Democracy for New Mexico

Jason Marks Elected PRC Chair

Congratulations Jason! The AP reports that Public Regulation Commissioner Jason Marks (right) has been elected by his fellow commissioners as the agency's new chairman, succeeding Ben Ray Lujan in that post. Lujan remains on the PRC serving his present term, and is running as a Democrat in the NM-03 2008 Congressional race. Marks, who represents PRC District 1 in the Albuquerque area, was elected to the PRC in 2004 and has served as vice chairman for three years. Commissioner Sandy Jones of PRC District 5, another Democrat, was selected as the new vice chairman.

Marks, a Democrat known as "the consumers' watchdog," is running for reelection to the PRC this year and is expected draw a Republican challenger. I guess they don't like his common sense views on global warming and renewable energy, as expressed in his recent op-ed in the Albuquerque Journal entitled, "Big-Oil Subsidies Aren't Key to Energy Future." As Marks writes,

Across the country, especially in states like New Mexico that have renewable portfolio standards, the public is benefiting environmentally and economically from the placement of wind, solar and biomass plants.

These renewable projects provide jobs and revenues to rural communities, and in our experience here in New Mexico, wind energy is a lower cost supply of electricity than natural gas!

You can read more about Marks' views on the PRC's role in dealing with the challenge of "a transition from fossil fuel dependence to an energy future based on clean and sustainable technologies" in a text version of his campaign kickoff speech I posted in October. It's a keeper.

(Updated) 1/7/08: Public Hearing on Santa Fe County Oil & Gas Drilling Ordinance

UPDATE Noon, 1/7/08: The meeting has been cancelled due to an approaching winter storm.
***********
From Santa Fe NOT Oil: 1st PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED OIL & GAS DRILLING ORDINANCE ON JAN. 7TH: Santa Fe – January 2, 2008 – The Santa Fe Board of County Commissioners will be holding the first of two public hearings on the proposed new oil and gas drilling ordinance on Monday, January 7, 2008 at 3:00 PM at the Santa Fe Community College Gymnasium, 6401 Richards Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87508-4887. For more information contact: Stephen Ulibarri, Santa Fe County Public Information Officer (505) 986-6353/795-0828.

See our other recent posts on this issue:

• Tecton Says 'Frack You': Denies Request to Withdraw Drilling Applications in Santa Fe County
• Latest on Galisteo Basin Oil & Gas Drilling
• Next Santa Fe County Public Meeting on Oil & Gas Drilling Set for 12.6.07
• NM State Rep. Wirth Requests Galisteo Basin Drilling Moratorium (contains links to previous posts)

Another excellent source of info about proposed drilling in the Galisteo Basin can be found at the DrillingSantaFe.com. A coalition has formed to protect the resources of Santa Fe County from the possibility of oil and gas extraction and will offer positive alternative solutions:

• Commonweal Conservancy
• Drilling Santa Fe
• Earthworks Institute
• IATSE Local 480
• New Mexico Environmental Law Center
• Oil & Gas Accountability Project (OGAP)
• Santa Fe Conservation Trust
• Wildlife Federation

Tecton Says 'Frack You': Denies Request to Withdraw Drilling Applications in Santa Fe County

On December 24, 2007, Forest Guardians, Drilling Santa Fe and Santa Fe Not Oil released the following statement:

Santa Fe, NM – Tecton Energy, a Houston, Texas based oil and gas company, has denied a request from various conservation groups and individuals to withdraw three applications for permits to drill in Santa Fe County that it recently submitted to the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. On December 22nd three organizations—Forest Guardians, Drilling Santa Fe and Santa Fe Not Oil—and four individuals sent a letter to Tecton asking them to withdraw their applications. 

The letter was signed by the majority of participants in the Santa Fe County oil and gas ordinance working group that Commissioner Paul Campos convened for its first meeting on December 13th—the same day that Tecton submitted its three applications. The letter requested that Tecton Energy withdraw the applications because doing so would “demonstrate [Tecton’s] good faith participation in the County’s oil and gas working group.”  Further the letter said filing the applications on the same day that the working group convened “show(s) disrespect for the County Commissioners who are trying to responsibly gather relevant community and expert input to inform their decisions.”

In denying the request just two days after it was sent to them, Tecton asserted that it “has an obligation to [mineral] lessors to make a best-efforts attempt to develop the minerals. Filing applications with the State was a necessary step 1 in a multi-stage process required to pursue that goal.”

“Their denial of our request shows that Tecton couldn’t care less about what the people of Santa Fe County think about the real threat of oil and gas development,” said John Horning, Executive Director at Forest Guardians. “They’re putting their corporate profits above the will of the people of Santa Fe County who don’t want to see our landscape transformed into an industrial sacrifice zone,” Horning added.

The groups and individuals that attended the meeting convened by Commissioner Campos on December 13th believe that Tecton’s denial of the request to withdraw the drilling permits is another example of the company’s belief that Santa Fe County has no authority to regulate oil and gas development.

“Tecton’s submission of those permit applications on the same day that they met with us and the County is a symbolic denial of the county’s authority to regulate oil and gas,” said Johnny Micou, a leader of Drilling Santa Fe. “Tecton just keeps thumbing their nose at the majority of the citizens by steamrolling along with their development plans.”

Steve Sugarman, a Galisteo Basin resident and local environmental attorney, who has been a vocal opponent of Tecton’s development plans argues that it is the Commissioners and not just the citizens who should feel snubbed. “Tecton threw sand in the commissioners’ faces when it filed its applications for permits to drill on the morning that the working group first convened,” said Sugarman. “Tecton added insult to injury when it stated at the work group’s first meeting that it is not legally bound to abide by the terms of the County’s moratorium.  Clearly, Tecton has no respect for our Commissioners’ authority to regulate land use in the County.”

In light of Tecton’s denial, the groups and individuals that participated in the working group are re-evaluating their next steps. Regardless of the next steps the groups that sent the request to Tecton say they will be participating in Santa Fe county hearings in early January on the proposed ordinance as well as state Oil Conservation Division hearings in early February on the three applications for permit to drill that were the subject of the letter.

NM-03: Wiviott Says Energy Bill a Good ‘First Step;’ More Action Needed

Calling Congressional passage of an energy bill a good “first step,” Santa Fe small businessman and NM-03 Congressional candidate Don Wiviott said today that America’s leaders must do more to make America energy independent. Wiviott, a home builder who has pioneered green-building practices in New Mexico and is a highly respected voice on energy conservation, has made energy independence a major focus of his campaign.

“When it comes to issues like global warming and energy conservation, recent days have brought progress from Washington, DC, to Bali,” said Wiviott. “The energy bill in Congress is a good first-step, but it is only that –- a first step. Now that we’re moving in the right direction, we must pick up the pace and make up for lost time.”

As a home builder, Wiviott says he designs projects with one goal in mind: reducing their impact on the environment. His work, including Santa Fe’s THE LOFTS, has been praised for incorporating renewable materials, for taking advantage of the latest energy efficient technologies and for finding innovative ways to recycle water and waste. Wiviott’s energy-efficient communities are home to hundreds of New Mexico businesses and residents.

Wiviott’s commitment to enacting smarter energy policies goes beyond his business. When the 2007 New Mexico Legislature enacted legislation to promote clean energy, Don was a leading voice urging them to increase solar initiatives.

“Our security, our economy and our way of life depend on us making greater use of renewable energy sources,” said Wiviott. “We need a major investment in clean energy, which is why, as a Congressman, I will call for an Apollo-like project to develop strategies and technologies that will help us combat global warming and move towards energy independence. “

Wiviott noted that it was a Democratic Congress that ushered the energy bill through.

“For too long, this White House and Republicans in Congress ignored the growing energy crisis. While families paid more at the pump and evidence of global warming continued to mount, they sat on their hands. Today, Democrats in Congress put America back on track. Now it is time for George Bush to come to the table, stop dragging his feet and finally to take action to develop a real renewable energy policy.”

Wiviott continued, “The time has come and gone for political posturing on this issue. America needs everyone to come together and get the job done. As someone who knows that economic success and environmental protection go hand-in-hand, I have the ability to bring all sides together in Washington and make the real progress America needs.”

To read our previous coverage of the 2008 NM-03 Congressional race, visit our archive.

Saturday Night: North Valley Acequia of Lights

This post on Duke City Fix explains this cool event. Click for an event flyer (pdf) with more info. Bottom line on the Second Annual North Valley Acequia of Lights:

• Saturday, December 15, 2007, 5:00 to 8:00 PM
• Griegos Drain Lined with Luminaria Through Los Poblanos Open Space (Go west along Solar Road from 4th Street, or south along the Griegos Drain from Chavez Road)
• The Open Space is amazing this time of year, with cranes and geese and more
• Sierra Club Lights the Night Light Bulb Exchange
• Refreshments, Music, Community, Bonfires, Hot Drinks for Chilly Strollers
• Sponsored by Ditches with Trails Project, North Valley Coalition, Rio Grande Community Farms, Alvarado Elementary School

• Call Ellen at 890-2937 for more info or to volunteer

Latest on Galisteo Basin Oil & Gas Drilling

If you want to stay current on the nitty gritty of environmental happenings, you should check in daily at High Desert Reports, written by blogger (and free-lance reporter) Laura Paskus. Today she points her readers to an in-depth Santa Fe Reporter article by David Alire Garcia and Dave Maass about proposed oil and gas drilling in Northern New Mexico's Galisteo Basin. This issue has been much in the news of late, with Santa Feans and environmentalists trying to stop what could be vastly increased drilling due to the rising price of oil and gas. Areas with characteristics that once made them economically prohibitive for drilling are now being viewed as viable by energy producers. Santa Fe County is probably the first of many locales in the state where new drilling projects may be on the way.

Meanwhile, the following message was issued by SantaFeNoToOil.org about a proposed resolution to be considered tonight by the Santa Fe City Council:

"The City of Santa Fe knows how destructive oil & gas drilling can be to Santa Fe and our future, Below is a landmark resolution, which Santa Fe City Councilor Patti Bushee will introduce Wednesday night, December 12, 2007, at the Santa Fe City Council meeting. There may be some further language from the City hydrologist about potential impact on City wells & water sources, but the important information is complete.

"Please call or email Santa Fe City Council members with your support for this important resolution. It shows that the future of Santa Fe is on the line and the City knows it! Councilor contact info:

• Patti Bushee, (505) 955-6813 E-mail: pjbushee@santafenm.gov
• Chris Calvert,  (505) 955-6812  E-mail: ccalvert@santafenm.gov
• Rebecca Wurzburger, (505) 955-6815  E-mail: rebeccawrz@comcast.net
• Karen Heldmeyer,  (505) 955-6818 E-mail: kheld@earthlink.net
• Miguel Chavez, (505) 955-6816 E-mail: miguelmchavez@msn.com
• Carmichael Dominguez (505) 955-6814 E-mail: cadominguez@santafenm.gov
• Matthew Ortiz, (505) 955-6817  E-mail: meortiz@santafenm.gov
• Ronald Trujillo,  (505) 955-6811 E-mail: rstrujillo@santafenm.gov

Proposed Resolution:

"Whereas, the Governing Body of the City of Santa Fe has learned that at least one oil and gas exploration concern has acquired more than 60,000 acres of mineral rights in Santa Fe County and indicated to the offices and citizens of Santa Fe County its intent to initiate large-scale drilling operations in the Galisteo Basin; and
   
Whereas, there are, in other US cities and counties, ample and highly disturbing examples of the catastrophic impact of oil and gas exploitation on the natural environment, on the purity of surface and subterranean water resources, on air quality, on municipal infrastructures including roadways and highways, and on the social fabric of the communities themselves as evidenced by increased illegal-drug use resulting in burgeoning crime rates; and
   
Whereas, the technologies announced by the oil and gas exploration concern for use in the Galisteo Basin include the practice of high-pressure injection of thousands of gallons of water, sand, and yet-to-be-determined chemicals into the wells to free the, as yet unknown quantities of oil and gas trapped in shale deposits (known as "fracking"), a procedure that both employs massive quantities of our most precious natural resource, water, and has a high probability of serious damage to the delicate ecological balance of the Galisteo Basin; and
   
Whereas, the City of Santa Fe prides itself on, and is economically dependent upon, the beauty and historical significance of the region both within and beyond its city limits, not just as an historical repository of known, and yet to be discovered, cultural and religious sites and treasures but also as a highly varied landscape of breathtaking beauty;
   
Be It Therefore Resolved by the Governing Body of the City of Santa Fe;
   
a. stands firmly opposed oil and gas exploitation in Santa Fe County;
   
b. urges the County of Santa Fe to take the steps necessary to protect and preserve our broader community from the environmental, social, and aesthetic damage concomitant with mineral exploitation;
   
c. calls upon the Governor and the State of New Mexico to protect this County's environmental and economic well-being by initiating a comprehensive study of the ecological and hydrological impact of  "fracking" in the Galisteo Basin and other areas of Santa Fe County;
   
d. instructs the City Attorney and Staff to promptly investigate, and report to the Governing Body, The City of Santa Fe's legal standing in this issue and to recommend ways in which our status and our resources can be most effectively employed to protect our Citizens, our environment and our economic well-being as a City from the impact of oil and gas exploitation in Santa Fe County."

*******
The grassroots activist group Drilling Santa Fe has been in the forefront for months on the Santa Fe County drilling issue, and their website is a storehouse of info on the controversy and recent actions taken by Santa Fe County Commissioners and others.

Speech: Al Gore Accepts Nobel Peace Prize

Al Gore, who should be ending his second term as President of the United States, yesterday accepted the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize that he shares with the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway. The video above shows his entire acceptance speech. You can read the text version at his website, AlGore.com.

Gore opened his speech with a reference to the 2000 U.S. Supreme Court decision that denied him the presidency. "Seven years ago tomorrow, I read my own political obituary in a judgment that seemed to me harsh and mistaken - if not premature. But that unwelcome verdict also brought a precious if painful gift: an opportunity to search for fresh new ways to serve my purpose. Unexpectedly that quest has brought me here."

Some highlights from the speech:

We, the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency – a threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive potential even as we gather here. But there is hopeful news as well: we have the ability to solve this crisis and avoid the worst – though not all – of its consequences, if we act boldly, decisively and quickly.

However, despite a growing number of honorable exceptions, too many of the world’s leaders are still best described in the words Winston Churchill applied to those who ignored Adolf Hitler’s threat: “They go on in strange paradox, decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all powerful to be impotent.”

Gore and Dr. R. K. Pachauri, who accepted the award on behalf of the UNIPCC

... So today, we dumped another 70 million tons of global-warming pollution into the thin shell of atmosphere surrounding our planet, as if it were an open sewer. And tomorrow, we will dump a slightly larger amount, with the cumulative concentrations now trapping more and more heat from the sun.

As a result, the earth has a fever. And the fever is rising. The experts have told us it is not a passing affliction that will heal by itself. We asked for a second opinion. And a third. And a fourth. And the consistent conclusion, restated with increasing alarm, is that something basic is wrong. We are what is wrong, and we must make it right.

... Indeed, without realizing it, we have begun to wage war on the earth itself. Now, we and the earth's climate are locked in a relationship familiar to war planners: "Mutually assured destruction."

... As the American poet Robert Frost wrote, “Some say the world will end in fire; some say in ice.” Either, he notes, “would suffice.” But neither need be our fate. It is time to make peace with the planet. We must quickly mobilize our civilization with the urgency and resolve that has previously been seen only when nations mobilized for war. These prior struggles for survival were won when leaders found words at the 11th hour that released a mighty surge of courage, hope and readiness to sacrifice for a protracted and mortal challenge.

... Now comes the threat of climate crisis – a threat that is real, rising, imminent, and universal. Once again, it is the 11th hour. The penalties for ignoring this challenge are immense and growing, and at some near point would be unsustainable and unrecoverable. For now we still have the power to choose our fate, and the remaining question is only this: Have we the will to act vigorously and in time, or will we remain imprisoned by a dangerous illusion?

... We must understand the connections between the climate crisis and the afflictions of poverty, hunger, HIV-Aids and other pandemics. As these problems are linked, so too must be their solutions. We must begin by making the common rescue of the global environment the central organizing principle of the world community.

... But the outcome will be decisively influenced by two nations that are now failing to do enough: the United States and China. While India is also growing fast in importance, it should be absolutely clear that it is the two largest CO2 emitters — most of all, my own country –– that will need to make the boldest moves, or stand accountable before history for their failure to act. Both countries should stop using the other’s behavior as an excuse for stalemate and instead develop an agenda for mutual survival in a shared global environment.

... The future is knocking at our door right now. Make no mistake, the next generation will ask us one of two questions. Either they will ask: “What were you thinking; why didn’t you act?” Or they will ask instead: “How did you find the moral courage to rise and successfully resolve a crisis that so many said was impossible to solve?”

We have everything we need to get started, save perhaps political will, but political will is a renewable resource. So let us renew it, and say together: “We have a purpose. We are many. For this purpose we will rise, and we will act.”

Next Santa Fe County Public Meeting on Oil & Gas Drilling Set for 12.6.07

From Drilling Santa Fe:
On December 6th, beginning at 6:30 PM, Santa Fe County will host a public oil and gas meeting at the Santa Fe High Gym. This is a much bigger venue, so people should not be turned away at the door this time. Officials attending: all five of the Santa Fe County Commissioners; Representatives King and Wirth; Senator Geigo; John Bemis of the State Land Office; and Mark Fesmire of the Oil Conservation Division (OCD).

This meeting is critically important. Not only do we need to address the draft oil and gas ordinance that if left as is, would weaken, not strengthen the protections of the existing mining ordinance.

In addition, the oil and gas industry is being hostile about any proposed regulations beyond the currently adopted State regulations. The oil and gas industry is on the attack about the proposed OCD pit rule that would help protect groundwater from the oil and gas industry waste pit pollution. The oil and gas industry is threatening to have legislation passed that would eviscerate the Oil Conservation Division and to disallow counties the ability to regulate oil and gas activities. By attending this meeting, you would show your support against such legislative attempts.

Santa Fe High School is at 2100 Yucca St, Santa Fe, NM (505) 467-2400. It is just South of Siringo Road.
Mapquest map link, which can be enlarged, is here.

You can download a meeting flyer in pdf hardcopy here for printing and distributing, which is highly encouraged. If you have a problem with the link, email drillingsantafe@earthlink.net and we will send it to you as a pdf email attachment.

Links to our previous posts and other background info on this issue are available here, and DrillingSantaFe.org has a wealth of information, a petition, etc.

NM State Rep. Wirth Requests Galisteo Basin Drilling Moratorium

An article in the Santa Fe New Mexican reports on a letter sent by State Rep. Peter Wirth to Oil Conservation Division Director Mark Fesmire and Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Secretary Joanna Prokop asking them to consider a six-month oil and gas drilling permit moratorium for the Galisteo Basin. A draft of a new Santa Fe County ordinace governing such drilling is scheduled to be released today, but many residents and policymakers want more time to consider how drilling in the area should be regulated.

A moratorium, Wirth wrote, "would give the state time to determine whether oil and gas drilling in this area can be prevented all together ... or if any special stipulations are needed on approved permit applications." Wirth also said in his letter that the moratorium would give Santa Fe County more time to draft and implement its new ordinance.

"My feeling is that we should not rush the process," Wirth said Monday. "The Galisteo Basin has seen such limited oil and gas drilling. I'm concerned things are moving at a real high rate of speed, and I think we should slow down."

The acquisition of 65,000 acres of mineral rights centered in the Galisteo Basin area by Tecton Energy of Houston has caused an uproar among Santa Fe County residents and others who are fearful that extensive drilling will create pollution and other damage. The mineral rights for much of the land in the Basin aren't controlled by those who own the land itself.

Prukop said Monday that New Mexico has never issued a moratorium on oil and gas drilling permits before, though it did issue a temporary moratorium on open-pit mines in Otero Mesa in 2004. She said the division's attorneys are looking at state laws to try to define jurisdictional issues and options. She said she plans to meet with county commissioners after the next public meeting on the subject in December "to figure out a reasonable pathway forward."

... Tecton Energy representatives — who have estimated the basin area holds as much as 100 million barrels of "light, sweet crude" — began pumping oil out of an existing well last spring. But the company will need new permits to carry out its plans to re-enter two plugged wells and drill six more exploratory wells. The county's existing mining ordinance relates primarily to hard-rock mining.

County officials are also concerned about the drilling:

County Commissioner Mike Anaya also wants a moratorium at the county level to stall any drilling applications until the new ordinance is finalized. Anaya is the sponsor of a resolution that will be considered by the commission today, which calls for a three-month moratorium on drilling permits.

... Anaya and Commissioner Jack Sullivan told a crowd of about 500 people at a public meeting in Eldorado on Nov. 15 that the county's draft ordinance would be available for public review today and that written comments on the ordinance would be accepted through Dec. 21.

There was a huge turnout for an 11/15/07 public meeting organized by the Santa Fe County Commission to discuss Tecton's proposed plans, and passions ran high among attendees. Since then, public officials have been deluged with messages from those critical about the proposed drilling:

Wirth said he was prompted to ask for a moratorium in part because of the overwhelming public input he's received on the topic. "The number of e-mails, letters and phone calls I've received, it's really more than almost any issue I've faced since being in the Legislature," Wirth said. "I've not had a single person, constituent or otherwise, contact me in support of this proposition."

Background Information:

From the website of Drilling Santa Fe, a citizen's group working to stop or limit the drilling:

• Online Petition (iPetition.com)- Oil and gas exploration and development permitting moratorium (iPetition.com has a donation button and is only an option and those donations do not go to Drilling Santa Fe). For printing hard copies (pdf)
• The County Attorney is in the process of writing a new oil and gas ordinance to supplement the existing mining ordinance. The ordinance should strengthen, not weaken. On 11/15/2007, there was a public forum about the oil & gas issue. Click here for a newspaper article of the forum and click here about the ordinance process. The draft ordinance is on the BCC amended agenda (click here) under "Matters from the County Attorney."
• Click here for Santa Fe County Mining Ordinance overview flyer (PDF) and click here for the Santa Fe County Land Development Code, which contains the mining ordinance (Chapter 5).
• For upcoming events, click here.
• For an excellent educational website, go to the Oil & Gas Accountability Project (OGAP)
• With permission, here are links provided by Tony Bonanno Photography (click here) of the Tecton public presentation (click here) and of the Santa Fe County public forum (click here). Tony says that anyone is welcome to download anything at no charge.

You can read our previous posts on this issue by clicking on these links:

• Join Noted NM Activist and Rancher Tweeti Blancett for a Discussion on Oil and Gas Drilling in Santa Fe County, July 10, 2007
• Grassroots Group 'Drilling Santa Fe' Sets Up Online Petition Drive, July 23, 2007
• Now Available: Video of Tweeti Blancett Event for Drilling Santa Fe, August 6, 2007
• Important Drilling Santa Fe Meeting Coming 8.23.07, August 15, 2007

NM-Sen: Chavez Accuses Udall of "Endangering Our National Security"

It's really hard to take in. Continuing his recent mean-spirited barrage against his high-polling Dem primary opponent for U.S. Senate, Albuquerque Mayor Marty Chavez is now accusing Rep. Tom Udall (NM-03) of "endangering our national security." He's also likening Udall to Republican Senate candidates Rep. Heather Wilson (NM-01) and Steve Pearce (NM-02). In a campaign email (PDF) today, Chavez said:

Enough is enough.  If Tom Udall, Heather Wilson, and Steve Pearce -- our elected Representatives in Congress -- won't fight to save our labs, we will.

... Unfortunately, my 3 opponents in the Senate race -- Representatives Tom Udall, Heather Wilson, and Steve Pearce -- all had a chance to stop these cuts.  Instead, earlier this year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would strip about $400 million in funding from Los Alamos and Sandia labs.

Tom Udall voted for these funding cuts, saying it would send the labs "a message." Well, throwing people out of work and endangering our national security is not the "message" New Mexicans want to hear from people in Washington like Tom Udall.

... Our Representatives Tom Udall, Heather Wilson, and Steve Pearce should be fighting for New Mexico, not siding with Washington lobbyists and insiders. [emphasis mine]

It's one thing to criticize your primary opponent's positions, but I think this kind of over-the-top rhetoric coming directly from Chavez can only serve to turn more Dem voters against him. Chavez already has a reputation for publicly and privately trashing fellow Dems on the Albuquerque City Council, supporting Repubs and their causes and vowing to vote for Repub Sen. Pete Domenici if he ran for reelection.

Do Chavez and his campaign team really believe that using inflammatory language like this to attack one of the most highly respected and popular Dems in the state will help him in his quest for Dem primary voters? Astonishing. Not only is it wrong, it's bad politics.

Status Quo vs. 21st Century Mission
First off, where does Chavez get off claiming that Udall is "siding with Washington lobbyists and insiders" by trying to get our national labs to leave the Cold War behind and embrace a green future? The last time I looked, monied lobbyists and insiders were all for the status quo in terms of building new nuke weapons systems and clinging to old greenhouse gas-producing technologies. It's the people -- and the best scientific minds in the nation -- who are clamoring for an Apollo-like project to address emergencies related to climate change and our dependence on foreign energy sources.

We don't need a new generation of nuke weapons -- we need our best and brightest to solve what is probably our most urgent problems this century -- the severe damage being caused by dirty-burning fossil fuels and the huge price in money and lives we are paying for oil in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East.

Is Plutonium Pit Manufacturing Green?
I'd  love to know how Mayor Marty squares his self-proclaimed "green" orientation and his recent pandering about nuclear weapons research and production. Do people concerned with the environment and sustainable energy generally support creating large plutonium pit manufacturing projects in their states? Do they clamor for funds to support a new "replacement" line of nuke weapons that's essentially banned by the treaties we've signed? Do they push for retaining lab funding for nuke weapons instead of using common and economic sense to try and steer the labs towards a new, critical mission of developing green technologies and researching renewable energy alternatives?

Clearly, Chavez is "green" only when it suits his political aspirations and anti-green when it doesn't.

Facing Facts
Nobody wants workers at the New Mexico labs to lose their jobs, least of all Tom Udall, who has strongly represented their interests in a balanced way for years. But it's clear that members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, as well as a majority of Americans, see turning the page on an outmoded Cold War mentality as the only way to go. It's time to face facts. Today's national security, energy and environmental concerns can only be addressed by the U.S. turning green in a genuine sense -- and by generously supporting our best scientific minds to dedicate themselves to green renewable energy and tech research.

As Rep. Udall has said, he cast his vote for the budget cuts because the labs should be conducting energy research and science programs to address national security issues. It may well be the only way for them to survive in today's world. The national consensus is shifting dramatically and quickly against renewed nuke weapon production and towards a new scientific paradigm. Hanging onto the past at New Mexico's labs, as Chavez is touting and as Domenici strived for, is not wise or even tenable any longer. But you wouldn't know it by the tone and rhetoric being employed by Chavez to try and peg Udall as some kind of traitor for facing reality.

That's a very sad commentary on how Chavez hopes to win the nomination, isn't it? Fortunately, I don't think most New Mexico Dems will be buying it anytime soon.

See recent posts on related topics at local blogs , Only in New Mexico and Heath Haussamen. The latest post on m-pyre also deals with this topic and includes a couple of useful pie charts about budgets at the labs.

To read our previous coverage on the 2008 U.S. Senate race in New Mexico, visit our archive.