Democracy for New Mexico

RSVP Now for Otero Mesa Camp Out

Video of Otero Mesa and 4/2007 Alamogordo Public Forum

From the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance:
Otero Mesa Camp Out / September 21-23, 2007 -- It's that time of year again when the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance will be leading a weekend outing to Otero Mesa. This is one of the best times of year to visit the largest and wildest Chihuahuan desert grassland left on public lands in America. For the past two years the grasses have been 2 to 3 feet high, and with a good rainy season down south, we are sure to experience the full magnitude of this wild landscape.

We will explore the expansive grasslands, plus Flat Top Mountain. Additionally, we will be conducting some surveys of raptor nests and cactus identification on Alamo Mountain. Raptor nests are commonly used by Aplomado falcons during the spring, so it will be great to document where these nests are located. f you've never been to Otero Mesa, this outing is the time to be there and experience the wildness of America's largest Chihuahuan desert grassland.

This is a car-camping weekend, so feel free to bring extra stuff to make the weekend that much more enjoyable. During the evenings there will be a social campfire and this time we're going to provide green chile chicken enchiladas for Saturday evening! Bring musical instruments if you've got them. Let's get together and have some fun in the desert!

Reserve Your Spot
Contact: Nathan Newcomer at 505-843-8696, nathan@nmwild.org to reserve your spot today! Space is limited.

Learn More
To learn what you can do to help save Otero Mesa from oil and gas drilling, watch the video above and visit OteroMesa.org.

Young Voters: Get on the Bus for Change

From the The League of Young Voters-Albuquerque:
The League of Young Voters is embarking on a new journey to educate, empower and inspire young people. We are reclaiming Democracy for our generation!

Introducing the Bus for Change! Starting August 18th we've been going to go into the community on a grassroots level to begin knocking on the door's of young voters to talk to them about the War, Climate Change and Ethics. So why is this so important?? Because a young educated voter base is a force to be reckoned with! The Bus for Change is the vehicle, literally and figuratively for taking back power in our communities. And we're doing all this because what's more sexy than politics? Only a bus full of young people flexing on the powers that be. That's what! So if you're down for the cause - Get on the Bus for Change!

Bus for Change Clean Connection Campaign! For years big land developers have been contributing thousands of dollars to elect politicians who support sprawl developments. This haphazard development has not only increased traffic in our city but also contributed tons of carbon emissions into our atmosphere.

The Bus for Change kicked off our Clean Connection Campaign August 18, to educate other young people on this link between climate change and the local policies that have global repercussions like uncontrolled sprawl. Together we can send a message that sprawl growth is unnacceptable for our city and for the health of the planet. And that young people are tired of developers running things at the expense of our communities.

Help us Make the Clean Connection with other young people. We need you to volunteer your time to make a difference for our city and our planet. Click for a schedule of volunteer events.

For more info: 505/242.4036, busforchange@gmail.com

Important Drilling Santa Fe Meeting Coming 8.23.07

From Drilling Santa Fe: Important Drilling Santa Fe meeting at Cloud Cliff Café, 1805 2nd Street, at 6:30 PM on Thursday, August 23, 2007. Click for poster.

Drilling Santa Fe has currently documented more than 80,000 acres of mineral rights in Santa Fe County, New Mexico leased to oil and gas drillers. How is the County planning on regulating oil and gas drilling? The Drilling Santa Fe petition calls for a moratorium on drilling permits until the existing codes are strengthened. Will the County accept the petition? Are more minerals being leased? What is split-estate? What is pooling? Could I find a drilling rig in my backyard? What can I do? These and other questions will be addressed. For more information, please go to our website, where you can also sign up to be on our email list.

Please tune in to "The Journey Home" with Diego Mulligan for an interview with Drilling Santa Fe at 4:00 PM, Tuesday, August 21, 2007.

Also, to get some background of oil and gas exploration in Santa Fe County, please listen to "Living on the Edge" with David Bacon and Zubi Wilson, a forty minute interview with Drilling Santa Fe that originally aired on July 22, 2007. For the direct link to the interview, go to R3 Productions.

Link list:

• https://www.ksfr.org/
• https://drillingsantafe.blogspot.com/
• https://www.r3productions.net/local.htm

See you at Cloud Cliff,
Johnny Micou
drillingsantafe@earthlink.net

Now Available: Video of Tweeti Blancett Event for Drilling Santa Fe

To view videos of Tweeti Blancett's recent presentation for Drilling Santa Fe, go to their website at https://www.drillingsantafe.com or use this direct link. The Drilling for Santa Fe site has quite a collection of information about the possibility of extensive oil and gas drilling in Santa Fe County, what such drilling can do to the land, a petition and much more. Our previous posts about this issue can be found here and here.

Guest Blog: Mayoral Makeover - How Marty Chavez is Working to Reinvent His Image

This is a guest blog by Keegan King (right), co-director of Young Voters NM. It was originally published as an op-ed in Albuquerque's alibi weekly.

Historically, much has been made of the fact that people under the age of 25 vote at dramatically lower rates than any other segment of the population. Apathy is partly to blame, but I believe the primary reason for a lack of youth involvement in the political process is cynicism. And much of this cynicism stems from watching politicians who manipulate the media to conceal their true policy agendas.

Take the chief executive of our own fair city, Mayor Martin Chavez. Two recent news items reveal how Chavez is working overtime to reinvent his image:

Item #1: Gail Reese, a top assistant to Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez, made an on-the-air call to his radio talk show and, using a fake name, parroted the administration's talking points while flaming several city councilors. When Reese was busted for her crude attempt to mislead the public by trying to pose as just another "Jane Q. Citizen," her first response was to feign memory loss.

After Reese finally fessed up, the mayor's office swung into damage control mode by issuing a press release that spun her surreptitious call as nothing less than a valiant exercise of free speech. KKOB station manager Art Ortega was charitable in characterizing the incident as "disingenuous." The Tribune editorialized against fake "Astroturf" grassroots lobbying efforts emanating from the mayor's office.

Item #2: Albuquerque's morning daily newspaper reported that Chavez had received something called the "Climate Protection Award" at a recent meeting of the National Conference of Mayors. The story trumpeted the claim that Albuquerque had reduced greenhouse emissions by an extraordinary 67 percent since 2000, making it a "Green City."

But there were some glaring problems with the story.

For one thing, the claimed emissions reductions were for — not for the community as a whole.

That's a huge difference and it illuminates the challenge Chavez faces in refashioning his image.

Sandy Buffett, executive director of , cut right through the hype in a Journal letter to the editor: "One only needs to look at the unbridled real estate sprawl development to know that Albuquerque's carbon footprint is rapidly exploding ... If Chavez is serious about reducing Albuquerque's carbon footprint, than he needs to get serious about managing and planning Albuquerque's growth." As anyone who has lived in Albuquerque for the past few years knows, Chavez has been the developers' darling by shepherding their big-box, cookie-cutter sprawl development over and over again.

Oh, and one more thing. The story neglected to inform readers that Chavez' award was sponsored and underwritten by none other than Wal-Mart — the outfit that builds all those big-box stores that do so much to fuel the very sprawl development and car culture that is at the heart of the problem.

There are more recent examples of Chavez manipulating the media as he works to revamp his image and obscure long-held policy positions.

Last month, Chavez issued a sweeping "Executive Order" to ban smoking outdoors on all city government property. TV reporting featured footage of the mayor intoning piously about the health dangers of smoking.

Oddly, this was the very same Mayor Chavez who in 2002 brandished veto threats to block the City Council's efforts to pass an ordinance banning smoking in restaurants. His complaint then? The ordinance restricted to eating establishments was too sweeping and unenforceable. Talk about a 180!

And then there is Chavez' unveiling of his "Open Government" initiative. It calls for posting the minutes of city board and commission meetings online and reducing photocopy costs for public documents. With the ABQ PAC slush fund scandal fading from public memory, Chavez clearly has calculated that it’s time to jump on the "ethics" bandwagon.

But again, when you get past the hype, it's worth recalling that Chavez' silence was deafening during the last Legislative Session when really tough ethics reforms were being debated — contribution limits, an independent ethics commission and clean election financing (which he opposed for city elections in 2003).

This, of course, is what explains Marty's rush to makeover his image. Anticipating a gubernatorial run in 2010, but facing lagging poll numbers, Chavez is desperately trying to reinvent himself to appeal to Democratic primary voters around the state.

Hollow posturing of this sort is exactly what turns off young voters, who are a growing force to be reckoned with. After years of lagging participation, their turnout surged in the last two elections. Young voters demand honesty and authenticity from those who would presume to lead us. That's bad news for Martin Chavez and his big bamboozle.

Editor's Note: [all emphasis above mine] This is a guest blog by Keegan King, co-director of Young Voters NM. It was originally published as an op-ed in Albuquerque's alibi weekly. Guest blogs provide readers with an opportunity to express their opinions on issues of the day, and may or may not express our views. If you'd like to submit a post for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand corner of the page.

(Updated) Gov. Richardson Criticizes Desert Rock Power Plant

UPDATE 6:38 PM: The complete statement by Gov. Bill Richardson about the proposed Desert Rock Power Plant is now available. Click here.
*****************

"Woman in Gas Mask" (Credit: Small Axe Organization)

According to an article (also see audio-visual) in the New York Times on the controversial coal-fired Desert Rock Power Plant proposed by the Diné Power Authority and Houston-based Sithe Global Power, which in turn is majority-owned by Blackstone, a large and much in the news private-equity firm:

The staff of Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democratic presidential aspirant, recently issued a statement saying that the plant “would be a significant new source of greenhouse gases and other pollution in the region” and that Mr. Richardson “believes, as planned, it would be a step in the wrong direction,” undoing his proposed reductions in emissions.

To my knowledge, this is the first time Gov. Richardson or his staff has spoken out publicly on the proposed plant, which is projected to increase greenhouse gas emissions in New Mexico by at least 15%, and produce significant amounts of other toxins like mercury. According to the New York Times, "each year, it would emit 12 million tons of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of adding 1.5 million average cars to the roads. Coal-fired electricity contributes more than half of the 57 million tons of annual carbon-dioxide emissions in New Mexico. Together, the two existing plants emit 29 million tons."

The fight against the power plant has received growing attention nationally, with increased coverage in the media and on progressive blogs. Gov. Richardson has made his generally very positive environmental record a cornerstone of his presidential campaign, but until the recent statement had refrained from speaking out clearly against Desert Rock.

The Four Corners region, where the plant would be sited, already has two coal-fired power plants that produce copious amounts of pollution, turn the skies in the area brown and deposit other dangerous substances in water sources for hundreds of miles.

Hearings on Desert Rock EIS
A series of public hearings in New Mexico on the projected environmental impacts of Desert Rock was completed yesterday. Environmental groups like the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, San Juan Citizens Alliance, as well as Diné groups like Dooda Desert Rock (their blog has lots of information about their vigil against the plant and more) and Diné CARE, joined many ordinary citizens in strongly criticizing both the plant and the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs that reports on its potential impacts.

Dem-Proposed Tax Break Defeated in NM Legislature
In the NM Legislative Session earlier this year, a proposed bill to provide an $85 million tax break to Desert Rock was introduced and pushed by two Democratic leaders, Senate Pro Tem Ben Altamirano and House Speaker Ben Lujan. The bills were eventually defeated with the help of state representative Ray Begaye, a Navajo, and lobbying by many others in the state in a process that often featured heated battles within legislative committees and behind the scenes. (See previous posts listed below.) According to a recent article in The Economist:

Ray Begaye, a Democratic state representative and a Navajo, worries that the new power plant will suck water out of the area's aquifer and contaminate it with mercury and other toxins.

What Gov. Richardson and NM Could Do
The state of New Mexico has no real jurisdiction over whether Desert Rock gets built since the plant would sit on lands within the sovereign Diné Nation. However, critics have suggested that Richardson and others could speak out publicly against the plant and apply other pressures to discourage or at least improve the project. The state, perhaps working with the federal government or private business interests, might also come up with a plan to offer financial and other incentives for the tribe to pursue green energy projects that might produce significant jobs and revenues for the Navajos. They might also help to attract capital and other resources in support of renewable energy development on Dine land. After all, the Four Corners has an abundance of sun and wind that could be harnassed to produce large amounts of power without adding to the already heavy coal-fired plant pollution in the region and beyond.

Another possible strategy would be to pass legislation to encourage Sithe's investment in rapidly developing carbon-sequestration technology to lessen the global warming impact of the plant's emissions. Again, according to the New York Times:

Some backers of the plant hope that Desert Rock could be a proving ground for an experimental technology to reduce carbon emissions by capturing them and injecting them deep in the ground.

Mr. Johns of Sithe Global Power and Senator Jeff Bingaman, the New Mexico Democrat who is chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, expressed hope that the carbon-capture technology could be incorporated into the plant with an additional $1 billion investment.

The Senate Finance Committee approved a measure for a production tax credit of $20 a ton for sequestered carbon dioxide, and Mr. Bingaman said he was looking for [a] bill to attach it as an amendment.

Many will be watching to see what Gov. Richardson says and does next on the power plant issue. Only time will tell if his critical statement was merely a political response to growing publicity about Desert Rock or if Richardson will be as outspoken against the plant as he has been against oil and gas drilling on New Mexico's Otero Mesa and other environmentally dangerous projects.

More Information
Some of our previous posts, including guest blogs, about the Desert Rock Power Plant issue:

• July 16, 2007
• July 13, 2007
• June 27, 2007
• June 14, 2007
• April 20, 2007
• February 27, 2007
• February 21, 2007
• February 17, 2007
• February 13, 2007
• February 5, 2007
• December 15, 2006

Also see an article on the plant and the recent EIS hearing in Albuquerque in this week's edition of the alibi.

Grassroots Group 'Drilling Santa Fe' Sets Up Online Petition Drive

On the heels of a packed and highly successful organizing event held in Santa Fe earlier this month, the grassroots group Drilling Santa Fe has created an online petition page in support of its mission. By signing the petition, residents of Santa Fe County can join a growing list of citizens and local organizations urging county government to defer action on all oil and gas drilling permits until effective regulations are created with citizen input to protect the land from environmental degradation and other negative impacts. To learn more about the issue, the group's actions and how to participate, visit DrillingSantaFe.com.

As reported on the webiste, oil and gas explorers have leased hundreds of square miles of mineral rights from south of Galisteo through the Ortiz Mountains to the outskirts of Santa Fe, and are taking action to launch widespread and potentially damaging new drilling projects in response to rising energy prices. Landowners south and southwest of Santa Fe are now learning that the mineral leases under their property take legal precedent over their surface rights.

Drilling Santa Fe wants citizens to know that there is an opportunity now to urge Santa Fe County to strengthen their regulations to prevent some of the damage and health hazards that this level of oil and gas exploration and production has inflicted on communities and land owners in northwestern and southeastern New Mexico. Ultimately, the state government must enact the environmental protections afforded residents of other states.

Tax deductible donations [501(c)3] for Drilling Santa Fe should be made to the Concerned Citizens of Cerrillos for the Drilling Santa Fe Fund, P.O. Box 23921, Santa Fe, NM 87502. Santa Fe County residents can sign the petition here. The group's website is at https://www.DrillingSantaFe.com.

Ben Luce Guest Blog: The Real Reason Desert Rock Coal Plant is Happening

This is a guest blog from Ben Luce of Break the Grip!:
Have no doubt, plans for the Desert Rock Power Plant are still rolling forward: Break The Grip! has learned that Sithe Global intends once again to seek a tax incentive from the New Mexico Legislature, and recently obtained more money from the Navajo Nation to keep their development on track. Although there are upcoming hearings on the plant's Environmental Impact Statement, there is little reason to believe that these hearings will be little more than pro-forma inputs to an unresponsive EPA.

Why is this happening? How, in an age of near panic about global warming, and with New Mexico supposedly adopting greenhouse gas reduction targets and policies to achieve those measures, can another massive conventional coal plant be built in New Mexico?

The answer is simple: The Richardson Administration and the Majority Leadership in the Legislature have utterly failed to oppose this project. True, the Administration and the Legislature have little jurisdiction over the Navajo Nation. But this is beside the point: They do have jurisdiction over the proposed tax incentive, and if the Governor were really serious about doing something about global warming, he would use his bully pulpit to oppose the project and press for economic incentives to help convince the Navajo Nation that they do not need Desert Rock.

Instead, Richardson only indicated some mild concern about Desert Rock's impact in one newspaper article during the last Legislative Session, and nothing since, a far cry from his extensive opposition to drilling in Otero Mesa (which he also lacked jurisdiction over). The impact from Desert Rock will likely be far greater than drilling in Otero Mesa, by about a factor of 50 in terms of emissions (and more over the long term).

What about the Democratic Majority Leadership? They were fully FOR Desert Rock: The Senate Sponsor was the Senate Pro Tem Ben Altamirano and the House Leadership, headed by Speaker Ben Lujan, was by all accounts pushing hard for Desert Rock behind the scenes. Watch for the Speaker to route the Desert Rock incentive directly to the House Business & Industry Committee in the next session, to simply bypass the House Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Committee (which opposed and helped kill the bill during this past session). The House Business & Industry Committee is completely hopeless from an environmental issues standpoint (and the committee is chaired by the Speaker's goddaughter).

Why is the Democratic Leadership so in favor of Desert Rock? It is enough to note that the lobbyist of Sithe Global, Richard Minzer, is a major fund-raiser for the Democratic Party, and that Sithe Global has lots of money to contribute. It's another classic example of undue corporate influence in New Mexico.

It's great that there are environmental groups and Navajo groups like Dooda Desert Rock out there fighting hard. But they have no power to stop this project directly: Their role can only be to get our governments to oppose this project. Either that or be dragged off the site in hand-cuffs at the bitter end.

Unfortunately, they will likely fail to sway our state leaders, because the Governor, and the majority leadership, completely let us down. And the Navajo Nation, in the face of the possibility of $50 million in cash from Sithe Global each year, and with no counter offer from the State, is unlikely to change course either.

It's time for the New Mexico public to realize that the environmental and Navajo opposition to Desert Rock has effectively been steam-rolled by our elected officials, and to start really holding those officials accountable.

You can email the Governor at https://www.governor.state.nm.us/emailchoice.php?mm=6.

Editor's Note: This is a guest blog by Ben Luce, the former Chair and Policy Director of the New Mexico Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy (CCAE). Luce recently launched the nonpartisan citizen action group Break the Grip! because of concerns about the undue influence of powerful corporations on New Mexico government. Ben's previous guest blogs can be found here and here.

Guest blogs provide our readers with an opportunity to express their views on pertinent issues. The views expressed may or may not represent our views. If you'd like to submit a post for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand side of the page.

You can access recent posts on DFNM about the Desert Rock Power Plant and the public environmental impact statement hearings now being held around the state here and here.

July 16, 2007 at 09:03 AM in Corporatism, Democratic Party, Energy, Environment, Guest Blogger, Native Americans | Permalink | Comments (5)

Friday, July 13, 2007

Gov. Richardson Announces $3.5 M for Land, Wildlife, Clean Energy Projects

From the Office of the Governor:
SANTA FE – Governor Bill Richardson announced yesterday he will distribute a total of $3,514,000 to 17 projects throughout the state designed to promote land, wildlife and clean energy.

“We must protect our state’s extraordinary landscape – including working farms and ranches – and our abundant wildlife, and promote clean energy development,” said Governor Richardson. “A concentrated effort to fund these types of programs creates an important legacy for future generations to enjoy, while positioning our state to build a more vibrant economy for a cleaner, more secure energy future.”

Funding includes $2,314,000 for land and wildlife projects, and $1,200,000 for clean energy projects:

Farm/Ranch Land Protection and Natural Lands and Wildlife Projects include:

Circle A Ranch Conservation Easement $500,000
Conservation easement on 300 acres in the Los Pinos Valley of the Naciemento Mountains above Cuba in Sandoval County. The property is surrounded by the Santa Fe National Forest and is near the San Pedro Wilderness Area and the National Continental Divide Trail.  This is a priority watershed that provides agricultural and domestic surface water and this project will help ensure the quality and quantity of surface water for the future.  The conservation easement will tie the high priority water rights to the land and protect the acequia from divided ownerships. 

Socorro Bosque Project Conservation Easement $294,000
Socorro Bosque project provides for flood plain and wildlife habitat enhancement and restoration, watershed health and control of exotic species, plus a limit on future development.

Ranchland Conservation Easement in Southeastern New Mexico $180,000
This project will protect approximately 10,000 acres of prime rangeland for ongoing livestock production from subdivision and development. The easement will also preserve high-quality habitat for a variety of wildlife, including mule deer, elk, and pronghorn antelope, as well as scenic, open space.

Conservation Easement in Tome, Valencia County $125,000
A conservation easement that is located on traditional farmland on one of the middle Rio Grande’s most historic farming areas.

Bioresearch Ranch Conservation Easement in Hidalgo County $75,000
This project will protect 1,700 acres of pristine, natural habitat in the Peloncillo Mountains for a variety of flora and fauna, including several state and federally listed threatened and endangered species.  The property is adjacent to the Central Peloncillos Wilderness Study Area, administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and is part of a larger landscape that has been federally designated as both an Area of Critical Environmental Concern and a Research Natural Area.

Forests, Watersheds, Natural Areas and Wildlife Habitat Protection Projects include:

Rio Grande/Tonuco $300,000
These funds will be used for protection and enhancement for the first phase of 784 acre project straddling Rio Grande in Selden Canyon for wildlife habitat, recreation, agricultural preservation, and research.

La Cienega/Rael $200,000
This is a fee purchase of 180 acres on the Santa Fe River in BLM’s La Cienega Area of Critical Environmental Concern. El Camino Real National Historic Trail runs through the area.

La Joya, Bernardo Ladd Gordon Waterfowl Management Area $75,000
La Joya, Bernardo Ladd Gordon Waterfowl Management Area, owned and managed by the State Game Commission, provides wildlife habitat for hunting and viewing.  This project will upgrade outdated water infrastructure for 1,000 acres of wetland ponds.

Black River Watershed $6,000
Black River Watershed contains over 25 species of great conservation value occurring in the Black River drainage, including 13 listed species.  This project will inhibit trespassing that poses a threat to the critical habitat by providing protective fencing. 

Black River Learning Center $2,500
This project will provide watershed education and outreach in an outdoor educational display focusing on ecological diversity of the ecology of the Black River Watershed (the main tributary of the Pecos River).

Pecos River Aquatic Species $4,500
This is an outreach and education project about the introduction of nuisance species.

Outdoor Recreation and Trails:

Bottomless Lake State Park $252,000
This is a wetlands restoration project on 43 acres that will restore and enhance native aquatic habitat for 150 species (including several rare species), help restore ecosystem function within a tributary watershed to the Pecos River, and expand wildlife-related outdoor recreation and education opportunities.

Turquoise Trail; Gutierrez Canyon $300,000
This is a fee purchase of 420 acres that stretches from NM highway14 National Scenic Byways to the existing Gutierrez Canyon Open Space.  This project would double the size of this widely used recreational area and create a trailhead right off NM highway14.

Clean energy projects include:

Northern Recycling $200,000
Funding will enhance recycling opportunities in Northern Counties above Santa Fe.

The Renewable Energy Transmission Authority - $500,000
This is an authority designed to develop electric transmission infrastructure with an emphasis on renewable energy development.

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Act Audits $350,000
This program will conduct certified energy audits and provide certification to the New Mexico Finance Authority, which can issue up to $20 million in bonds to fund energy efficient and renewable energy renovations at state government, university and public school facilities.

Sustainable Building Professional Infrastructure Development $150,000
This program is designed to advance and expand the energy efficient green building professional infrastructure, provide for training workshops and develop promotional material.

In all, the $3.4 million will enable these projects to move forward with other matching funds that are valued at more than $30 million.  These projects cover the state and specifically focus on rural areas in Sandoval, Hidalgo, Santa Fe, Valencia, Lincoln, Chaves, Eddy, Dona Ana, Bernalillo, Socorro, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Guadalupe and Quay Counties.

July 13, 2007 at 04:34 PM in Energy, Environment | Permalink | Comments (0)

7/19: Speak Out Against Coal-Fired Desert Rock Power Plant

From the Natural Resources Defense Council:
I hope you’ll join NRDC and your fellow activists next Thursday in Albuquerque to speak out against a proposed power plant on the eastern edge of the Navajo Nation:

• When: Thursday, July 19th, 1:00 PM
• Where: Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th Street NW (1 block N of I-40), Albuquerque, NM

A global energy company and Diné Power Authority want to build a dirty, coal-fired power plant in northwest New Mexico, when the Four Corners area already has two of the most polluting power plants in the country!

The proposed Desert Rock power plant would release mercury and other toxic contaminants into the environment, polluting waterways and threatening human health. It would also significantly increase global warming pollution in New Mexico, at a time when states should be working to cut back these dangerous emissions.

The people of the Four Corners region would bear the burden of the plant’s environmental impacts – even though most of the power would be exported to Las Vegas and Phoenix. The Navajo Nation would receive less than 5 percent of the projected electricity output from Desert Rock. Many Navajo citizens still have no electricity in their homes.

If you are able, please join us at a public hearing in Albuquerque on July 19th and make your opposition felt. You will have the opportunity, if you wish, to speak publicly for two or three minutes against the proposed power plant. (See full details below.) Whether or not you wish to speak, I hope you will join us because there is great strength in numbers.

If you can attend, please email me at nrdcmembers@nrdc.org (and be sure to include your name and phone number). We’ll get back to you with more information and details, including pointers for preparing your comments, if any, and how to find an NRDC staffer when you arrive.

Thank you for helping to protect New Mexico’s environment.

Sincerely,
Laura E. Sanchez
Energy Solutions Advocate
Natural Resources Defense Council

Editor's Note: Also see our previous post about the public hearings and comment period on the Desert Rock Power Plant.

July 13, 2007 at 09:13 AM in Energy, Environment, Events, Native Americans | Permalink | Comments (3)

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