A Republican — yes a Republican — runs for state House of Reps in same district as Sheryl Williams Stapleton

Erica Landry
Capitol Report New MexicoAt one time, Erica Landry not only supported Sheryl Williams Stapleton, she campaigned for her. Now, the 52-year-old community activist is running in Stapleton’s House of Representatives district in Albuquerque – as a Republican in a district that is heavily Democrat. “I know things are not going well [in District 19] and yes, it’s time for a change,” Landry told Capitol Report New Mexicoby phone Thursday (March 29). Landry has lived in southeast Albuquerque since 1993 and says she wants to reduce crime and improve the economic health of the district. “I want to help create wealth in an area where there is blight,” she said. A holder of a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from UNM, Landry was once an adjunct professor at UNM and was a director of community releations for a time at Santa Fe Public Schools. She’s also served on a number of civic organizations, including the City of Albuquerque Indicator Progress Commission, where she served as commissioner in 2007. Read More News New Mexico

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Maestas Has Two Chances to Win, Luevano One

Antonio "Moe" Maestas
Albuquerque lawyer and Representative Antonio “Moe” Maestas filed a court challenge to the “residency” of his opponent Johnny Luevano yesterday. If successful the challenge would pave the way for Maestas to be unopposed in his bid to retain his House seat in District # 16.
Under the veneer of technicalities, the questions facing the courts are all about the rights of active duty military servants. Luevano has been an active duty Marine until he recently retired. He has owned the property in question and paid taxes on it for several years while serving in the military and moving from one assignment to another in various places. Expecting to move into his newly built Albuquerque-area home months ago, the bureaucracy at the City of Albuquerque dragged its feet in issuing the final occupancy permit to Luevano. Coincidentally just a few days AFTER the official residency deadline, Luevano did receive his final permit. The question of Luevano's eligibility was immediately put before Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver by progressive political activists earlier this month. Their efforts to throw the election to Maestas failed when Toulouse Oliver made the decision to certify Luevano’s candidacy and put him on the ballot.
Johnny Luevano
The hearing for the latest Maestas challenge is set for April 9th. This hearing will be of interest to all veterans, all New Mexicans who are serving on active-duty in the military, just recently completed active duty, and all others who appreciate the service and disruption to life facing active duty military people. The case has the possibility to set a precedent to roll back basic rights surrounding active-duty military servants and their efforts to establish permanent residences. What is New Mexico's approach to those in military service who maintain their hometown residency for voting purposes and then build homes for permanent residence here after their tour of duty is over?
Instead of pondering that question and all it entails, it seems that for Representative Maestas it is all about securing as many chances to win as possible. First the progressives took their shot at the County Clerk. As a lawyer, Maestas understands he has an opportunity take Luevano into court after the Bernalillo County Clerk certified Luevano's candidacy. In doing so, Maestas has a relatively inexpensive shot at convincing the court to ignore the complications of military service and how the transition from active duty to retirement can affect the seemingly simple task of establishing permanent residency. Maestas is no dummy. This will be his second shot at winning the District #16 House seat. If he loses in the courtroom in April, he will still have one more shot, when District #16 finally gets to vote in November. Other than making running for office even more complicated for those who risk life and limb for their country, it's a pretty darn slick campaign strategy.


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Facts Not Critical to Sierra Club Approach

Earlier this week the Sierra Club announced it reached a legal settlement with PNM Resources. In what can only be accurately characterized as an extremely misleading press release, the Sierra Club suggested Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM), PNM Resources, and San Juan Coal Company (a subsidiary of BHP Billiton, Ltd.) must spend millions of dollars to stop ground and surface water contamination caused by toxic coal ash waste and other sources at the San Juan Coal Mine and San Juan Generating Station coal-fired power plant.
The problem with the press release is there is NO ground or surface water contamination downstream from the plant and coal mine that originates from coal ash or other sources at the plant or coal mine. In fact, the settlement agreement does not require any change in the way coal is mined or handled. It also does not require any change in how coal ash is managed at the plant or placed at the coal mine. Placement of coal ash at the mine is already required by the state as part of the mine reclamation procedures. Coal ash is not regulated as a hazardous, or “toxic,” waste. And the system the companies are installing is only a “capture” system. There is no requirement that any of the water captured in the system be treated in any respect.
Despite all the bluster of the radicals in the Sierra Club, the power plants are in compliance with federal and state permits and the plant in San Juan County undergoes regular, rigorous inspection by state and federal regulators. As a result of the latest $320 million environmental upgrade at San Juan which was completed in 2009, the San Juan Generating Station became an industry leader in mercury emissions control. It has achieved a 99 percent mercury removal rate based on EPA-required stack testing and exceeds the EPA’s recently implemented mercury removal standards. Additionally, PNM scrubs 100% of the flue gas from each of the four units in the four corners area and also uses state-of-the-art technology to remove 99 percent of the particulate matter (or “soot”) in the flue gas.
In completely mischaracterizing the nature of the settlement, it appears that pining for more donations is remains the primary objective of the Sierra Club. The release also said, “PNM ought to invest in creating energy from clean sources like solar panels, instead of continuing to expose our air, water and land to toxic pollution from coal.”
Always on the offensive, what the Sierra Club failed to mention is that under mandates passed during the Richardson administration, PNM already has significant investments in renewable energy programs. In fact, PNM entered the renewable arena long before renewable energy mandates existed.
Back in 2003, PNM agreed to purchase all the energy produced by the New Mexico Wind Energy Center, which at the time was the world’s third-largest wind facility. In 2011, the utility invested $95 million to add 22 megawatts of solar power to its system. And, PNM has the state’s largest solar distributed generation program. About 2,400 customers have installed solar systems, amounting to 15 megawatts of power. PNM provides credits to these customers as an incentive to invest in solar technology. The program more than doubled in 2011.
For New Mexico citizens served by PNM it is naïve to think the company could easily move away from fossil fuels, like coal. There is simply NO technology to store wind or solar power. A complete move to these much more expensive resources is virtually impossible.
It is unfortunate that the Sierra Club feels compelled to engage in misinforming the public regarding electrical power in New Mexico. In doing so it puts pressure on existing power sources, electricity prices, and the possibility of blackouts in this area. Electricity blackouts are not GREEN, they are dangerous to the health and welfare of New Mexico.

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Kilmer refocuses energy into Mark Twain project

Val Kilmer 
Santa Fe New MexicanSince selling his ranch near Santa Fe for millions of dollars last year, Val Kilmer has made something of a career shift, immersing himself in the character of Mark Twain while trying to develop his own film project. The 52-year-old actor is back in Los Angeles, where he is appearing in a one-man stage show as Twain, part of preparations to portray him in a film about the author and his historical adversary, Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy. Kilmer, who has been working on the project for years, posted a note on the movie's website last year that said, "I have made a crucial decision to sell my home so that I might continue the momentum that is required to create a film as unique as its subject." The website has a button where visitors can donate to the project and invites them to share ideas, including casting suggestions for the various historical figures in his original screenplay. "We have a long way to go before our film is financed," he said in a January 2011 note addressed to supporters of the project, "but there has been a weekly increase of donors and this is energizing and exciting news for us all." Kilmer, who was raised as a Christian Scientist in Los Angeles, has told interviewers that in recent years he "opted for a quiet life in New Mexico" after such career-making roles as Batman, Jim Morrison and Doc Holliday. Read More News New Mexico

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