“Attending Bioneers is like receiving learning bundles and going home with them. Bioneers is always ahead of the curve…it’s always at the epi-center of the nature movement…full of people centered around nature, indigenous elders and innovators…it syncs my learning calendar for the whole year.”
Henry Jake Foreman embodies what it means to be a bioneer. He is brave, bold and helping youth find their passion. He first came to Bioneers five years ago at the invitation of Cara Romero, our Indigenous Knowledge Director, as part of the Youth Scholarship program.
Read Cara’s interview with Henry Jake below to learn about how Bioneers helped bring him to where he is today.
When did you attend the Bioneers Conference? What or who brought you?
I first attended Bioneers Annual Conference in 2010 and haven’t missed a year since. I was working with Arturo Sandoval (past presenter) in New Mexico and was aware of the Dreaming New Mexico Bioneers Initiative and radio programs. Then one day, I met Indigenous Knowledge Director Cara Romero at an Indigenous Sustainability Conference in Santa Fe, she offered me a scholarship and I brought my whole family (mom, sister, brother) up to San Rafael.
Describe your first conference experience.
It was just really amazing as a Native youth from New Mexico to travel all the way to the Bay Area/California and attend Bioneers for the first time. I couldn’t believe the synergy between the Southwest and the Bay Area. I found myself networking with amazing and wonderful like-minded people and it opened my eyes and my mind to all of the progress people are making with their environmental solutions and movements. I wanted to take them all back to my community.
Can you pinpoint the most impactful experience that you had at the conference?
I know you probably get this a lot, but it was first hearing Paul Stamets speak. The work he does just really spoke to me as I was studying micro-biology at the time. What he’s doing in terms of mycology…it was so much deeper than anything I was learning. But I didn’t just hear him talk, I bought his book and got to meet him and he signed my book– I instantly knew that I wanted to take that body of work back to New Mexico and look at our desert soil…that talk and introduction to Paul took me on a whole journey around soil for many years.
Did you make any connections at the conference that you still have that are important to you?
I can think of two right away. Ras K’Dee (Dry Creek Pomo) and Chief Oren Lyons (Onondaga). With Ras, it was about meeting someone my own age that was already doing something totally inspiring and like what I wanted to do in my community with native media. He changed my life. And then there was the man — the legend — the honored elder Chief Oren Lyons. It’s a dream come true for any young Native youth activist to meet Oren in person. I was able to honor him. I was able to gift him. I was able to tell him that his work and his messages are coming full circle and that I am continuing his work as a young person. It was a pure moment of spiritual reciprocity.
In general, what do you feel is the value of attending Bioneers? How has it affected your life?
Attending Bioneers is like receiving learning bundles and going home with them. Bioneers is always ahead of the curve…it’s always at the epi-center of the nature movement…full of people centered around nature, indigenous elders and innovators…it syncs my learning calendar for the whole year.
Did your Bioneers experience as a Native Youth Scholar shape what you’re doing now? What do you do now?
Yes, it profoundly influenced my life and direction. I came back to New Mexico and got my teaching certificate, so I could inspire kids with what Bioneers seeded in me. I’m now a high school teacher at the Native American Community Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico where I use Bioneers media in my classroom. Indigenous Director, Cara Romero and I are going to work together to bring a group of kids from NACA this year.
Additionally, I came away with the inspiration and network to support creating a campaign called Cycles of Life. Cycles of Life creates a space that supports, encourages, and strengthens youth to realize their innate potential as compassionate leaders for the 21st century through bicycling, gardening, and art. The goal of the program is provide the background of the complex and interconnected nature of elements that determine our health that is interconnected to the health of our planet. The aim for providing this foundation is to encourage students to take action to create positive changes that support healthier people, communities and bioregions.
Is there anything else you want to say about your experience at Bioneers?
I love that Bioneers explicitly values the contribution and scholarship of Indigenous peoples and other underrepresented groups. The hegemony of Western philosophy does not reflect the changing demographics nor adequately addresses the complex and interconnected issues that we collectively face.
The Bioneers Indigenous Forum offers a leading edge in re-visioning education that can reframe our perception of who we are and how we relate to the World around us.
Much has been made in the media about U.S. income inequality and the widening gap between rich and poor. But often missed is that there are two troubling gaps.
“One is the gap between the very rich and everyone else. Another is the gap between people of color and their white counterparts. What needs to be explored is the relationship between the two,” said Haas Institute Director john a. powell during the recent Color of Wealth Summit in Washington DC.
john spoke on a panel during the event which featured many members of Congress and community leaders working on wealth inequality.
powell was also one of four 2015 recipients of the Asset Builders Champion (ABC) award given at the Summit. The award honors those who have helped make national progress toward addressing racial wealth disparities.
A Practical, Compassionate Approach to Create Equitable Community
Conversations about race, equity and inclusivity have long been a part of the Bioneers conference. We're honored that john has brought his voice to these conversations as a past keynote speaker and panelist.
Check out his 2014 keynote below, in which he offers incisive analysis on the evolution of public and private space, and visionary yet practical ideas for how we can build a truly inclusive, beloved community. And be sure to pass it along to others!
We'd love to have your voice as part of conversations about race, justice, economy and more at the 2015 National Bioneers Conference this October. Take a look at the speakers and schedule and register to join us!
“The coming climate encyclical of Pope Francis, coupled with his visit to Washington D.C., might ensure a global agreement in Paris this December and transform environmentalism into a movement based on social justice. The Pope’s message also might ignite a greater spiritual awakening and an opportunity to challenge the foundations of a global order which forces billions of people to survive amidst poverty and pollution.”
So writes Tom Hayden in his first-rate report on the Pope’s forthcoming climate encyclical this summer that might be called Liberation Ecology by its marriage of environment and social justice. The article in Tom’s Democracy Journalis an in-depth and genuinely brilliant analysis that’s a must-read.
Climate Encyclical a Shift to Theology of Kinship?
As a polymath, Tom is a bit of a scholar on faith and the environment, including his landmark book The Lost Gospel of Earth (read an excerpt here).
The Pope’s recent statements connecting caring for Creation and caring for the poor suggest a shift to what Tom identifies as a “‘kinship’ model embodied by the original Francis, many native people, environmental biologists and the counter-culture.”
A concern for climate solutions that engage those most impacted by climate disruption is also a hallmark of California’s climate policy leadership. In 2014, Tom collaborated with Bioneers on a pre-conference California Climate Leadership Intensive that brought together leaders from a wide range of sectors.
It’s extremely rare that opportunities like the Bioneers Indigenous Forum come along. In 2014, we saw the largest-ever attendance by indigenous youthbecause of the collaboration with our community partners.
Our Native youth hold a sacred role for the health of our planet, yet come from underserved communities. With the help of San Manuel, we help foster new Native leaders by creating opportunities at the conference to participate, network and feel empowered. Paired with wise cultural mentors, they’re inspired to stay in school and become cultural, environmental and social justice leaders in Indian Country and beyond. We provide healthy meals and clean transportation from inner city locations for passionate young people who would not otherwise be able to attend.
Our esteemed Indigenous Knowledge program director Cara Romero (Chemehuevi) partners with Native organizations such as the The Cultural Conservancy, San Francisco Unified School District’s Indian Education Title VII Program, the Native American Health Center and The Intertribal Friendship House. The Native youth receive free transportation and healthy meals and snacks, as well as 3-day VIP passes, art and hands-on activities, and a Youth Talking Circle.
We believe that “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.” California Indian educators have underscored the importance for Indigenous youth (especially K-12) to attend the Indigenous Forum because seldom are they are able to engage with leaders with whom they can closely identify. The high school dropout rate for Native American youth in public schools in 2013 was more than double that of all public school students in the US.
Inspirational Feedback
The Bioneers experience for Native youth has been transformative and helped inspire and shape future Indigenous leaders by placing them at the center of a growing movement. Thank you for helping us make it flourish. Please give generously.
“The Bay Area Indigenous youth have been impacted deeply by the experience of attending the Bioneers Conference 2014. From the moment of hearing about the conference, to being present/attending for three days, the youth and their families have expressed extreme gratitude for having been afforded such an opportunity.”—Paloma Flores, Director of SFUSD Indian Education
Make Indigenous Youth Scholarships Part of Your Legacy!
This year, we are looking to grow the number of full scholarships offered to Indigenous youth to 75 – or more with your support! Please visit our donate page today to make a tax-deductible contribution to the Youth Scholarship project.
Our 2014 radio series recently won a whopping 11 Communicator awards and the series as a whole is a finalist in the prestigious New York Festivals “World’s Best Radio Programs.”
We’re deeply grateful to share these honors with our incredible radio series sponsors, Organic Valley and Mary’s Gone Crackers, and all of you!
Use the links below to listen to the award-winning episodes, and be sure to share your favorites with your community.
Like what you hear? Subscribe to our podcast to get the latest episodes directly. Our 2015 Radio Series will be released July 13 and it’s going to be one of our best yet (though we may be a little biased).
Not an online listener? Find a radio station where you can listen or encourage your local radio station to air the series.
The annual Bioneers conference is always amazing, but we think this year’s program is off the hook. It came together with high synchronicity—lots of unplanned “coincidences” leading to some very out-of-the-box speakers and programs.
The full conference program is now live on our conference site. Once you take a look, we hope you’ll be inspired to register right away. “Earliest Bird” ticket rates (our lowest of the year) go up June 15th!
Here’s a glimpse of just a few of the outstanding speakers and sessions you’ll find at Bioneers 2015.
Coastal Climate Change Strategies
One highlight is Dutch coastal infrastructure expert Henk Ovink, who helps direct water management in the Netherlands, a nation that’s 60% below sea level.
With climate disruption causing rising sea levels, the Dutch have been mastering water management for centuries. Henk became a key influence in New York City’s post-Super Storm Sandy response. The New York metropolitan area is now seriously addressing green infrastructure practices.
Henk now is working to bring these models to California. He’ll also be jamming in a historic session with keynoter Andy Lipkis, the urban watershed wizard of LA’s TreePeople.
Andy has also been working extensively in Australia where the entire nation is mobilizing to engage every citizen to become a watershed manager. Thank goodness we have these visionaries to help us navigate today’s water and climate crises.
Economic, Environmental & Restorative Justice Rinku Sen of Race Forward and restorative justice leader Fania Davis will help set the compass for the convergence of race and environment and the growing call for truth and reconciliation.
Globally renowned science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson will present a utopian vision of a next economy, a topic this visionary has been considering for a long time. And lots more!
Green Chemistry for Kids & Families
One new feature will be Family Days. We’ve assembled a team of brilliant educators to guide families with kids up to 13 years old to do really cool, fun learning activities together.
Among the teachers are Amy Cannon of Beyond Benign, a national leader in biomimicry education.
Stay tuned for updates and profiles of other speakers and programs. Please join with us in October for this Revolution from the Heart of Nature!
Sunset on the Chukchi Sea, Image Credit: NASA/Kathryn Hansen
I’m usually a fairly calm and collected guy – friends think of me as one of the more mellow characters in their lives. However, I’ve been downright irate for the past week since reading the news that the Obama administration has given the thumbs up to Shell’s latest plan to drill for oil in the remote Chukchi Sea, off the northwestern coast of Alaska. For some reason, this really hit home for me in a way that took me by surprise. I realize that that oil companies have bought and paid for our government for the most part. I also know that I own a car, which consumes the product that oil companies extract – and which has to come from somewhere until we manage to transition our transit systems to non-carbon energy sources. This news has been followed rapidly by the recent oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, the very same beach where I took my son camping for the first time, where we spent countless hours playing in the sand and literally watching dolphins jump through waves in front of us. Perhaps I’ve been lulled into blind optimism while following all the forward progress we are seeing on many fronts regarding renewable energy. It’s complicated to care so much.
#ClimateFail, #OceansFail
There is basically no end to the number of reasons that large scale drilling for oil in the Arctic seas is a terrible plan. Two frequent Bioneers speakers, Bill McKibben and Michael Brune have each authored very useful articles recently that outline in explicit detail why this is such a tremendously bad idea.
A major oil spill in the pristine and remote ecosystem of the Chukchi Sea would be disastrous. The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was located relatively near extensive oil spill response resources, took place in a temperate climate where workers could easily gain access to the site and it was still a huge, huge mess. The ability to effectively deal with any spill in the Arctic is limited at best, if not impossible.
Another detail worth noting is the reality that Shell already flunked their first attempt. Shell sent an exploratory pair of drilling rigs up to this same location in 2012 and it ended in an unmitigated disaster. One rig almost ran aground, the other rig did run aground, both had to be rescued, and the sub-contractor running the operation (using one of the oldest drill-ships on earth, which remains the plan) plead guilty to 8 felonies in connection with the fiasco. The Interior Department has since strengthened regulations, but let’s be clear: the problem last time around wasn’t the tenacity of the regulations but that Shell’s expedition effectively ignored what regulations existed anyway. According to the Interior Department’s findings, as reported by the New York Times, Shell “failed in a wide range of basic operational tasks.” It’s like lowering the speed limit in order to slow down the getaway car from a bank heist.
Turning the Tide
Significant opposition to this drilling plan is solidifying from both expected parties, like the Sierra Club and 350.org, as well as new allies. The Port of Seattle has voted to postpone the ability the drilling rigs to access their staging dock in the city for the time being. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray commented, “We need not continue with the past. It’s time to turn the page. Things like oil trains, coal trains and oil drilling rigs are the past. If it was up to me, there would be no place for Arctic offshore oil drilling equipment in Seattle.” Will a flotilla of kayaks (see: kayaktavism) prevent the drilling rig from leaving Seattle for the Chuckchi Sea? Hard to say, but Seattle does have a history of citizen activism clogging up the wheels of global capitalism.
I have to say, while being irate is a feeling that I’m not particularly fond of, at the moment it strangely gives me hope. The underlying take-away from all this news is one more reminder of a fundamental power struggle taking place in the world today, as Naomi Klein discussed last year at Bioneers, pitting the past against the future. Climate change (and global capitalism, for that matter) is a complex issue precisely because the cause and effect are somewhat diffuse. As the opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline has shown, at some level we need large in-the-flesh projects as tent-poles for resistance, media coverage and, hopefully, consciousness shifts. It’s entirely possible that this foolhardy decision to approve Shell’s latest offshore drilling plan will combine with recent successes in the divestment movement to continue to galvanize energy and action around climate change.
In 1998, I applied to be a Bioneers volunteer when I was six months pregnant and feeling very isolated. I was a young activist with little to no money, but I came anyway. I remember one of the most amazing moments was sitting in the middle of that big theatre in San Rafael. A woman who was African [Wanjira Mathai] who had done a keynote came and sat next to me, and said, "What is here is so powerful," and she put her hands on my belly. Kenny and Nina were talking, and I remember having this feeling that this is so deeply important, in terms of current issues, global climate, and yet there was so much heart in it.
I remember thinking, “I'm 29, I hope I get to speak like that, I hope that I get to speak my truth.” I deeply appreciated Kenny and Nina’s partnership and how they modeled that.
It hooked me, as a younger person at the time, to see Naomi Klein or someone of that ilk next to a bunch of young people doing spoken word, and then Paul Stamets talking about mushrooms. I distinctly remember how earth shattering it was. The next year my daughter was 8 or 10 months old, and I applied to do a youth workshop. I brought a young 18-year old person with me to do the workshop and we spoke about building off the themes from the prior year: How do you take your values and move them into action?
That same year Van Jones talked about the intersection of the environmental movement with racial and social justice, and Kenny and Nina deliberately talked about the need for the integration of these movements.
I also distinctly remember the scientists who spoke at Bioneers were really onto something, 13 or 14 years ago. I wanted to be a part of it. They knew for decades prior, but only now is it getting in front of the public’s eye. That fueled me to continue on my path, no matter what. Those moments were telling for me as a young activist.
Now I'm a part of a national movement where you see social justice and racial equity within government for the first time ever in the history of this country. I travel around the country talking about the intersection of sustainability, social justice and racial equity, asking people to be more accountable: not only take audits as you would via the EPA, but also take a social equity audit as a government and be accountable for your actions. That's how I met [Bioneers presenter] john a. powell. Now we're part of the Government Alliance on Racial Equity together.
Bioneers was absolutely formative for me. It's almost like a meme, something that becomes a part of you because you've experienced it. There's so much power, soul power, brain power that's shared. Not just caught and kept, but it's shared. When you leave Bioneers, it pulses through you throughout the year.
What stays with me is this feeling of not being alone. The work we do is so hard. It's great to be part of this new movement within the public sector, but it is so challenging and intense. So those moments at Bioneers really buoy me up.
I thought if I ever talk to Kenny, I need to tell him that one of the formative things that I'm proud of about our work in government is that whatever we do is grounded in [Bioneers presenter] Joanna Macy's Act of Hope, as well as the relational worldview. That's our foundational assumption.
That’s the kind of work I’m doing, but in a different world that is actually deeply systemically ill. I just presented at a conference on developing a set of educational standards and literacies internationally for young people, as well as for the workforce. People are asking, “What should be in the curriculum?” It's the intersection of people, place, process and power. It's absolutely vital that we're talking about these issues in the development of this literacy; it's also about a way of being in the world.
So what I love about coming to Bioneers is that you experience the way of being in the flesh. There's something about the youth scholarships for me: bringing people and allowing them to have that experience, seeing there are caring adults and that the torch is being passed now in a very deliberate and intentional way. And I felt that when I was first there.
Sonali S. Balajee is the Senior Policy Advisor on the Equity Empowerment Lens for Multnomah County, Oregon’s most populous county.
First sticker in the Bioneers sticker collection, designed in-house.
Use your creative energy for a chance to win a 2015 Bioneers conference pass!
We are we are working on creating a special Bioneers sticker series, and want to feature your unique, nature-inspired art! Please submit an original creation to us by July 31st for a chance to have your design featured on one of our limited edition stickers.
The small art piece should represent what Bioneers means to you, whether it’s your interpretation of our swirl logo, what Revolution from the Heart of Nature means to you, or anything in between. Let those creative juices flow!
If your design is selected, you will not only be honored with fame and glory, but be recognized on our online media outlets and receive 25 copies of the sticker with your design to share with friends. If you create our favorite design you will also receive a free 3 day pass to this year’s Bioneers Conference!
Contest Details:
Contestants must be at least 13 years of age. Art must be received on July 31 at 11:59 PM PST to be considered for the sticker contest. Art size cannot exceed 4×4 inches and must be sent as a high quality digital file (300dpi and CMYK) to ana@bioneers.org with the subject line “Bioneers Sticker Art Contest”. By submitting your art to Bioneers, you agree to let Bioneers use said art piece at their will for the creation of the sticker. Art should feature the artists’ signature and the back of the sticker will feature the artists’ name. No monetary compensation will be given for the use of the art, but the winner of the contest each month will be featured on Bioneers’ media outlets and have the chance to receive a free 3 day conference pass.
Photo of a mural at the Indigenous Forum from the 2014 Bioneers Annual Conference by Zoe Urness
A recent New Yorker article highlighted the importance of preserving Indigneous languages, stating, “the loss of languages passed down for millennia, along with their unique arts and cosmologies, may have consequences that won’t be understood until it is too late to reverse them.”
Indigenous knowledge and culture have been important topics at our annual conference since the beginning. Bioneers was founded in part due to inspiration co-founder Kenny Ausubel got from Indigenous framing traditions and seed biodiversity—as well as growing evidence that lack of biodiversity was increasingly perilous to humanity.
From Biosphere to Ethnosphere
When you have the opportunity to learn from Indigenous teachers and leaders, it quickly becomes clear that it’s not possible to isolate a seed’s biology from the geography and culture within which that seed is grown.
Wade Davis’ 2001 plenary address eloquently showcases the beauty and importance of cultural diversity. He has coined the term ethnosphere, which “You might define…as the sum total of all the thoughts and dreams and ideas and beliefs and intuitions, myths brought into being since the beginning of time.”
He then goes on to highlight the its decline; “And the ethnosphere is being eroded at a far greater rate then indeed is the biosphere. No biologist would dare suggest that 50% of all species or more are on the brink of extinction, and yet that – the most apocalyptic scenario in the realm of biological diversity – represents what we know to be the most optimistic scenario in the realm of cultural diversity. And the great indicator of that…is language loss.”
As the New Yorker article suggests, Davis agrees that language is more than just words – it can encapsulate a way of thinking and being. “Now a language is not just a body of vocabulary or a set of grammatical rules, it’s a flash of the human spirit. It’s a vehicle for which the soul of a culture comes through to the material world. Every language in some sense is an ecosystem of ideas, a watershed of thought, an old growth forest of the mind.”
Language as the Key to Creating a New World
More and more people are realizing that to create a sustainable future, we have to look beyond just switching our light bulbs or buying organic products—we have to create a new culture with different values.
Given that language is a crucial building block of culture, and Indigenous cultures are some of the strongest models we have for how to live in harmony with the earth and each other, we can’t afford this grave loss of the ethnosphere.
Join Bioneers in preserving and honoring cultural diversity:
Summary: Bioneers is seeking a part-time administrative assistant to work with Cofounder and Everywoman’s Leadership director providing organizational and administrative support on a somewhat variable schedule. Most work can be from home. Anticipated hours are 15-20/week, and candidates need to have: some administrative or executive assistant experience, a good working knowledge of MS Office software and Macintosh systems, strong organizational and multi-tasking skills, attention to detail, strong communications and relational intelligence and social networking skills.
This position is located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Qualified candidates will also be considered in the San Francisco, California area.
Reports to: Co-‐Founder, President and Everywoman’s Leadership Director, Nina Simons
Purpose: To support the President and EL Director in her varied and complex portfolio with efficiency and ease, by providing meticulous scheduling, planning and documenting assistance. Executive administrative work will include the following areas of focus:
administrative support in weekly scheduling and travel,
management of media and donor communications,
program support with CWL administration, conference planning and program outreach.
Primary Areas of Responsibility, Executive Assistant (10hours weekly):
Booking and coordinating travel needs, preparing detailed itinerary, scheduling appointments related to travel, liaison with executive team about scheduling, anticipate/prepare or request/pack/ship materials needed
Manage communications and scheduling appointments; assisting with screening, tracking and responding to calls, mail, email
Manage inquiries and contractual arrangements for speaking engagements
Create and keep current weekly plan of work priorities
Mail books, articles, media and gifts to donor and partnership contacts
Provide administrative, logistical and communication support during the conference
Track donor communications and development follow-‐through
Cultivating Women’s Leadership training admin assistance (additional 10 hours weekly)
Tracking applications
Responding to inquiries
Preparation for trainings (includes prep for participants and facilitators)
Materials purchase and support
Follow-‐up with facilitators and applicants afterward, and prompting survey participation
Survey Report Summary (tracking testimonials and feedback)
Skills and Experience Required for the Position:
Candidates must have excellent organizational skills, and experience with providing administrative and executive support as well as exceptional written and verbal communications. Successful candidate will be highly detail-‐oriented and both a team player and self-‐starter, who enjoys juggling multiple priorities.
Required experience:
Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Competent and experienced using Mac computers
Google docs and Google calendar
Social Networking skills
Video/Audio editing experience and Web development a plus
Working Conditions
This position will be based in the Bay area with a weekly foray into San Francisco Office with some flex time possible.
This is a part-‐time position, at 15-‐20 hours/week.
General business hours of availability will be Monday – Friday, 9 am – 5 pm.
About Us
Bioneers is an innovative nonprofit educational organization that highlights breakthrough solutions for restoring people and planet. Founded in 1990 in Santa Fe, New Mexico by social entrepreneurs Kenny Ausubel and Nina Simons, Bioneers has acted as a fertile hub of social and scientific innovators with practical and visionary solutions for the world’s most pressing environmental and social challenges. A celebration of the genius of nature and human ingenuity, Bioneers connects people with breakthrough solutions and each other.
Our acclaimed annual national and local conferences are complemented by extensive media outreach including an award-‐winning radio series, book series, and role in media projects such as Leonardo DiCaprio’s film The 11th Hour. Our programs further focus on Women’s Leadership, Indigenous Wisdom, Community Resilience Networks, and Leadership Development and Youth. Learn more at www.bioneers.org and www.conference.bioneers.org.
Bioneers is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Application Process:
Cover Letter and CV may be pasted into the email body or attached as a PDF or Word Document, ONLY.
Resumes without a cover letter will not be considered.
Please include an updated CV / resume WITH SALARY HISTORY. (Applications without salary history will not be considered)
Please INCLUDE YOUR LAST NAME + JOB TITLE IN THE SUBJECT LINE and send to: careers (AT) bioneers (DOT) org
We will contact applicants of interest. Thank you for your time and consideration.
NO AGENCIES or CONSULTANTS or THIRD-‐PARTY SERVICES or INTERNATIONAL
APPLICANTS. No phone calls or email to the office or principals, please.
When I asked our esteemed Bioneers colleague Mariel Nanasi to write a piece about the breakthrough work she and her group New Energy Economy (NEE) are doing here in New Mexico to end coal and transition to renewables, I was stunned to receive the following 4,500 word investigative exposé.
This amazing story of secrets, lies, intrigue and double-dealing has not much been reported outside New Mexico, yet it’s one of the most important energy battles going on in the country today.
NEE has put together a winning coalition challenging one of the truly “bad actors” among retrograde utility monopolies, the Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM). NEE’s unique strategy has combined a relentless truth-digging legal effort with a healthy dose of on-the-ground organizing that has resulted in an impressive David versus Goliath fight.
If victorious, this case stands to set the precedent for replacement power decisions that consider the most cost-effective scenarios, environmental and public health impacts, and consumer protection against risky financial and extractive energy investments. It will also create opportunities for the rapid deployment of solar and wind energy as a replacement power.
With 178 coal plants slated for retirement by 2020, this battle is a harbinger of how clean energy can prevail nationally against the fossilized utility monopoly sector. Read on for a gripping real-time saga of exceptional organizing savvy and personal courage. Go, Mariel!!—Kenny Ausubel, Bioneers Co-founder & CEO
Will New Mexico Invest $7 Billion in Toxic Assets?
New Mexico is at a major crossroads when it comes to planning its energy future. In order to comply with federal Clean Air Act standards for San Juan Generating Station (“SJGS”), a deal was reached in 2013 between Public Service Company of New Mexico (“PNM”), the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), and the state of New Mexico. Under this agreement, PNM agreed to close half of its San Juan coal facility rather than install expensive pollution controls.
New Energy Economy supports this decision, but the inquiry does not stop there. The retirement of two of the four coal-burning units at the San Juan coal plant, representing 850 megawatts of coal, was a major win, and I was elated.
Bioneers Ignites a Passion to Fight Big Coal
I was a civil rights attorney and only switched careers to work on climate issues full time after I went to a Bioneers conference and realized I couldn’t look my kids in the eyes and say I knew about the urgency of climate change but did nothing. So when I learned that coal is the single greatest source of climate disruption, I decided that it would be strategic to close down coal. Until then, I’d made a life commitment to work on cutting edge issues of violence against humanity so it was fitting that I should plunge ahead into the energy arena despite having very little understanding of the complexity of energy production. I live in New Mexico and PNM, the largest regulated utility monopoly in the state, provides power to most of us from coal; in fact, 60% of our energy in New Mexico comes from the burning of coal. PNM’s San Juan coal plant has the distinction of being one of the dirtiest coal plants in the country. Its 1800 megawatts emits more than 11 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, and consumes more than 6 billion gallons of clean water per year. It is responsible for over 60,000 air quality violations. Every time we turn on a light or boot up a computer we are getting our energy from coal, with deleterious financial, health and environmental consequences, now and into the future.
When I returned from the Bioneers conference in Marin, California energized to act, I first volunteered for New Energy Economy in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After volunteering, I asked for a job and became the Senior Policy Advisor and later the Executive Director of New Energy Economy. One of my most important objectives was to take aim at PNM’s coal generation. Along with NEE, many others contributed to the momentous outcome to close half PNM’s San Juan Generating Station: the Navajo people, activists, environmentalists, business people, and more. The closure of one-half the plant was a major accomplishment: it will reduce carbon emissions by 6.5 million tons annually and significantly reduce levels of coal ash, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides and other hazardous air pollutants (mercury, particulate matter, and other carcinogens), as well as save over three billion gallons of water annually. This coal plant closure marks the greatest environmental improvement in New Mexico in the last fifty years.
Moving Forward on Public Energy—Or Backward?
However, with the closing of the coal generation units, New Mexico is faced with a new dilemma. The critical question is: what will be replacement power for the shuttered coal? PNM offered the following plan to replace the coal-fired resources :
adding more coal-fired resources (132 MWs for $26 Million);
adding more nuclear from PNM’s shares at Palo Verde 3 nuclear plant in Arizona (consisting of 134 MWs for $221 Million);
adding more gas (consisting of a 177MW gas plant in Farmington, New Mexico for $189 Million); and
adding a tiny bit more solar (40 MWs for $79 Million).
To put this plan into effect, PNM must apply to New Mexico’s Public Regulation Commission (“PRC”) for permission. At the end of 2013, PNM submitted its proposed plan for New Mexico’s energy future (get rid of some coal, add more coal, add more nuclear, add more gas, and add an insignificant amount of solar) for approval. Apparently, PNM’s plan for the future is simply more of the past. So New Energy Economy intervened in PNM’s case before the PRC and is the major oppositional force, though we have a number of critical allies that have also challenged PNM’s dangerous and outmoded plan.
Listen to the panel on public power, featuring Mariel Nanasi and Naomi Klein, from the 2014 Bioneers National Conference.
I’m sharing this article with you because what we have discovered in the course of our lawsuit against PNM may be instructive to where you live. Naomi Klein has spoken at the Bioneers a number of times, and she is a personal heroine of mine. She has an incisive ability to evaluate the progress of our social movements on a long-term scale of justice: Has economic power among our citizens become fairer as a result of our efforts or has the disparity of income inequality increased? Have the lives of our citizens improved or has there been a dramatic shift that allows some to be excused from responsibility and others to assume an enormous burden? Naomi’s thoughtful critique has guided my activism in many ways.
When PNM filed its Application for coal and nuclear replacement power resources before the PRC it was a very depressing day for me. I had been so hopeful after the two-unit coal closure agreement. I had foolishly thought the coal closure signaled the transition to a new energy economy, but I realized that we had much more work to do and the fire-breathing coal dragon (PNM) was not lying down quietly. As a matter of fact, PNM was coming back with a vengeance: more coal and more nuclear— despite the insanity. PNM’s energy plan would lock-in ratepayer debt for the next 20 years to pay for energy from PNM’s own antiquated coal and nuclear plants to the tune of seven billion dollars.
PNM’s energy plan would lock-in ratepayer debt for the next 20 years to pay for energy from PNM’s own antiquated coal and nuclear plants to the tune of seven billion dollars.
PNM filed its coal and nuclear plan with the PRC in December 2013. At that time PNM testified that their plan would cost ratepayers $6,640,253,862 over twenty years. This is what NEE learned over the course of the following year:
PNM’s plan will actually cost the ratepayers: $7,588,515,567 – this is after PNM negotiated a Stipulation agreement with the Attorney General, the New Mexico Industrial Consumers, and PRC Staff that specified the $6 billion dollar price tag. Usually, after parties negotiate the original requested amount is at least cut in half, if not more, but rarely does the requested amount go up. PNM’s Stipulation agreement with three parties (AG, NMIEC, and PRC Staff) has a net present value that is more than PNM’s Original Application by nearly one billion dollars!
During the course of the litigated hearing, New Energy Economy and other intervenors discovered major errors in PNM’s calculations. Eventually, PNM had no choice but to admit that they had omitted material costs when figuring their replacement power portfolio. I know this is wonky (and if you had ever asked me if I’d be studying the economics of energy generation into the wee hours of the morning I would have said you were crazy) but I was motivated to learn all the fine points of energy production after PNM spewed “facts” that were simply incongruent with what I believed in my heart to be reality.
Searching for the Truth about Energy Proposal
I want to highlight a few of our outrageous discoveries, but first I must ask you to go on intuition: if you were going to invest seven billion dollars over the next 20 years for the best energy choices, wouldn’t you be scrupulous in your analysis? Would you choose a 40-year-old coal plant that has significant operations and maintenance costs, fuel costs, legacy environmental costs, and only runs 75% of the time during peak energy consumer demand? How about a 27 year-old nuclear plant that produces significant spent fuel nuclear waste (we still haven’t figured out safe storage after 50 years) and enormous decommissioning costs (those are costs to make the area essentially “radioactive free” – if that is possible)? OR would you opt for significantly less expensive wind and solar (that has little to no environmental or health consequences) and is often guaranteed to last for 25 years with little maintenance and downtime? Yes, we too chose the latter combination for several reasons. The first reason being that we have finally reached a point in our energy history where deriving significant energy from solar and wind is economically feasible. But, no surprise, PNM testified that out of ALL the possibilities available for replacement power its proprietary sophisticated computer model also chose PNM’s own coal and nuclear facilities to replace the retired coal. Hmmm.
NEE could not imagine how PNM’s conclusion could be true in any rational universe. So we decided to test the results ourselves. We bought a two-month lease for Strategist,® the proprietary computer modeling software used by PNM to generate its results (for $18,000). It was simply implausible that out of the many possible scenarios, Strategist® would choose two aging coal and nuclear plants as the “most cost-effective” and best energy resource choice for New Mexicans. What was evident to us was that PNM was motivated to chose their nuclear and coal energy package because they already owned these plants and this was the best short-term choice for maximizing profits for their shareholders in spite of financial exposure for ratepayers.
After our own experts re-ran the Strategist program, it was evident that PNM had manipulated Strategist® inputs, thereby arriving at its desired replacement plan. The largest error we discovered in their price calculation was a $532 million omission of ongoing capital expenditures: these are known costs of ongoing capital expenses associated with the operation and maintenance of the San Juan coal plant, the Palo Verde nuclear plant, and PNM’s gas plants. The next largest error was the omission of $367 million, due to a gross underestimation in the fuel cost at San Juan. There were other smaller errors as well. When faced with these glaring omissions, PNM was forced to admit on cross-examination that these mistakes equaled over $1.1 billion. Not surprisingly, all these “errors” tended to make PNM’s replacement plan initially look more viable than it turned out to be. But for the ability of New Energy Economy to obtain the use of Strategist® and through persistent discovery and analysis in 2014 and early 2015, this billion dollar+ error of PNM’s request would not have been discovered.
NEE discovered other contortions internal to Strategist® that PNM clearly manipulated as well:
PNM constrained the total amount of wind capacity that was allowed in Strategist® to 100 MW from 2016-33. Meaning that PNM only let Strategist® choose 100MWs for the 20-year planning period. When our expert increased the wind constraint from 100 MWs to 400 MWs, Strategist® reduced the overall cost for each scenario between $40-$130 million net present value. It should also be noted that Strategist® chose all 400 MWs of wind each and every time an alternative scenario was run.
PNM grossly overstated costs for wind and solar when inputted into Strategist,® despite having actual costs in hand for wind at 3.7 cents/kWh and for solar at 6.8 cents/kWh. The difference between the actual solar and wind costs and what PNM ran in Strategist® is $96 million.
PNM understated the variable costs for San Juan in both operation and maintenance, and fuel, thus biasing the dispatch of resources in favor of San Juan coal generation.
Obviously, if elements are misrepresented or omitted from the Strategist® runs then this does not merely misstate the risks faced with the adding of PV3 nuclear and more coal purchase at San Juan, it presents a biased portrayal of the energy risks.
Probably the most incredible of our discoveries was that when the costs were corrected, and actual PNM numbers were inputted into Strategist®, the Strategist® model chose to shut down the entire San Juan coal plant as uneconomic! This means that Strategist® chose to close the San Juan plant and replace it with other energy resources that were cheaper. The Strategist® result for a four-unit shutdown at San Juan would save ratepayers $300 million over a 20-year horizon.
When the costs were corrected, and actual PNM numbers were inputted into Strategist®, the Strategist® model chose to shut down the entire San Juan coal plant as uneconomic!
Toxic Assets: Coal and Nuclear Power Plants
PNM’s $7 billion plus price tag for toxic assets is just the beginning of a costly environmental nightmare. The term “toxic assets” was coined during the 2008 financial crisis when the debt obligations (mortgages) had a greater value than the worth of people’s homes, subjecting mortgage holders to massive losses. This situation had a devastating economic fallout: people lost their homes, lost their life savings, individuals went bankrupt, and ultimately led to the greatest economic divide in U.S. history. People with fewer financial resources were abandoned and the rich got a whole lot richer.
The situation in New Mexico is alarmingly similar in that PNM’s San Juan coal interests are market valued at zero dollars, but PNM wants the ratepayers to buy more coal at San Juan for $26 million. PNM wants to tie ratepayers for twenty years to toxic assets, run away to the bank with short-term profits, while externalizing the debt and creating devastating societal costs to the public.
Let me explain. When the agreement occurred between PNM, the EPA, and the State of New Mexico, some of the other co-owners in San Juan decided it was a good time to get out of the plant. (PNM is the operator and the largest shareholder in San Juan, but there are other owners as well.) California utilities own shares, as does Tri-State, Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS), and the cities of Los Alamos and Farmington. The California utilities and Tri-State decided to exit and agreed to give away their megawatt shares of coal for “free.” Initially, UAMPS agreed to take 54MWs and Farmington was to acquire 65 MWs.
Thus, it turns out the real reason PNM wanted more coal at San Juan, 78 MW, was because that was what was left over from the fleeing co-owners. An asset that becomes illiquid when its secondary market disappears is what is now known as a “toxic asset.” When UAMPS decided in the summer of 2014 that it was not going to take the 54MWs PNM changed its request to buy more coal before the PRC, from 78 MWs to 132 MWs, to absorb the 54 MWs of unwanted shares. (PNM told the PRC, at that time, that it was changing its request because PNM had miscalculated its “demand forecast”.)
Then in January 2015, the City of Farmington announced that it would not buy the excess 65 MW coal shares (citing concerns about San Juan reliability and the availability of alternate generation resources). The utilities “in the know,” like UAMPS and Farmington, have refused to acquire more coal shares at San Juan, even when they are given away for “free.” Toxic assets cannot be sold, as they are often guaranteed to lose money. A Wall Street analyst confirmed this position; after Farmington refused to buy the coal shares, Jeffries’ downgraded PNM stock because in their opinion no third party would likely buy the excess coal shares and that PNM will be stuck with them.
If PNM has its way, the ratepayers of New Mexico, rather than PNM, will be the “stuck” parties. The current accounting “book value” for PNM coal shares in Units 1 & 4 (the remaining San Juan units) is $361million; raising the serious question between the market “worth” of the coal shares at zero dollars and the enormous discrepancy with PNM’s accounting. Are you reminded of the Enron scandal?
PNM’s replacement power plan has so many significant unknowns and unquantified serious risks that should cause the PRC to reject the Stipulation on those bases alone. These unknowns include, at a minimum, (1) PNM’s failure to establish where it will obtain the coal to continue to fire SJGS (including whether it can reach agreement with the departing current owners of the adjacent coal mine or must look elsewhere for coal), (2) which of its former partners at SJGS will actually remain and in what percentages, and (3) what the terms of the agreements among the departing and remaining owners will be, including their owners’ financial responsibilities related to residual environmental liabilities, decommissioning costs and other matters (all of which are currently up in the air). In addition to the showstoppers based on uncertainty and questionable assumptions included within the Stipulation agreement, there are a number of other specific reasons why the PRC should reject PNM’s replacement power proposal. Among those reasons are the following:
Two of the worst fires in New Mexico history have occurred in the last five years and have decimated our forests and have caused a human and property toll in the many of hundreds of millions of dollars.
PNM has failed to establish that the Stipulation agreement reflects the “least cost” or “most cost-effective” energy portfolio that is “fair, just and reasonable and in the public interest.” This is the legal standard that PNM must follow, but it is now incontrovertible that solar and wind can compete and match consumer electric demand and can reduce demand when informed.
2014 was the hottest year since 1880, when humans began recording temperature. PNM’s replacement plan misses the once-in-decades opportunity to substantially reduce dependence on dirty coal and nuclear and improve the environment and health of New Mexico citizens. Instead, PNM unabashedly asks the PRC to guarantee increased coal dependency for the next thirty years. New Mexicans’ health and welfare is significantly at stake in this case. In addition, the habitability of the world is and will continue to be at stake when this and other decisions like this one are made in the coming months and years. The commonsense response to New Mexico’s extreme drought, its recent history of record-breaking mega wild-fires, the alarming externalized local health consequences of using coal—especially for the young and old— including asthma, lung and heart disease, strokes and more, require cessation of the single greatest cause: burning of coal. PNM’s replacement power plan is taking New Mexico precisely in the wrong direction. It increases PNM’s dependence on coal now and in the future. It contributes to locking New Mexicans into continued rapid global warming. If that is not enough, it is more expensive than other feasible alternative plans.
The submission of PNM’s replacement power portfolio did not grow out of a genuine stakeholder process as required by state law and regulatory principle. Instead it was a prearranged outcome that is inconsistent with the regulatory requirement that the process be deliberative, transparent, and capable of including and accommodating alternative approaches, and be accessible to the public. PNM admitted that the addition of Palo Verde 3 “was determined internally” and coal was chosen to make the San Juan partnership agreement work because there are good system resources for the benefit of the public. Similarly, there was no meaningful public input and PNM’s replacement portfolio was not tested by the market. Accordingly, there is no way for the PRC and the public to actually know if PNM truly identified the most cost effective portfolio of resources to supply the energy needs of customers.
There was substantial evidence presented at the hearing that challenged the credibility of PNM’s claims: the Stipulated settlement is nearly 1 billion dollars more than PNM’s original application. NEE discovered many “mistakes” including, more than 1 billion dollars of mistakes in the inputs of Strategist,® results were manipulated, at least four alternatives are cheaper by hundreds of millions of dollars over a 20-year horizon, and the PRC staff negotiator broke the law by owning PNM stock, and more.
PNM’s replacement power plan is taking New Mexico precisely in the wrong direction. It increases PNM’s dependence on coal now and in the future. It contributes to locking New Mexicans into continued rapid global warming.
New Mexico Residents Stand Up For the Planet
As a result of these discoveries, there are now 11 entities actively opposing the Stipulation: 1) New Energy Economy; 2) City of Santa Fe; 3) Santa Fe County; 4) Bernalillo County; 5) Southwest Generation, LLC; 6) Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy; 7) New Mexico Independent Power Producers; 8) Renewable Energy Industries Association; 9) Albuquerque Bernalillo Water Authority; and 10) Western Resource Advocates. The “broad” support that PNM was touting when it filed the Stipulation agreement has dwindled considerably.
The public’s due process rights to a fair and impartial process was violated. There were two due process issues that arose during the hearing process:
New Energy Economy moved to recuse two PRC Commissioners based on the laws against ex parte communications, the appearance of impropriety, personal bias or prejudice against a party and/or the inability to exercise her/his functions impartially. NEE alleged that these Commissioners repeatedly attended sporting events and dinners, and engaged in many personal calls and other documented meetings and communications with PNM. Based on this cozy relationship between the regulators and the regulated, there is a legitimate apprehension that these Commissioners would be unable to render a fair and impartial decision.
PRC Staff’s participation in the settlement process was tainted by the statutory prohibition against a regulator “accepting anything of value from a regulated entity.” NMSA §8-8-19 NEE has substantiated that the PRC staff negotiator owned stock in PNM while negotiating the Settlement agreement that gives a major, unjustified boon to PNM stockholders. To analogize, what position would PNM be taking in this case if PRC Staff’s recommendation had been against the Stipulation and it turned out that Staff’s lead negotiator had worked for years for a solar energy provider and still owned stock in that company?
The conflict-of-interest statute means something and should not be brushed aside. Intervenors and the public apparently have little choice but to live with the fact that the staff of the PRC and the staff of PNM migrate back and forth through a revolving door. But the law says stock ownership is too much. When staff’s negotiating team, which is charged with driving as hard a bargain as is reasonably possible on behalf of the ratepayers consists entirely of retired PNM employees, with pensions, it is bad enough. But where the lead negotiator continues to own stock in PNM there is and will continue to be a cloud on the Stipulation.
PNM has argued that there is no valid opposition to their plan, but there were more than ten thousand hand-signed letters, many thousands of emails, dozens of editorial opinions submitted to the local newspapers, a 300+demonstration on the first day of the PRC hearings, and a couple hundred people who offered public comment. There has been an outpouring of valid public opposition and outrage over PNM’s plan. Faith groups came to testify against the plan. Students and business leaders, doctors, professionals, Latinos, Native Americans, school officials, PNM shareholders (they called themselves “Shareholders for a Responsible Future”) and people from all over New Mexico (Silver City, Gila, Los Lunas, Albuquerque, Canon del Rio, Longville, Gallup, and more) showed up to voice their opposition. Opposition groups had well-orchestrated these voices so there was no doubt where the People of New Mexico stood with respect to PNM’s plan. Native Americans carpooled for more than 300 miles to testify against further investment in coal and nuclear; here is just one highlight from hundreds:
From Eloise Brown: We take things to heart. And I’m speaking on behalf of our elders, our young people, former uranium miners, former uranium millers. We don’t agree with coal. We don’t agree with uranium. Which one is more important, jobs or health? It’s not very hard to decide. I mean, would you rather have money? Because if you have money, and if you die, what are you going to do with that money? Who’s going to use the money? We live right next to coal-burning power plants. Pretty much everybody out there has passed away, passed away from cancer, or lung fibrosis, pneumoconiosis. Our animals are dying, our plants are dying, due to coal-burning power plants. People die early from cancer. We cannot use that money that we earn from coal-burning power plant jobs to buy back our lives.
In contrast, New Energy Economy submitted a replacement portfolio that consists of 260 MWs of solar and 400 MWs of wind. One of the satisfactory moments in all of this was when we learned that PNM had run New Energy Economy’s Alternative portfolio in Strategist® and it revealed that our plan was cheaper for ratepayers in both the short and long term and, of course, it was superior to PNM’s plan as regards health, environment (water savings), jobs and the economy. We have argued that the best solution would be for the PRC to require PNM to issue an all-resource RFP for the lost capacity and energy at San Juan. An RFP is a solicitation that a utility uses to elicit bids from potential vendors for a desired energy solution. This process could be administered in a transparent way that assures that energy procurement is done for the benefit of the people and produces just, fair, and reasonable rates. No surprise that PNM vigorously opposes the issuances of an RFP.
A Road Map for Future Clean Energy Battles
The questions raised in this battle against PNM’s future energy plans are not unique to New Mexico, and NEE’s plan of attack can be a road map for future battles against utilities in other jurisdictions. Clearly, climate change is a worldwide problem and requires a worldwide solution: pollution does not recognize state or country boundaries.
While the outcome of this litigation is still unknown, NEE has had a great measure of success by simply asking the hard and right questions. These questions include: Has the utility engaged in a stakeholder process, gone into the market, solicited bids in response to Request-for-Proposals (“RFP”s), and evaluated the availability and feasibility of alternatives based on the lowest costs for the best available resources? Has the utility considered and preferred non-polluting resources? Or has it chosen dangerous resources and their associated costly pollution controls, in violation of the law and regulatory principles, that will be stranded in a few years that locks-in enormous short-and long-term financial burden, and will have deleterious health and environmental consequences? In New Mexico’s case, the answers to these questions show that PNM’s plan has no benefit for ratepayers. Yet, PNM is asking the ratepayers to shoulder the risk and uncertainty of their energy generation choices.
I probably should not have been shocked that PNM acted so unscrupulously in submitting a proposal that it knows does not adhere to the law and is not in the best interests of the ratepayers of New Mexico. But I am still confounded by the depths of PNM’s malfeasance and apparent indifference to the consequences of its proposed plan for the people of New Mexico. As seems perfectly clear to NEE and a majority of residents of New Mexico, the time is now for coal and nuclear to be shut down and the conversion to a clean energy economy be accelerated. This is the only viable solution for all of our sakes. Energy democracy is possible, but only if we actively oppose the climate polluters and financial violators, and spread solar solutions to the most vulnerable amongst us.
