New Mexico

Climate activists are ‘pissed’ after Lujan Grisham vetoed EV tax credits

Following a veto by Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for electric vehicle tax credits, which would help mostly the wealthy who can afford EVs, “climate change” groups are livid.

The tax credits were part of the massive omnibus tax package, which was mostly vetoed by Lujan Grisham. 

According to the Associated Press, “The state would provide a $2,500 refundable personal income tax credit toward the purchase of an electric vehicle — or up … to $4,000 for low-income residents, with an additional $300 credit for car-charging equipment and installation.” Those provisions died on the governor’s desk.

Dark money group Youth United for Climate Crisis Action (YUCCA) spokesperson Sofia Jenkins-Nieto said she was “pissed” with the governor’s vetoes.

“In terms of the governor’s vetoes, of the few small green tax incentives that the 2023 legislature included in the budget – it’s outrageous that she wouldn’t even let that move forward for sure, but let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that was anywhere near what is needed,” Jenkins-Nieto said. “The legislature failed us, and it did so under the leadership of the governor.”

The far-left dark money group, the Sierra Club’s Rio Grande Chapter director Camilla Feibelman whined about the veto, saying, “Those five tax credits represented huge amounts of work and consensus and leadership from the House and Senate, and to have them summarily vetoed is hurtful and it’s harmful.”

The leftist Western Environmental Law Center wrote, “She promised New Mexicans she would act on climate, but has instead opposed multiple comprehensive climate bills and has now vetoed the only major climate action the legislature passed in 2023. Climate legislation is unlikely in 2024’s short budgetary legislative session—the halfway point for Lujan Grisham’s final term. Gov. Lujan Grisham’s promise of net zero emissions has disintegrated into net zero climate action while climate-caused fires and floods have turned large swaths of New Mexico into disaster areas.”

Co-coordinator of 350.org New Mexico, Tom Solomon, wrote, “This governor had a chance to expand the climate leadership she showed in 2019 by passing the ETA (Energy Transition Act). She did the opposite.”

Far-left state Sen. Carrie Hamblen (D-Las Cruces) claimed the state is “out of time” for “climate” action, saying in one report, “The plans have to be twice as aggressive in the next legislative session to approach and address these climate issues. We’re not running out of time anymore, we’re out of time.”

The whining comes after the governor signed 18 bills that the group Source New Mexico has labeled “Climate and Environmental Bills.” 

The governor’s spokeswoman Maddy Hayen claimed Lujan Grisham is a “national leader in the climate space,” adding, “We are by no means stopping there: the governor will continue to pursue meaningful, bold climate action measures in the next session and throughout her second term.”

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Lujan Grisham tied for least popular governor in America

According to a new Morning Consult poll, Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham remains one of America’s least popular governors, with 51 percent of respondents saying they approve of her, while 43 percent disapprove. 

She is the least popular governor in the country, tied with Democrat Jay Inslee of Washington state, with the same number of approvals and disapprovals.

Other unpopular governors include Greg Abbott of Texas (R), Tony Evers of Wisconsin (D), J.B. Pritzker of Illinois (D), and Tate Reeves of Mississippi (R). 

Lujan Grisham is up only three percentage points from the last Morning Consult governor poll taken before the 2022 midterm elections, which showed her at 48 percent approval, with 45 percent disapproving of her. 

She squeaked by in the 2022 election, garnering 52 percent of the vote to Republican Mark Ronchetti’s 45.6 percent. 

Screenshot of poll via Morning Consult: https://morningconsult.com/2023/04/19/joe-manchin-jon-tester-approval-rating/

Following the 2023 Legislative Session, both Democrats and Republicans were angered by the governor, with Democrats claiming she did not act enough on “climate change policies,” while Republicans remained furious over her many bad bills passed, including H.B. 7 to ban pro-life laws and H.B. 4 to rewrite New Mexico’s election code. 

Lujan Grisham is now termed-out as governor, and far-left Democrat U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich has reportedly made moves toward a gubernatorial run in 2026.

Morning Consult’s surveys were conducted “Jan. 1-March 31, 2023, among representative samples of registered voters in each state, with unweighted margins of error of +/-1 to 5 percentage points.”

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Haaland bursts into tears during tense congressional hearing

During a U.S. House Natural Resources Committee hearing Wednesday, Joe Biden’s Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a former congresswoman from New Mexico, burst into tears while talking about “climate change.”

She said, “All of this is because climate change is the crisis of our lifetime!” claiming weather events were responsible for changes in temperature. “We can’t continue to be a one-industry country, referring to oil, gas, and coal.

WATCH:

Also during the hearing, Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN), chair of the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee, rebuked Haaland about the administration’s decision to ban new mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Stauber claimed Haaland had “no idea” what she was doing when her department issued the “ill-informed decision,” which he said, “has left the U.S. more dependent on China.”

Ranking member Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) came to Haaland’s defense, claiming Republicans were “berating” her during the tense hearing.

Politico reported the hearing to be “tense.”

Following the dissemination of the clip showing Haaland crying, the New Mexico-based Rio Grande Foundation think tank wrote, “Climate change is the official religion of the left. But they would rather abandon nuclear power than actually solve the problem.” 

In many previous congressional hearings where Haaland has testified, she has failed to answer basic questions that pertain to her role as Interior secretary. 

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Colorado just became a ‘safe haven’ for minor gender transition ‘tourism’

New Mexico’s neighboring state of Colorado just became the “first transgender tourism state,” according to the Daily Mail, which reported on three new laws signed by Democrat Gov. Jared Polis to allow children to travel for puberty blockers even if the drugs are banned in the states where they live.

“It makes Colorado a safe haven for children under-18 with gender dysphoria looking for puberty blockers, hormone therapies and sex change operations – which have been restricted in more than a dozen Republican states,” reports the Daily Mail. Children can now travel to the state and undergo gender reassignment surgery and hormone replacement therapy without their parents.

The other laws Polis signed include proposals similar to New Mexico’s, which harbors criminal abortionists from extradition to other states for abortion crimes.

“Colorado also became the first state in October 2021 to include transition-related care for transgender people as part of the requirements for essential health care in the state, meaning people looking to access those transition services will be able to use the health insurance they pay for to get the care they need,” noted the report. 

Republican states have moved to protect children from child mutilation, with states such as Indiana prohibiting minors from accessing hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and surgeries in the state.

New Mexico state Rep. John Block responded to Polis signing the bill, which he dubbed as “child mutilation trafficking.” 

He wrote, “New Mexico is known as the abortion up-to-birth trafficking state and now Colorado is known as the child mutilation trafficking state. God help us and may He save our children!”

During the 2023 Legislative Session, Democrats rammed through a bill, H.B. 207, which adds “gender identity” as a protected class under the state’s Human Rights Act. Block presented an amendment during the bill’s consideration that would protect children from efforts to force their gender ideology in school locker rooms and sports. That amendment died. 

Although New Mexico is not the first “transgender tourism state,” it is the first abortion up-to-birth state, stripping all protections for women, babies, and doctors in its 2021 legislation.

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Vasquez trails other vulnerable Democrats in fundraising numbers

According to Rep. Gabe Vasquez’s (NM-CD-2) recently filed Federal Election Commission (FEC) report, the first-term vulnerable Democrat is massively trailing other vulnerable Democrats in fundraising numbers and cash-on-hand balances.

According to Roll Call, “Of the 31 Democrats in seats that will be in play next year according to Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, the average incumbent raised $420,000 during the quarter and had $400,000 on hand on March 31.”

But Vasquez only raised $365,385.45 for the fundraising quarter, leaving him with a mere $303,273.52 cash on hand. Less than half of that was from New Mexico donors.

Last month, Vasquez was cited as one of the most vulnerable House Democrats with little money in the bank. 

“Among those who are most vulnerable is Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM), who won his seat by only 0.6 percentage points in 2022 and whose race has been deemed a tossup by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Despite strong fundraising numbers resulting in a total of more than $3.6 million raised, Vasquez is starting off the 2024 campaign cycle with only $22,776 cash on hand,” reported the Washington Examiner

A majority of Vasquez’s lackluster campaign haul included $5,000 from U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján’s leadership PAC, Turquoise PAC, $5,000 from the Sen. Martin Heinrich-aligned Lobo PAC, $2,000 from the pro-mask, pro-lockdown NEA PAC, $1,000 from the League of Conservation Voters PAC, $1,000 from the anti-free speech End Citizens United PAC, and $1,000 from leftist Congressman Joe Neguse’s (D-CO) congressional campaign, among others.

The news also comes just one week following former Second Congressional District Congresswoman Yvette Herrell’s announcement in Las Cruces alongside U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) that she is running to reclaim the District.

“It’s embarrassing Gabe Vasquez is coming up short on fundraising. Clearly, New Mexicans have taken notice of the way Vasquez has fallen in line with the extremist wing of the Democrat party during his first four months in Congress, and Republicans look forward to taking back this seat in 2024,” wrote National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokeswoman Delanie Bomar.

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City takes on NM governor, AG in groundbreaking abortion pill lawsuit

During a press conference outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., the City of Eunice in Lea County, New Mexico, announced a new lawsuit against the state’s Democrat Attorney General Raúl Torrez and Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The lawsuit revolves around the governor’s recent signing of H.B. 7, preempting local governments from enacting pro-life laws that restrict abortion. It also comes as the state Supreme Court is set to rule on another case spurred by a lawsuit from Torrez regarding local governments and the Comstock Act. This Act relates to interstate commerce, prohibiting obscene materials from the passage between state lines.

“Federal law imposes criminal liability on every person who ships or receives abortion pills or abortion-related paraphernalia through the mail, an express service, a common carrier, or an interactive computer service,” the City of Eunice wrote in the lawsuit.

“These federal criminal prohibitions apply in every state, including states where abortion remains legal, and anyone who violates 18 U.S.C. §§ 1461 and 1462 is subject to five years’ imprisonment for a first violation and ten years’ imprisonment for each subsequent violation. The shipment or receipt of abortion drugs or abortion-related equipment is also a predicate offense under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), 18 U.S.C. §§ 1961-1968, which subjects abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood- and each of their employees, volunteers, and donors -to civil and criminal liability under federal RICO.”

The City of Eunice passed an ordinance mandating abortion facilities comply with U.S. law, which trumps state laws.

“The Attorney General of New Mexico has sued other cities and counties that have enacted similar ordinances on the supposed ground that the Constitution of New Mexico confers a state-law right to act in violation of a federal criminal statute. And the New Mexico legislature recently enacted House Bill 7, which purports to confer a state-law right to ‘access or provide reproductive health care … within the medical standard of care’ and empowers the Attorney General to sue local jurisdictions that infringe this newly created state-law right.”

On the Supreme Court steps, local Eunice officials, including Mayor Billy Hobbs, state Sen. David Gallegos, and Councilwoman Erica Jones, Councilman Chris Hanie, were joined by pro-life leadersEthel Maharg of the Right to Life Committee of New Mexico, Southwest Coalition for Life’s Mark Cavaliere, Lea County Right to Life’s Lori Bova, Dr. Michael New of the Catholic University of New Mexico, Sister Dede Byrne, Mark Lee Dickson of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative, GraceWay Baptist Church Pastor Brad Wells, and others. A live stream of the press conference can be seen here.

“Our attorney is providing local counsel for Eunice, and we will be bringing you updates as the case proceeds,” wrote the pro-life legal group Abortion On Trial, referencing attorney Mike Seibel. 

In an exclusive interview, Seibel told the Piñon Post, “The biggest testimony for New Mexico conservatives is they are willing to dig in and fight for what they believe is morally right,” adding, “The people are doing this, and I’m proud of them.”

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Rep. John Block on ‘Tipping Point New Mexico’ podcast with Paul Gessing

On Friday, the Rio Grande Foundation (RGF) released its Tipping Point New Mexico podcast featuring state Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo), who is also the founder and editor of the Piñon Post.

Block recently ranked the highest among all other legislators on the 2023 Freedom Index.

RGF’s President Paul Gessing asked Block about the 2023 Legislative Session and other topics in the “wide-ranging” discussion.

Watch the entire interview here:

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During CBS appearance, MLG pressed on NM’s ‘controversial’ no-limit abortions

While appearing on CBS News’ Face the Nation Sunday, Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham doubled down on her pro-abortion stance, telling host Margaret Brennan regarding a recent ruling by a Texas judge to halt the use of one of the two drugs used in medication abortions, “if we’re going to use the federal courts as a way to bar and ban access, we are looking at a national abortion ban and more. And I think states have to band together to do as much as they can in opposition to that.”

“So, currently, in New Mexico, abortion is legal. But you don’t actually have a law codifying it. I know you want to write one,” said Brennan.

Lujan Grisham responded, “We do—we do now. So the last time I was here, we didn’t. And you were, and thank you, talking about Colorado’s work. We now have a law both codifying [the] right to abortion, abortion care and access, as well as gender-affirming care in the state. So that just got signed by me,” referring to the controversial H.B. 7 passed this legislative session.

The fate of the bill is currently tied up at the state Supreme Court, where a case regarding local pro-life ordinances is being heard.

Brennan asked, “What so, nail down for me then how do you define because up till now my understanding is there wasn’t a limit on when in pregnancy, a woman could receive an abortion? Have you set any limit on that?”

“There are no limits,” answered Lujan Grisham.

“That’s very controversial,” responded Brennan.

“It can be,” noted Grisham, trying to pivot to a statistic claiming one percent of all abortions are after 21 weeks, claiming, “New Mexico’s position, and mine, is that we should not be interfering with a woman’s right medical situation and her decision about that life-threatening potential circumstance. We shouldn’t be doing that.” 

“So your state has become this haven of sorts for the surrounding states that do heavily restrict abortion like Texas,” Brennan said, with Lujan Grisham chiming in that Oklahoma was also on that list of feeder states to New Mexico for abortion tourism.

Lujan Grisham then noted how she wants to work with tribal “sovereign” nations to institute abortions in those areas for those people as a means to circumvent potential laws in states or national laws protecting the right to life. 

Following the interview, Republican Party of New Mexico Chairman Steve Pearce, a former congressman, wrote, “Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham doubled down on her decision to keep no limits on abortions up to birth in New Mexico, justifying late-term abortions of viable babies. This very extreme position is far removed from our traditional New Mexican values.” 

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Report: After Roe’s fall, national abortion rate nosedives while NM’s spikes

According to a new report from the pro-abortion Society of Family Planning, over 32,000 babies’ lives have been saved since the Dobbs v. Jackson U.S. Supreme Court decision, which overruled 1973’s pro-abortion Roe v. Wade ruling.

“Since the Dobbs decision, compared to the average monthly number of abortions observed in the pre-Dobbs period, there were 32,260 cumulative fewer abortions from July to December,” wrote the group in the report.

CNN reported, “There were about 5,000 fewer legal abortions each month, on average, than there were in the months before the ruling – a drop of about 6%.”

“In the 13 states that enacted bans following the Supreme Court decision, abortions fell more than 95%, with just a few reported each month from July to December. But in the remaining set of states, the average number of abortions ticked up slightly. There were surges in some of those states, including Minnesota and Kansas, that suggest that individuals living in states with more restrictions may travel for care.”

The report notes that before Dobbs, abortion rates were “higher than previous years,” and the pro-life Supreme Court decision made a prolific impact on saving babies’ lives. 

“Thus, the net overall declines in abortion incidence in the US after Dobbs are even more striking given that there were trends of increasing abortion rates just before Dobbs,” wrote the report’s authors. 

However, since Dobbs, New Mexico saw an average of 232 more abortions in the state, according to the reports. This adds up to 2,784 more children in the womb killed in New Mexico annually, likely due to Democrats’ pushing of abortion tourism to get more out-of-state women to kill their children in the Land of Enchantment. Whole Woman’s Health, an Albuquerque-based abortion facility, recently told Axios it is mostly servicing Texas clients.

Abortion, up to birth, is legal in the state, with no protections afforded to mothers, babies, or medical professionals. Recent New Mexico legislation was passed in 2023 to harbor criminal abortionists from extradition to other states while banning localities in the state from passing pro-life ordinances.

The number of children being saved across the country is hopeful for those who value babies’ lives. However, a recent $10 million investment by Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to erect a massive new abortion mill on the state’s southern border with Texas and other new abortion outfits having starting “goals” of killing 75 children weekly, New Mexico’s abortion number is climbing. 

Report: After Roe’s fall, national abortion rate nosedives while NM’s spikes Read More »

State treasurer’s ethics in question amid campaign finance cover-up scandal

According to a report by the Rio Grande Sun, an ethics case filed against State Treasurer Laura Montoya, a Democrat, is going forward. The complaint, made by Montoya’s predecessor, former State Treasurer Tim Eichenberg, also a Democrat, alleges Montoya failed to properly report $10,000 in campaign contributions, falsely claiming the money came from two LLCs.

“Eichenberg alleged Montoya violated New Mexico’s Campaign Reporting Act when she accepted two $5,000 checks from LLCs registered with the names Sheriff’s Posse Road 1 and 2 but falsely reported the money came from Adelante Sandoval, a Bernalillo-based PAC, according to State Ethics Commission records made public Friday,” the report detailed.

The LLCs are named Sheriff’s Posse Road 1, LLC, and Sheriff’s Posse Road 2, LLC, managed by Oklahoma resident Gary Plante. Adelante Sandoval, the PAC, was founded by Chris Daul, a New Jersey trial attorney, and New Mexico transplant.

Records show the $10,000 was donated to Montoya following a luncheon with Monoya’s campaign treasurer, Donald “Donnie” Leonard, Plante, Plante’s son, Michael, and others. Following the luncheon, Leonard testified that he and Plante went to the bank to withdraw two cashier’s checks for $5,000 each from the LLCs. 

The Sun further reports:

Mr. Plante testified that Mr. Leonard provided Adelante Sandoval’s name to the woman issuing the checks and that Leonard “delivered the checks to Adelante Sandoval,” whose two owners, including Plante, were “private people”  who wished to act as a conduit for the $10,000 contribution, the filings show.

“Mr. Leonard testified that he did not recall delivering the check…Plante denied making contributions to Adelante Sandoval with the intent to mask the true source of the contributions to [Montoya},” Boyd wrote. 

Daul, who manages the Adelante Sandoval Pac, told Boyd he “did not recall when or how I received the two hecks…the two checks may have been handed to me, but I cannot be certain.”

After reviewing evidence in the case, Boyd found it “likely [Montoya] provided Mr. Daul with the earmarking instruction” regarding the LLCs.

Ethics Commission General Counsel Walker Boyd later found “probable cause” for the case to move forward. Boyd found that the $10,000 cash infusion “came at a critical time in the primary election cycle” and “Without the $10,000 contribution, [Montoya] would have raised less money than her opponent.”

Montoya also consulted with Democrat Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver via text message to see how to report the contributions, according to commission filings. 

The case is set to be heard by Ethics Commission Hearing Officer Hon. Alan Torgerson (ret.), a former federal magistrate judge. Montoya could face fines of $1,000 for each campaign reporting violation and forfeiture of the two $5,000 checks.

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