Democracy for New Mexico

Glenn Greenwald Talks Telecom Immunity

Video from Firedoglake. Go sign the letter to Harry Reid.NY Times Op-Ed by Studs Terkel: The Wiretap This Time.

Ortiz y Pino Guest Blog on Blackwater: The Visigoths

This is a guest blog by NM State Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino (right), a Democrat who represents Senate District 12 in Albuquerque. This piece was originally published in Santa Fe Sun News:

When the full accounting of the worst excesses of the Bush (Junior version) administration is at last tallied by historians, I will not be surprised to find heading the pathetic inventory the inglorious adventures of that uniquely American institution, the Blackwater Company. In a way that is exquisitely appropriate, Blackwater may well become recognized as the perfect example of the Bush-Cheney administration in microcosm, W's ideal and exemplary "MINI-ME"; a band of clumsy mercenaries wreaking havoc everywhere they tread (even while making quite a bundle of money in the process).

They are our Visigoths, the armored warriors who've swept in mindlessly and knocked down the last props holding up the American Empire, the very Empire our hapless President was apparently attempting to deputize them to protect. If it were a soccer match, Blackwater would have just managed to score an "own goal"... one for the other side. Recognize, too, that Blackwater is not an aberration, an unfortunate mistake, one noteworthy precisely because it is so different from all else that is going on. Oh no! These guys are no glitch; they are actually the vision! They are what Cheney and Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld and the rest of that "New American Generation" crew had in mind when they talked about market forces and the "opportunity for regime change" and when they driveled-on about spreading American entrepreneurial capitalism across the globe. They saw the future and the future was ... Blackwater: another in the endless stream of governmental functions to be privatized; the endless chain of thefts from the public treasury for private gain; you know, the hallmark of all that Bush stands for! It's been so simple, really, to reverse the pumps.

It used to be Washington's task to bring money into the Government. No more. By the time they finally stagger away from their time at the trough, Dubya and his guys will have pretty well emptied out the Federal Government's cash reservoirs and filled their own and their buddies' up to the brim. What with Halliburton sopping up billions through creative bookkeeping of its non-activity in Iraq and dozens of corporations evading all tax liability by the simple expedient of listing their headquarters address off-shore in some businessman's tropic paradise; with Defense contractors, oil companies, major pharmaceuticals and money lenders all gorged just about to capacity from sucking up Federal largesse, it now turns out that (surprise!) there isn't much left in the accounts to actually run governmental services with. So there are plenty of villains to point at these days, no end to the larcenies being committed at public expense. Yet even among the ranks of all the many rogues with the foresight to cozy up to Republican elected officials and the willingness to exchange ethics for no-bid contracts, Blackwater stands out.

They all stink, of course; they all invite outrage, and they all should be made to pay the money back. But there is a clinging to this particular Virginia-based enterprise, this armed-muscle-for-hire company, an especially repugnant aroma that does set it apart even among the other opportunists and jackals that avidly fatten themselves at the expense of the miserable. You see, these guys are not just hired guns, mercenaries willing to serve whoever signs their pay vouchers. They fancy themselves as being our privatized Armed Forces: the ultimate in out-sourcing of essential governmental functions. And unfortunately, the President seems to agree with them.

Thus, when thugs in the employ of Blackwater commit murder, assault, mayhem and similarly impolite other forms of behavior during their stay in Iraq, as described so numbingly by Reporter Jeremy Scahill in his just-published book on the company called, simply, Blackwater, it is not the corporate investors in the company who will feel the heat of Iraqi outrage, it is the American people who will be blamed.

This is what the Romans learned the hard way over sixteen hundred years ago.

Those darned mercenaries are more trouble than they are worth. Not only can they prove difficult to control, but you have to bear the weight of all the errors they make. They are not independent of those who hire them. The illusion is that it is easier to pay big bucks for contractors to do the dirty work than to recruit, train and supervise your own troops. That is the illusion to which the current occupant of the White House has fallen prey. That is why we now have more private contract manpower in Iraq than we have troops (200,000 versus 170,000), even if we don't keep close tabs on their deaths -- must be a clause in their employment contract or something, a kind of "you don't have to mark my passing" authorization. But it is starting to look like even the Iraqi government (whose puppet strings we routinely jerk just to remind them who's boss) has finally tired of the arrogance and blood-letting of the contractors. The general populace did so long ago, of course. But then the general populace tired of all of us long ago, so it's no use asking them.

The government, though, now wants Blackwater gone; removed; their contract ended. They will soon be forced out of Iraq, I assume. But that will end neither the Bush entanglement with mercenaries in Iraq nor the profitability of Blackwater. Some other company of soldiers of fortune will fill their shoes, with little or no change in how badly we are served by using unaccountable and uncontrollable troops like that. Blackwater itself will scoop up some other juicy contract for work somewhere else in the world: Afghanistan, Mississippi (yes, they were there during Katrina), Darfur -- wherever there's a buck to be made and a code of ethics to be ignored. Blackwater is the Bush doctrine: private gain squeezed from public coffers. Now it is up to us, the American people, to decide if we are going to tolerate what it represents. Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo and Blackwater are three very smelly pieces of inheritance to pass on to our children.

They don't deserve it. We must turn away the Visigoths.

This is a guest blog by Democratic NM State Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino. Guest blogs provide readers with an opportunity to express their views on relevant issues and may or many not reflect our views. If you'd like to submit a piece for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand corner of the page.

Tell Reid: No Amnesty for Lawbreaking Telecoms

Although Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been asked by Sen. Chris Dodd to put a "hold" on the legislation that would grant lawbreaking telecoms retroactive immunity for their actions in the warrantless surveillance scandal, so far he's refused to do so. Now a number of national groups and bloggers (see below) have drafted a letter to Reid urging him to do what's right. Click to add your name to the letter, which will be delivered to Reid, as well as the Senate Democratic leadership and Senate Judiciary Committee members.

See our previous post for info on additional action you can take to try and stop telecom immunity.

National groups that signed onto the letter include:

American Civil Liberties Union
ColorOfChange.org
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Moveon.org Political Action
Working Assets Wireless

National bloggers who signed it include:

Glenn Greenwald, Salon
Jane Hamsher, Firedoglake
Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, Dailykos
Christy Hardin Smith, Firedoglake
Matt Stoller, OpenLeft
Digby, Hullabaloo
Taylor Marsh, TaylorMarsh.com
Duncan Black, Atrios
John Aravosis, Americablog
Chris Bowers, OpenLeft
John Amato, Crooks and Liars
Howie Klein, DownWithTyranny

(Updated) Call Today to Stop Telecom Amnesty in the Senate Judiciary Committee

UPDATE 10.25.07: Three more Senators on the SJC have pledged to vote against telecom amnesty: Joe Biden (D-DE), Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Ben Cardin (D-MD). Let's keep the pressure on the others. Yesterday, presidential candidate Bill Richardson issued a statement urging the Senate to reject telecom immunity.
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Senator Chris Dodd has been leading the fight in the Senate against amnesty for lawbreaking on the part of the telecoms who allowed Bush to conduct warrantless surveillence using their facilities. He has pledged to request a hold on the bill to stop it from getting a vote on the Senate floor or to filibuster the legislation, if necessary, to stop it.  In the meantime, he suggests we try to stop telecom amnesty in the Senate Judiciary Committee. So far, only Sen. Russ Feingold has said he will vote no. Click on the image above and it will take you to a page that provides the info you need to call the other members of the committee.  Pass it on.

Valerie Plame Wilson at Santa Fe's Lensic 11.6.07

Valerie Plame Wilson Book Event
Occurrences:		Dates: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 Times: 6:00 PM
Presented by:		Garcia Street Books
Location:		The Lensic, Santa Fe's Performing Arts Center
City:		Santa Fe
Address:		211 West San Francisco Street
Description:		Valerie Plame Wilson will be reading from and discussing her newly released book, "Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House." More info.
Contact:		Tickets Santa Fe at The Lensic
Phone:		505-988-1234
Email:		boxoffice@lensic.com
Website:		https://www.ticketssantafe.org
Ticket Prices:		$15/ $50 Includes Book/ $250 Includes Signed Book & Reception
Ticket Phone:		(505)988-1234

Click for EVENT FLYER (doc). Click for an invitation to meet Valerie Plame Wilson and Ambassador Joe Wilson.

Yesterday, Firedoglake hosted an online salon about the book with Santa Fe resident Valerie Plame and host Sidney Blumenthal. And here's a good reference piece on Plame and the new book by Sidney Blumenthal in The Guardian.

Dodd, Feingold, Leahy: Dem Senators With Backbone on FISA

Sen. Chris Dodd will stop the flawed FISA legislation by a "hold" or by filibuster. >Click to support him.

Glenn Greenwald explains how too many Dem Senators, including Sen. Harry Reid, are apparently willing to grant retroactive immunity to the telecom companies that colluded with the Bush administration in illegal surveillance activities, and approve FISA legislation that gives away the store on civil liberties.

Meanwhile Firedoglake reports how much money Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who heads the Senate intelligence committee, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid get from the telecoms, and reveals Reid's telecom stock ownership. Connect the dots.

Today, Sen. Russ Feingold released a statement about the FISA legislation that included this pledge:

If the bill that ultimately reaches the Senate floor includes immunity and does not adequately protect the privacy of Americans, I will fight it vigorously with every tool at my disposal.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, also finds the deal on the FISA bill made by Sen. Rockefeller and others on the Senate Intelligence Committee unacceptable, as reported in The Hill.

All this points to an intense fight about the bill in both Houses of Congress, with those still afraid to confront Bush on illegal surveillance and civil liberties pitted against those who still have a conscience in some form. Stay tuned.

All Three NM Repubs Make CREW's Most Corrupt in Congress List

Today, the nonpartisan Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) released its third annual report on the most corrupt members of Congress. The report, entitled Beyond DeLay: The 22 Most Corrupt Members of Congress (and two to watch), catalogues the corruption in the 110th Congress and documents the unethical and possibly illegal activities of its most tainted members. CREW has compiled the members’ transgressions and analyzed them in light of federal laws and congressional rules.

The misdeeds of New Mexico's entire Republican Congressional delegation -- Sen. Pete Domenici, Rep. Heather Wilson (NM-01) and Rep. Steve Pearce (NM-02) -- placed them among the top 22 offenders out of 535 members of Congress.

CREW also has re-launched the report’s website, BeyondDelay.com. The site offers short summaries of each member’s transgressions as well as the full-length profiles and all accompanying exhibits. I'm providing a summary of the transgressions of New Mexico's Republicans, but be sure to click on their names to access the complete reports:

Summary: Former NM U.S. Attorney David Iglesias has claimed that Sen. Domenici contacted him before the November 2006 elections to pressure him about an ongoing corruption probe into state Democrats. Iglesias previously stated that in mid-October, he was pressured about the pace of the investigation by two NM lawmakers. Initially, when asked about Iglesias’s allegations, Domenici stated, “I have no idea what he’s talking about.” Apparently, Rep. Heather Wilson first called Iglesias and Domenici called a week later. Domenici later admitted that he called Iglesias, stating “I asked Mr. Iglesias if he could tell me what was going on in that investigation and give me an idea of what time frame we were looking at."

Summary: The former U.S. Attorney in Albuquerque, David Iglesias, stated that, in mid-October 2006, two members of Congress from New Mexico pressured him about an ongoing corruption probe of state Democrats. Apparently, Rep. Wilson first called Iglesias and Sen. Pete Domenici called a week later. After Domenici admitted that he called Iglesias, Wilson finally admitted that she too had called the U.S. Attorney. Wilson stated that she contacted Iglesias to complain about the pace of his public corruption investigation. She claimed, “I did not ask about the timing of any indictments and I did not tell Mr. Iglesias what course of action I thought he should take or pressure him in any way. The conversation was brief and professional.”

Summary: 1) Rep. Pearce was the president of Lea Fishing Tools, Inc. In the fall of 2003, Pearce sold the company’s assets to Texas-based Key Energy, in exchange for 542,477 shares of common stock, but failed to include the transaction on his 2003 financial disclosure report. In that report Pearce indicated that he was the president of Trinity Industries, Inc., “F/K/A Lea Fishing Tools, Inc.,” and that he held between $5 and $25 million of stock in the company. Given that all of Lea Fishing Tools’ assets were transferred to Key Energy, it appears that Trinity Industries may be a holding company for the Key Energy stock, but this is unclear.

After selling Lea Fishing Tools’ assets to Key Energy, Pearce was required to report the sale on his financial disclosure form as a transaction, but he failed to do so. By failing to list the sale, Pearce appears to have violated the Ethics in Government Act.

2) Rep. Pearce has been a consistent and strong advocate of drilling in Otero Mesa, NM despite environmentalists and the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) assertion that only a minuscule amount of oil and natural gas lie beneath the grasslands. Pearce, however, contends that drilling in the area would keep natural gas prices level and create jobs thereby stimulating the state’s economy. Initially, the BLM opposed opening the area arguing that drilling would both directly and indirectly destruct the habitat for wildlife. In 2000, however, BLM reversed its decision and proposed a plan that would open nearly 1.4 million acres to drilling. The BLM turnaround coincided with the largest lease holder in the Otero Mesa, Yates Petroleum, donating over $230,000 to the GOP over the last three election cycles.

Yates Petroleum also has been the single largest donor to Pearce’s campaign committees since 2002 with $32,490 in donations. Individually, members of the Yates family have contributed $78,379.99 to Pearce since he first ran for office in 2002. If Rep. Pearce advocated opening up Otero Mesa to drilling in exchange for campaign contributions, he may have violated the bribery statute or accepted illegal gratuities.

Bad Company
The complete list of the most corrupt members of Congress according to CREW:

Members of House:                     Members of the Senate:
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA)               Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM)
Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-CA)        Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL)               Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA)            Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK)
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA)
Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA)       Dishonorable Mention:
Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA)                Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID)
Rep. Gary G. Miller (R-CA)            Sen. David Vitter (R-LA)
Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV)
Rep. Timothy F. Murphy (R-PA)
Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA)
Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM)
Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ)
Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY)
Rep. David Scott (D-GA)
Rep. Don Young (R-AK)
Rep. Jerry Weller (R-IL)
Rep. Heather A. Wilson (R-NM)

“Every year CREW creates this compendium of corruption to expose and hold accountable those members of Congress who believe they are above the law,” Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW said today. “With the third edition of Beyond DeLay it has become abundantly clear that many public officials believe that the rules don’t apply to them.”

Several members in the study are already under federal investigation including: Reps. Calvert, Doolittle, Feeney, Jefferson, Lewis, Miller, Mollohan, Murphy, Renzi and Young, as well as Senator Stevens.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a non-profit, nonpartisan legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable for their actions. For more information, you can visit www.citizensforethics.org or contact Naomi Seligman Steiner at 202.408.5565 or nseligman@citizensforethics.org.

"Security" Thugs Strike Again: Taser Student at FL Kerry Event

A University of Florida student was roughly seized, handcuffed, tasered and arrested yesterday by six campus police officers during a campus forum in Gainesville. Journalism student Andrew Meyer, 21, was grabbed after asking Sen. John Kerry a series of questions about documented election fraud in 2004 contained in Greg Palast's book Armed Madhouse, impeachment and Kerry's membership in Skull and Bones. According to an article in the Florida , Meyer was charged with a third-degree felony for "starting a riot." (Click to see more citizen-produced videos of events surrounding this arrest.)

What's particularly disturbing to me is how Kerry continued to hold forth on stage while this was going on and how most of the students sat there like sheep. Some even applaud the arrest. I guess the unending quest for "order" trumps any right folks may think they have to say what they want at an open mic at a public question and answer session at a public university.

This fiasco comes on the heels of the recent arrest of activists putting up signs about the DC antiwar March in DC, the tackling and arrest of Rev. Yearwood at the U.S. Capitol outside the Petraeus hearing, the Elevator 9 trial in Albuquerque and the nasty treatment given peaceful demonstrators in Albuquerque last Saturday. Of course there have been many similar incidents during Bush's time in office, from banning mildly critical teeshirts at presidential events to setting up "free speech zones" miles from presidential appearances.

I guess the message is that everyone should keep quiet (even at college student forums), acquiesce immediately to any and all orders from "law enforcement," no matter how out of line, and refrain from gathering peaceably to challenge the government. I'm willing to bet this is just the beginning of the clampdown to come as Bush and his cronies prepare to attack Iran. How about you?

Of course when you have The Decider and his cronies wantonly trashing the Constitution, Geneva Conventions and any number of laws, it communicates down the chain that lawlessness on behalf of the "authorities" is perfectly all right. Ignoring first amendment rights becomes standard operating procedure. Refusing to see any difference between passionate but protected speech and "terrorism" or "inciting riots" becomes the norm. Rough arrests replace handling incidents with any degree of discretion or restraint. Anyone daring to express themselves in ways not to the liking of those in power is viewed as dangerous, disruptive and subject to the kind of treatment usually reserved for violent criminals. And even prominent Democrats stand idly by as it happens. Drip, drip, drip.

ABQ Cops Bait, Badger, Ticket Peaceful Protestors

Lots of reports circulating about Saturday's peaceful demonstration against the Iraq occupation near the Truman gate at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque. Mounted police push abruptly into the crowd on the sidewalk. Cops yell out childish insults like "take a bath" and "shave your armpits" at the perfectly legal demonstrators, many of whom were seniors, exercising their first amendment rights. Read all about it.

One officer with a juvenile taste in messaging shouts "Go Bush" from the loudspeaker of a squad car. Goons ticket only those vehicles that bear bumperstickers on a street where people have often parked during previous demonstrations in the same location, and where no signs prohibiting parking were evident. A man is arrested and held for a long period in a squad car with all the windows closed and no AC.

Albuquerque police overstep their bounds and acti like boorish louts, even after demonstration organizers had reportedly negotiated and cooperated with law enforcement officials on all aspects of the demonstration.

Who gave the order to antagonize and bait peaceful protestors this time around? Hey Mayor Marty Chavez, know anything about this? Most all, what are you going to say and do about it? Especially on this day -- Constitution Day? Click to contact Mayor Chavez or members of his staff.

This isn't professional law enforcement, it's harrassment and mean-spirited, in your face citizen baiting. Public officials take oaths to serve and protect the Constitution, not impose their own particular political prejudices on citizens exercising their rights. Clearly, the perpetrators of this latest law enforcement outrage should be called on it and reprimanded by their superiors, in no uncertain terms, as quickly as is humanly possible. No excuses.

Lastest Developments on Desert Rock Power Plant: EIS Problems and Fluor Corp.

Recent news about Desert Rock, the controversial coal-fired power plant proposed on Navajo Nation land near Shiprock, NM, centers on U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) concerns about the project's Draft Environmental Impact Statement prepared by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), as well as the award of the initial program management contract to Fluor Corp., a major player implicated in the Iraq and Katrina recovery contract scandals.

Problems with Draft Environmental Impact Statement
The U.S. EPA is questioning the sufficiency and accuracy of the draft environmental impact statement on the plant, which would be built by Houston-based Global Sithe in cooperation with the Navajo Nation. According to an article in today's Albuqurque Journal:

The EPA questions some of the numbers and projections in a Bureau of Indian Affairs draft environmental impact statement, which was released this summer and was the focus of 10 public hearings across the Four Corners and in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

... In a 12-page analysis of problems with the environmental impact assessment, the EPA notes "unresolved concerns" with the BIA's analysis of groundwater contamination and air quality effects of the construction and operation of the 1,500-megawatt plant.

Representatives of Diné C.A.R.E., the San Juan Citizens Alliance and the Energy Minerals Law Center issued a joint press release dated September 12, 2007 in response to the EPA's comments. Excerpt:

"We commend EPA's recognition that Desert Rock presents unresolved environmental justice issues. The two existing power plants and three coal mines in the region have created a legacy of disproportionate impacts to the Diné people," said Dailan Long of Diné Citizens Against Ruining our Environment (C.A.R.E.), "Like its predecessors, Desert Rock will result in the permanent removal and relocation of Navajo Nation tribal members including elders many of whom only speak Navajo, do not have phones, electricity or running water, and use these areas for ceremonial, customary and medicinal purposes. The BIA and industry have to date failed to treat local Diné people humanely."

"The EPA rightfully notes that the DEIS for Desert Rock fails to evaluate the impacts of continued dumping of coal combustion wastes in Navajo Mine with no valid conclusion concerning the legacy of dumping practices in the region." said Brad Bartlett, attorney with the Energy Minerals Law Center. "Tens of millions of tons of hazardous coal combustion waste have already been dumped in the existing Navajo Mine from the existing Four Corners Power Plant. Desert Rock would expand the Navajo Mine by 17,000 acres and increase the unmitigated dumping of these wastes ten fold."

"The EPA comments on the Desert Rock DEIS reinforce unresolved environmental and economic problems for Sithe Global's proposal," said Mike Eisenfeld of the San Juan Citizens Alliance. "The notion that Desert Rock is a clean coal-fired power plant has been clearly refuted. It is now time for the BIA and the Navajo Nation to move beyond the ill-advised, conceptual Desert Rock project to economic development for the Navajo Nation that truly accounts for economic and environmental progress and success."

EPA's comments include the unevaluated impacts to groundwater from continued and expanded Coal Combustion Byproducts (otherwise known as coal combustion waste) disposal in Navajo Mine (the proposed source of coal for Desert Rock); the failure of BIA to require aquifer testing and impact assessment; the lack of a groundwater monitoring program for the project; deficient conclusions concerning groundwater; insufficient particulate matter emission calculations for air quality impacts; improper conclusions concerning mercury content of coal proposed to be burned for Desert Rock; and failure to include a public health discussion that includes the latest scientific information about air pollution and public health, including impacts from ozone.

In addition, the EPA documented several deficient Environmental Justice issues including lack of local citizen access to power and no proposed mitigation in the DEIS; the failure to identify information concerning potential relocation of minority and low income populations as a result of Desert Rock; and the failure to properly evaluate the potential impacts of Desert Rock on groundwater and agriculture.

"Disaster Profiteer" Fluor Corp. to Manage Development
Fluor Corp., a generous contributor to Republican candidates, was selected to provide initial comprehensive program management services in the development of Desert Rock starting in 2008. Fluor was also the recipient of $100 million in no-bid contracts from FEMA for services in the Katrina recovery effort. FEMA's entire contracting process is being audited by the Department of Homeland Security after complaints from Congressional Democrats and others about cronyism and serious mismanagement.

According to a September 2005 article by the Institute of Southern Studies, the corporation has also been heavily involved in questionable and costly Iraq recovery projects and other boondoggles:

A California-based engineering firm, Fluor has been one of the government's biggest go-to contractors for overseas engineering work, accumulating contracts worth $8.5 billion (source: The Center for Public Integrity) from 1990 to 2002. Iraq was no exception, where they pointed to their long history in the region (mostly Saudi Arabia) to land over $1.6 billion in contacts for rebuilding Iraq. According to an August 2004 report in the Los Angeles Times, they also had the right political connections:

Suzanne H. Woolsey is a trustee of a little-known arms consulting group that had access to senior Pentagon leaders directing the Iraq war. In January, she joined the board of Fluor Corp. Soon afterward, Fluor and a joint-venture partner won about $1.6 billion in reconstruction contracts in Iraq.

Woolsey's husband, the former CIA director, R. James Woolsey, a leading advocate for the war, also serves as a government policy adviser. He, too, works for a company with war-related interests.

The Woolseys' overlapping affiliations are part of a pattern in Washington, in which individuals play key roles in organizations advising officials on major policy issues, whileinvolving themselves with businesses in related fields.

What's their work record? Like many of the politically-connected contractors, Fluor keeps landing contracts despite a long rap sheep of scandal and abuse, including repeated claims of overcharging and gouging taxpayers. Among the most recent include charges of falsely claiming millions of dollars in costs on DoD contracts in 2001 (the company settled for $8.5 million), and in 2002 being sued for $24 million for "numerous design and construction failures" at the Refugio Mine in northern Chile.

And their work state-side? In 1994, Fluor paid a $3.2 million fine for "submitting heavily padded repair bills for work on Navy bases after hurricane Hugo."

In addition,

Fluor manages the government's Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington, one of the most heavily polluted sites in North America. Since Fluor took over the site in the mid-1990s, workers and local citizens have charged the company with cost cutting measures that have created potential environmental and health concerns. The company responded by firing whistleblowers and shutting down the Hanford Joint Council, a public forum established eight years ago to air employee and local government concerns over plant safety. (Ref: Gov. Accountability Project)

As reported in the New York Times, Fluor Corp. as an entity within the Fluor comglomerate, was incorporated in Delaware on September 11, 2000 after splitting with their coal production unit, which is now called Massey Energy. Massey is the nation's fourth largest coal producer according to CorpWatch.

State of NM Seeks Consultation with Navajo Nation
In late July 2007, Gov. Bill Richardson issued a statement expressing his serious concerns about the Desert Rock Plant due to the significant amounts of greenhouse gases and other pollutants the plant would emit. In a letter dated August 20, 2007 to Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley, Jr., Richardson requested "formal government-to-government consultation between the State of New Mexico and the Navajo Nation" to discuss the concerns and explore options for addressing them. Ron Curry, Secretary of the NM Environment Department, was designated as the State's lead person in the consultation. No word yet on a response from President Shirley.

Still Time to Submit Comments
Gov. Richardson also requested an extension of the comment period on the project's draft environmental impact statement and others have complained about the short time allowed for public input. The comment period, in fact, has been extended and now ends on October 9, 2007. You can electronically submit comments on the project to www.desertrockenergy.com. There is a 40,000 character limit. It's recommended that you also mail a copy of your comments to:

Harrilene Yazzie, NEPA Coordinator
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo Regional Office
P.O. Box 1060, Gallup, New Mexico 87305
505-863-8287

To learn more about the Desert Rock Power Plant controversy and stay current on developments, visit the desert-rock-blog operated by Doodah Desert Rock activists, the San Juan Citizens Alliance website and the website of the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Also check out the indepth commentary in this previous post, which includes links to our past Desert Rock coverage.