Eastern NM farmers could plant less this spring

Star-Telegram - There's a good chance fewer acres of crops will be planted in eastern New Mexico and West Texas, according to agriculture officials. Parmer County, Texas, Agriculture Agent Benji Henderson said farmers will likely be planting a lot less corn this spring. "With our water situation the way it is with the drought, we're trying to find a substitute for corn silage," Henderson said. "We're planting a lot of sorghum silage instead of corn silage. And I think we'll still see a lot of cotton planted." Henderson said cotton is much more tolerant of the drought, because it can tolerate less water whereas corn cannot. He said green beans and black-eyed peas are the main vegetable crops in Parmer County. "We gotta have some help to make them (vegetable crops) work. It takes a lot more emphasis and a lot more water to grow a vegetable crop," Henderson said. "There will be some planted but who knows. We learned last year we don't have enough water to go with 100 percent irrigation. We need some help from Mother Nature." Henderson said green bean and black-eyed pea crops should still be able to fair this season. Eastern New Mexico received a little more than 10 inches of precipitation in 2011, according to Accuweather.com, which is way below the historical average of with 19.11 The dry weather has continued in 2012 with .25 inches of moisture through March, with the normal amount being 1.88 inches. Across the border in New Mexico, farmers are taking a wait-and-see approach. Read More News New Mexico

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Eastern NM farmers could plant less this spring

EPA Refuses Equal Treatement to PNM, A Different Standard for Other States

Pat Vincent-Collawn

(ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.) – PNM today requested changes to the New Mexico air permit for San Juan Generating Station to allow for the installation of new visibility controls at the plant in the next several years. “We are prepared to move forward on installing new environmental controls that will meet federal visibility requirements and further reduce the plant’s emissions. Our strong preference is to do this in the most cost-effective way so that the cost to PNM customers and our state’s economy is kept as low as possible,” said Pat Vincent-Collawn, chairman, president and CEO of PNM parent company PNM Resources.
PNM is appealing a mandate by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that the San Juan plant install one particular technology, selective catalytic reduction (SCR), to meet a federal visibility requirement. The State of New Mexico has approved a different technology, selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR), that can meet that same federal requirement for about one-tenth the cost of EPA’s plan. Initial engineering estimates put the cost of EPA’s plan at about $750 million or more, while the state plan would cost about $77 million.
“Both technologies would improve visibility in regional parks and wilderness areas and represent progress toward meeting the state’s goal to restore visibility in those areas to a natural state by 2064, as required by the Clean Air Act,” Vincent-Collawn added. Read rest of story here: News New Mexico

EPA Refuses Equal Treatement to PNM, A Different Standard for Other States

Sapphire Obtains Private Funding to Go With Stimulus Money and a DOE "GUARANTEE"

New Mexico Business Journal - Sapphire Energy Inc. has closed on a $144 million series C round of funding for its algae-to-oil commercial demonstration project in Columbus, N.M. Arrowpoint Partners, Monsanto Co. and other undisclosed investors contributed to the round. The new funding brings total public and private investment in Sapphire to $300 million, said Sapphire President and Chairman Cynthia Warner.
The company previously received $104.5 million in federal funding for the Columbus project. It includes $50 million in stimulus money and a $54.5 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Agriculture U.S. Warner said the latest private investment shows investors are confident in Sapphire’s technology, which turns algae oil into renewable gasoline that is genetically identical to sweet crude pumped from the ground. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Sapphire Obtains Private Funding to Go With Stimulus Money and a DOE "GUARANTEE"

Martinez Unloads Another Plane

1976 Beechcraft King Air

KOB - Gov. Susana Martinez's administration has sold a state airplane for $245,000. The General Services Department on Thursday announced the sale of a 1976 Beechcraft King Air, which had been grounded since 2007. The agency estimated it would have cost the state $1 million to upgrade the twin-engine plane. The buyer of the plane was Fayard Enterprises, a Wake Forest, N.C. company that supplies aircraft for skydiving operations.The agency continues to try to sell another plane, a 1983 Gulfstream Turbo Commander. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Martinez Unloads Another Plane

10th Launch From Spaceport America

Spaceport America, NM – New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) officials announced the tenth launch from Spaceport America by UP Aerospace of Denver, Colorado. The liftoff of the sub-orbital sounding rocket took place from Spaceport America's vertical launch complex at approximately 8:18 a.m. (MST), within the dedicated, five-hour launch window. The rocket reached its sub-orbital altitude of 73 miles or 385,640 feet (117 km), accomplishing a new Spaceport America altitude record.
The launch was a non-public, unpublished event at the request of UP Aerospace, Inc. The primary payloads were Department of Defense (DoD) experiments. Additional payloads were carried for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the University of Texas and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
“This successful sub-orbital flight marks our tenth flight from Spaceport America, and we are excited to be delivering payloads for the DoD and other clients like the FAA and the University of Texas,” said Jerry Larson, president of UP Aerospace, Inc.
“UP Aerospace has now been successfully operating from Spaceport America for over five years, and we look forward to hosting many more of their launches as we move forward. During Phase Two of spaceport construction, which is now underway, we are in the process of expanding and improving our Vertical Launch Complex to enhance service to valued customers like Up Aerospace,” said NMSA Executive Director Christine Anderson.

10th Launch From Spaceport America

NMSU raises tuition, housing, parking costs

Las Cruces Sun News - A number of New Mexico State University students expressed dismay over across-the-board tuition and fee increases approved Thursday by the university's governing body. Tuition will increase for in-state and non-residents; undergraduates and graduates; and students at NMSU's four branch colleges, including Doña Ana Community College. Officials also approved fee increases for parking passes and campus housing. The Board of Regents approved a 3.7 percent hike —about $107 per semester —for resident, undergraduates taking a full-time course load on the main campus, according to campus officials. So, next fall's bill will total $3,020. The five regents, including Student Regent Christopher Dulany, approved the increases, after little discussion and no debate amongst themselves. Business student Wade Baize, 21, a junior, said he doesn't receive the state's lottery scholarship, and grants and scholarships seem to be harder to find in the tough economy —reasons a tuition increase is hard to stomach. "No one likes it," he said. "I don't like it. It means we've got to pay more for school." Baize said his parents help out with his school costs, but he also has a job. And he doesn't have much choice but to find a way to pay for the impending increase. Read More News New Mexico

NMSU raises tuition, housing, parking costs

Heather Wilson Has GOP Confident in New Mexico

Heather Wilson

Roll Call - There’s no coffer-draining primary, no sign of a Democratic wave and no more straight-ticket voting. But most of all it’s likely nominee Heather Wilson that has national Republicans confident in the tossup New Mexico Senatorial race. The former Congresswoman was handed a rare opportunity for a political do-over in a state that could prove crucial to the GOP’s chances of winning the Senate majority. The race could go either way, and that’s notable given what happened in the last presidential cycle. Wilson, who represented the Albuquerque-based 1st district for five full terms, has all but sewn up the GOP nomination for the seat of retiring Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D). She will likely face Rep. Martin Heinrich (D), who succeeded Wilson in the House and is favored to win his primary with state Auditor Hector Balderas. New Mexico insiders from both parties describe Wilson, an Air Force Academy graduate, as a tough and disciplined campaigner, a strong fundraiser and someone whose broad support, including among Hispanics, is in the mold of former Sen. Pete Domenici (R). There’s also no better wingman in the state than Gov. Susana Martinez, a likely surrogate whom Wilson has known for about 20 years. Read More News New Mexico

Heather Wilson Has GOP Confident in New Mexico

Las Cruces among nation’s fastest-growing metros

New Mexico Business Weekly - Las Cruces was the 30th fastest-growing metropolitan area in the U.S. between 2010 and 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau said Thursday. The area’s population grew by 2.1 percent, or 4,364 people, between April 2010 and July 2011. In 2011, the area had a population of 213,598. Las Cruces was the only New Mexico metro area that made the Census Bureau’s list of the 50 fastest-growing metro areas. New Mexico’s population grew by 6,733 during the period, for a 0.3 percent growth rate. Bernalillo County’s population grew by 1,861, or 0.3 percent. Texas had 10 metro areas on the list of the 50 fastest-growing areas, Colorado had four, Utah two and Arizona one. The fastest-growing metro area in the U.S. was Kennewick-Pasco-Richland in Washington state. Its population increased by 10,793, or 4.3 percent. Nearly all of the 50 fastest-growing areas were in the South or West, the Census Bureau said. Read More News New Mexico 

Las Cruces among nation’s fastest-growing metros

State Supreme Court to weigh in on ballot issue

New Mexico Supreme Court

Santa Fe New Mexican - New Mexico's top court is wading into the controversy over what information is required for a candidate to qualify for the June primary election ballot. The New Mexico Supreme Court on Wednesday scheduled oral arguments for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday after consolidating 10 lawsuits involving various political contests around the state, including a challenge against least one leader in the state Legislature. In those lawsuits candidates seek to disqualify their primary-election opponents on the grounds that they failed to note the district or district number on nominating petitions submitted last month to the New Mexico Secretary of State's office. Justice Charles Daniels, who signed the order, said in a brief telephone interview with The New Mexican that the state's top court had scheduled the hearing after receiving a request from Secretary of State Dianna Duran for the court to settle the issue. Duran's petition, filed Tuesday, asks the court to "consolidate and ultimately determine the merits of several petition signature challenges asserting that a candidate failed to sufficiently identify the district in which he or she is running" in violation of state law. The Secretary of State's office qualified each of those candidates to be on the ballot for the June 5 primary election. Read More News New Mexico

State Supreme Court to weigh in on ballot issue

JetBlue CEO sees Albuquerque as 'good market' for expansion

Jet Blue CEO Dave Barger

New Mexico Business Weekly - Albuquerqueans love their airport, but one complaint I hear a lot is the lack of direct flights, at least for points East. There has been talk for several years of luring JetBlue Airways to the Albuquerque International Sunport, with direct flights to New York, and JetBlue CEO Dave Barger says that’s a possibility. Barger was in town recently and met with Mayor Richard J. Berry. Ann Rhoades, president of People Ink in Albuquerque and a founding executive of JetBlue who serves on the company’s board, set up the meeting, Barger said. “We had a good meeting,” he said. “The mayor will be in New York within the next 30 days, and he’ll stop by our new offices here.” Barger said he thinks it’s quite likely JetBlue could expand service to the Sunport, although he cautioned that the company struggles with longer-haul routes because of the cost of oil, and Albuquerque is a tad farther from New York than, say, Florida. “I think a lot of people are unaware of New Mexico,” Barger said. Read More News New Mexico 

JetBlue CEO sees Albuquerque as 'good market' for expansion