Melanie Stansbury

That was so important for ensuring that our Tribal nations could control access to the ballot box.

That is 605 family members, brothers, sisters, parents, children, co-workers and neighbors. And every single one of those lives lost was a preventable tragedy.

New Mexico is ground zero for the opioid epidemic. We have one of the highest rates of drug overdose in the United States.

I rise this evening as the proud daughter of New Mexico to discuss the transformative impacts of the American Rescue Plan for our State on this beautiful St. Patrick's Day during Women's History Month to highlight the impacts the American…

water is ground zero for climate change.

If you think about in the historic trajectory of our country, I think many Americans would be shocked to know that there are still rules and regulations on our books across our Federal agencies that do not recognize that our Federal lands…

The conversation has dramatically changed, and how the voices of the pueblo leadership... are now actually a part of the narrative.

this hearing couldn't possibly be more timely with the release of the IPCC's adaptation report that came out last week

I think that it is a new day in Washington, and your appointment to this role, your amazing expertise and service, and your willingness to step up and play this role is so crucial, especially at this historical moment.

the American Southwest is experiencing the worst drought conditions that have occurred in over 1,200 years

we have to actually engage and prepare our communities for the change that's already here.

I actually believe this is a great place for private-sector development as well because the Federal Government will never be able to provide that fine granularity of products and services.

We have to take existing data sets that already exist, translate those into meaningful tools that our communities can actually use.

We need tools to be able to inform our communities so that they can make those kinds of decisions at the granular level.

how do we translate science data information into useful tools and resources that our communities can actually use.

The crucial work of decolonizing, repatriating, co-managing, and ensuring that we are creating collaborative ways to do all of this work is really particularly crucial, I think, right now.

New Mexico is home to 23 Indigenous communities, tribes, and pueblos, and our tribes and pueblos have been here since time immemorial.

Ensuring that our tribes have not only a seat at the table, but that their knowledge, practices, and priorities are really at the center of that work is so critically important.

It is about putting the power, the tools, and the resources back into our communities that have experienced the disproportionate impacts.

This policy and any policy that is truly focused on EJ, we will continue fighting for it.

This is not hypothetical in New Mexico. Our history and our landscape are peppered with the examples of how the historical legacy has impacted our communities.

Our communities must be at the table in making decisions that affect their quality of life, their health, and their futures.

I think it is really crucial that we acknowledge the history of the United States and its policies, and how that has disproportionately impacted our communities of color and, in particular, our Indigenous, Black, Brown, and other…

Each case number represents a life and a story and a tear in the fabric of our communities.

I really appreciated the meeting that we had here in my office last week.