ACTION ALERT: Dem Rep. Gutierrez Votes to Revive Stalled Dirty Coal Bill

From Conservation Voters New Mexico:
Representative Joni Marie Gutierrez, D-Mesilla, voted Friday morning to revive a $85 million taxpayer subsidy for a massive pulverized coal plant, reversing her vote from a few weeks ago. 

“Representative Gutierrez’s motion today single-handedly resuscitated a stalled subsidy for dirty coal,” stated Sandy Buffett, Executive Director of Conservation Voters New Mexico. “The State of New Mexico should not be subsidizing an out-of-state corporation to build a dirty coal plant using old, polluting technology. If taxpayer money is going to be used for energy projects, we should be investing in the best available clean and renewable energy technologies.”

On January 29th, 2007, Rep. Gutierrez voted with the majority to “table” HB 178, the Navajo Nation Electric Facility Tax Credit, a bill sponsored by Representative Thomas Taylor, R- Farmington. The vote to table essentially stopped the bill from moving on the House side of the Legislature. Gutierrez made a motion Friday to bring the bill off the table to be heard next Monday, February 19th. The House Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved the motion 7-6, with five Republicans voting with Gutierrez on her motion [emphasis added].

House Bill 178 / Senate Bill 431 would provide an $85 million taxpayer subsidy to Sithe Global LLC for the construction of a conventional, pulverized coal plant called “Desert Rock” on the Navajo Nation. The plant, if built, would emit 10 million tons annually of greenhouse gas emissions and would contribute hundreds of pounds of mercury annually to a region already considered a mercury hotspot. 

“Sadly, it seems that Representative Gutierrez may have mistakenly concluded that her constituents in her district would not be concerned with this issue,” said Buffett. “But I believe that all New Mexicans want economic development that will create clean, high-wage jobs while protecting our air, land, water and precious taxpayer resources.”

In 2006, Conservation Voters New Mexico Annual Legislative Scorecard revealed Representative Gutierrez’ 100% perfect conservation voting record for the previous two sessions. “It pains me to know that Representative Gutierrez’ conservation score took a big hit today, but then again, so did New Mexico’s environment,” stated Buffett.

Conservation Voters New Mexico (CVNM), the political voice of New Mexico’s conservation community, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501c4 organization. CVNM’s mission is to make sensible conservation policies a top priority for elected officials, political candidates, and voters across the state.  For more information or to view the 2006 Scorecard, please visit www.CVNM.org.

Some basic facts about Desert Rock:

• Total carbon dioxide emissions in the state will increase 16%, with 10 million tons emitted annually from this plant;
• The greenhouse gas emissions from this plant will cancel out the Governor’s numerical targets for curbing global warming;
• On February 5, 2007, hundreds of citizens of New Mexico, including over 50 Navajo activists and elders, gathered at the New Mexico State Legislature to protest the proposed Desert Rock power plant;
• Sithe has not publicly announced any “Power Purchase Agreements” to be in place. PPAs are typically secured prior to seeking financing for a major power plant.
• Sithe seeks to build the plant to export electricity to Nevada and Arizona. However, the plant would not meet California’s new clean energy import standard, precluding the plant from being able to sell to the largest power market in the west.

Sandy Buffett, Executive Director
Conservation Voters NM (CVNM)
320 Aztec St Ste B, Santa Fe, NM  87501
505.992.8683 (tel); 505.270.5743 (cell)
505.986.0339 (fax); sandy@cvnm.org

CVNM -- Working to Hold Legislators Accountable and to Elect a Pro-Conservation Majority in New Mexico! Please join our efforts at www.CVNM.org

Editor's Note: You can read our previous posts on this issue here and here and here.

What We Can Do:
To express your views to Rep. Guitierrez about her unfortunate reversal on this harmful legislation, click here for contact info.

Please contact members of the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee ASAP and urge them to kill HB 178: click for contact info.

You might also consider FAIR Blogcontacting Governor Richardson's office. In his role as Governor and his campaign for president, the Gov. is portraying himself as strong on the environment but this bill, being helped along by a prominent Democratic legislator, would use NM taxpayer funds to help create another powerful producer of greenhouse gases in our state. SOMEONE convinced Rep. Gutierrez to change her mind on this bill. We don't know who it is, but chances are it was one or more prominent Democrats using political pressure.