planting, tree care information and training are provided in the run-up to the planting and on planting day. Follow-up training in pruning and additional care is provided periodically to every neighborhood involved in a planting event.