Looks Like Another $400 Million Flushed Down the Toilet on Abound Solar
Amazingly, Martin Heinrich Admits That He Opposes the Keystone XL Pipeline
His own words demonstrate just how "in over his head" Martin Heinrich is as an elected official. With zero command of the pertinent facts regarding who owns and controls oil reserves around the world, or just how critical intelligent energy policy is to the U.S. economy, Heinrich simply wanders from photo op to photo op around the state parroting the talking points of fellow economic illiterates in the radical environmental movement.
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| Martin Heinrich |
Even as gas prices skyrocket Heinrich doesn't seem to get it. Late this week he admitted to Rob Nikolewski of Capitol Report New Mexico that he was against the economic development and supply relief the Keystone XL Pipeline could bring to the U.S. “We’ve got to stop being dependent on Exxon Mobil and the big oil companies to determine the health of our economy,” Heinrich chirped.
While 
Exxon Mobil might be a convenient target for Heinrich and somewhat easy to demonize, if you combine the total reserves of Exxon with those of Chevron and Conoco you will find they control less than 7% of worldwide oil reserves. If Heinrich cared to become educated instead keeping domestic oil companies handy for disparagement, he would quickly discover that “Big Oil” isn’t Exxon Mobil, Chevron, or Conoco. Big Oil is Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Russia. Big Oil is OPEC and our domestic oil companies have no more control over suppies coming out of Russia, Iran, or Saudi Arabia than Martin Heinrich does.
Exxon Mobil might be a convenient target for Heinrich and somewhat easy to demonize, if you combine the total reserves of Exxon with those of Chevron and Conoco you will find they control less than 7% of worldwide oil reserves. If Heinrich cared to become educated instead keeping domestic oil companies handy for disparagement, he would quickly discover that “Big Oil” isn’t Exxon Mobil, Chevron, or Conoco. Big Oil is Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Russia. Big Oil is OPEC and our domestic oil companies have no more control over suppies coming out of Russia, Iran, or Saudi Arabia than Martin Heinrich does.
Anyone listening to Congressman Martin Heinrich should quickly realize he either chooses to remain ignorant about energy realities or he is intentionally misleading New Mexicans. Either way he is not leadership timber. Astonishingly, in the wake of the bankruptcy of Solyndra, which cost taxpayers more than $525 million and the announcement earlier this week that yet another green energy government loan recipient, Abound Solar, will lay off half its workforce, Heinrich continues to support the idea of throwing money at these subsidy dependent alternative energy losers as a means of creating jobs in America or in New Mexico. In the meantime he opposes policies that would hold gas prices in check.
Of course Heinrich is not his party’s nominee yet. He must get past State Auditor Hector Balderas in the Democratic primary. But if Heinrich actually prevails over Balderas, the choice for New Mexico in November is a no-brainer. Whether it is Heather Wilson or Greg Sowards, New Mexicans need to send Heinrich packing before he can cast one more boneheaded vote that squanders our dwindling resources on hair-brained schemes like Solyndra and Abound Solar. Enough already of taxpayer losses, future layoffs, and politicians who cannot grasp the basic essence of economic futility.
Gov Signs State Budget, Vetoes $2M
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| The Roundhouse |
Governor Prepares to Veto Pork Proposals
"Some things the cities could do for themselves," said Martinez. "Maybe they could repair cabinets in a senior center, versus a big road project or a big dam repair, something that we're responsible for."
Exhibit A, $80,000 for musical instruments and bathrooms for a mariachi music program for at-risk kids in Roswell.
Exhibit B might be $25,000 for improvements to the rose garden at Albuquerque's Tony Hillerman Library.
Read full story here: News New Mexico
New law clarifies NM uranium enrichment tax break
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| Susana Martinez |
Debt Limit Commentary
"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America 's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the US Government cannot pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America 's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that, "the buck stops here.' Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better."
~ Senator Barack H. Obama, March 2006
Heavy Hand of EPA Continues Obama Assault on Coal, Electric Bills Likely to Rise
Yesterday the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver denied requests by PNM and others to put on hold a new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency visibility requirement on the company’s primary power source, the San Juan Generating Station near Farmington, N.M.
The court will now consider the merits of appeals of the requirement by PNM, the N.M. Environment Department and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez. Those parties maintain EPA’s mandate would cost New Mexico electric ratepayers and others about $750 million or more while a New Mexico plan could meet the same federal visibility rules for $77 million, or about one-tenth of the cost.
Vincent-Collawn added: “Today’s decision does increase our focus on convincing EPA administrators to quickly approve the New Mexico plan and, prior to taking that action, put the EPA requirement on hold. These actions are consistent with the Clean Air Act and EPA’s regulations and will serve interests of New Mexico’s economy and its electric consumers. The EPA has full, discretionary authority to grant that stay today.”
EPA’s aggressive, five-year compliance deadline for the San Juan plant to install the agency’s chosen technology, selective catalytic reduction (SCR), requires PNM to begin preparing to install that technology now even though the court ultimately could find it unnecessary.
New Mexico has approved a plan to meet the federal visibility rules by installing a different technology, selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR), on all units at the San Juan plant. PNM supports that plan, which would reduce San Juan's emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 20 percent annually. Combined with reductions resulting from a major environmental upgrade completed in 2009, this would represent an annual NOx reduction of 73 percent from 2006 levels.
The court will now consider the merits of appeals of the requirement by PNM, the N.M. Environment Department and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez. Those parties maintain EPA’s mandate would cost New Mexico electric ratepayers and others about $750 million or more while a New Mexico plan could meet the same federal visibility rules for $77 million, or about one-tenth of the cost.
Today’s ruling is a decision by the court not to put implementation of EPA’s plan on hold while the issue is considered by the court.
“We remain committed to resolving this issue and, ultimately, to installing the most cost-effective, new visibility controls on the San Juan power plant,” said Pat Vincent-Collawn, chairman, president and CEO of PNM parent company PNM Resources. “In the meantime, we have a strong case to make that EPA violated the Clean Air Act and its own regulations in determining the best available retrofit technology for the plant.”Vincent-Collawn added: “Today’s decision does increase our focus on convincing EPA administrators to quickly approve the New Mexico plan and, prior to taking that action, put the EPA requirement on hold. These actions are consistent with the Clean Air Act and EPA’s regulations and will serve interests of New Mexico’s economy and its electric consumers. The EPA has full, discretionary authority to grant that stay today.” New Mexico has approved a plan to meet the federal visibility rules by installing a different technology, selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR), on all units at the San Juan plant. PNM supports that plan, which would reduce San Juan's emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 20 percent annually. Combined with reductions resulting from a major environmental upgrade completed in 2009, this would represent an annual NOx reduction of 73 percent from 2006 levels.
Postal closures concern election officials, voters
John Stossel Dinner in Alb.
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| John Stossel |
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