Politics

NRC’s approval of Holtec project leaves Gov. Lujan Grisham, AG Torrez fuming

16 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Democrat New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez issued a joint statement angered over the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) decision to grant a license to Holtec International for an interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel located on land in Eddy and Lea Counties in New Mexico’s extreme southeastern corner. 

“This decision by the NRC – which has been made despite the grave concerns of the state and the legislature over the project’s potential impacts to health, safety and the economy – is incredibly disappointing,” the two Democrats said.

“It also undermines the NRC’s alleged commitment to meaningful engagement with stakeholders, as it appears our concerns were wholly ignored and went unaddressed by Holtec and the NRC,” they wrote, despite the lengthy process Holtec took to receive approvals and work with state and local stakeholders.

The two politicians claimed they “will not stop our fight,” claiming the new interim facility would turn the state into a “nuclear dumping ground.” The project previously got a positive environmental impact statement from the NRC.

These safe fuel rods, housed in secure casks, would be transported by rail to the facility on train shipments specifically for storage. The project would account for over 350 new jobs. 

The casks are immune to hurricanes, floods, tornados, earthquakes, and even the impact of a plane crash. There would be no adverse effect on wildlife nor on groundwater, no radiological consequences in the event of a fire, and an inconspicuous design.

“Earlier this year, the state Legislature passed and the governor signed Senate Bill 53, which will impose new, more robust state licensing requirements for this project before any construction may begin. In the meantime, we are evaluating available legal recourse and will take any action necessary to make sure that ground is never broken on this ‘interim’ facility in New Mexico,” the two Democrats’ offices wrote in the joint statement.

It is immediately unclear what “actions” the politicians seek to take, which would be bucking federal regulatory agencies — something they do not have the power to regulate. 

NRC’s approval of Holtec project leaves Gov. Lujan Grisham, AG Torrez fuming Read More »

Billionaire-funded eco group pushes ‘electrify everything’ agenda in NM

19 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

The far-left enviro-Marxist dark money group 350 New Mexico, funded by billionaires George Soros and Tom Steyer, is holding an event on May 22, 2023, called “Electrify New Mexico,” which aims to push policies that push electric appliances and vehicles in the place of those that run on gas and other natural extractive resources.

The group wrote in a post, “Concerned about health-harming gases in your kitchen? Want an EV, but don’t like the choices available for purchase? Join us as we unveil our new Electrify New Mexico website. It will answer these and other questions about how going electric will save you money, clean your air and reduce carbon emissions.” 

Some of the items the group says it wants to become electric include heat pumps, induction stoves, heat pump water heaters, heat pump clothes dryers, electric vehicles, and EV chargers.

“They offer superior efficiency, precision, comfort, and health benefits at the same or lower cost as gas appliances,” the group claims. “And because electricity generation grows cleaner every day, switching to electric is better for the climate too.” 

The far-left group has joined others in recent weeks in blasting a veto of hefty electric vehicle tax credits from a recently passed tax package and claims the state Legislature did not do enough to help stop “climate change.”

The group says on its website that it aims at cutting “eliminate 80% of US energy-related emissions” by switching all gas appliances and cars for electric. It says, “Our largest carbon emissions come from our gas cars (50%), home heating (25%) and water heating (10%).” 

350 New Mexico also believes that natural disasters and drought weather are due to “climate change,” along with wildfires and reduced snowpack.

Democrats, such as Democrat New Mexico U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, have made similar calls to “electrify” everything for the sake of “climate change.” Recently, the Joe Biden regime has taken steps to develop rules limiting the sale of gas appliances and even targeting water usage in dishwashers. 

Billionaire-funded eco group pushes ‘electrify everything’ agenda in NM Read More »

AG Torrez attempts to halt Eunice’s lawsuit over pro-abortion state law

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, it was reported that Democrat New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez is attempting to halt Eunice’s lawsuit against the AG and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham over the passage of H.B. 7, a newly passed 2023 state law attempting to usurp authority from federal law upheld in the federal Comstock Act. 

KRQE News reports, “The idea behind the latest filing is to try to get the district court to put the lawsuit on hold while the state’s Supreme Court makes a decision on a similar case. At the heart of the debate is whether or not individual cities are allowed to set local ordinances that might contradict state laws.” 

“Eunice, New Mexico, is arguing that federal law trumps state law and makes it illegal to ship or receive abortion medication. The city has also pointed out that ‘the city’s ordinance does not outlaw or prohibit abortion.’” 

The AG, “The City of Eunice enacted an ordinance purporting to enforce a federal law governing the sending of abortion-related materials through the mail or by common carrier. In its Complaint, the City seeks a declaratory judgment that House Bill 7 is contrary to and preempted by federal law. The City also seeks a declaratory judgment on what constitutes “the medical standard of care” under House Bill 7 in relation to the federal law.” 

“In this case, the interests of justice favor staying the matter pending resolution of the petition for writ of mandamus in the Supreme Court. Indeed, in the context at hand, when a stay implicates the New Mexico Supreme Court’s primacy as the state court of last resort to rule on a novel issue impacting the whole state simultaneously pending in the lower courts, the imposition of a brief stay is warranted. Judicial economy also favors staying the matter,” he claims.

Michael J. Seibel, the attorney representing the City of Eunice, says the City opposes Torrez’s request.

“We don’t think that the Supreme Court is addressing the issue that we have raised in the Eunice lawsuit,” Seibel told KRQE News 13

Sebel told the Piñon Post, “The Attorney General is trying to avoid the Comstock Act decision,” adding, “The Comstock Act is the law of the land, and it preempts state law.” 

“If they don’t like the Comstock Act, then change it, but that’s the law right now. And until the law is changed, laws must be enforced.”

AG Torrez attempts to halt Eunice’s lawsuit over pro-abortion state law Read More »

Photo rendering of the proposed Holtec consolidated interim storage facility courtesy of Holtec International.

U.S. regulators deliver massive blow to NM Holtec project’s opponents

5 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) granted Holtec International a license to construct a facility in Eddy and Lea counties to safely and temporarily store spent nuclear fuel, according to the Associated Press.

During the 2023 Legislative Session, Democrats rammed through the extreme S.B. 53 despite bipartisan opposition to try and preempt the company from coming to New Mexico.

Sens. Moe Maestas (D-Bernalillo) and Jerry Ortiz y Pino (D-Bernalillo), as well as Reps. Ambrose Castellano (D-Ribera), Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos), Meredith Dixon (D-Bernalillo), Patricia Lundstrom (D-Gallup), and Joseph Sanchez (D-Alcalde) joined all Republicans in opposition to the unconstitutional bill.

These safe fuel rods, housed in secure casks, would be transported by rail to the facility on train shipments specifically for storage. The project would account for over 350 new jobs. 

The casks are immune to hurricanes, floods, tornados, earthquakes, and even the impact of a plane crash. There would be no adverse effect on wildlife nor on groundwater, no radiological consequences in the event of a fire, and an inconspicuous design. 

The project previously got a positive environmental impact statement from the NRC.

The spent fuel would be stored at the Holtec site “until the Federal Government provides a repository for permanent storage or other permanent disposition as required by law,” according to Holtec. 

New Mexico is ideal for such a facility due to its “typography, arid climate, [the] sparse population at the site’s location, and proximity to transportation infrastructure,” Holtec wrote.

Even former Attorney General Hector Balderas, a Democrat, wrote that the state has no jurisdiction to ban nuclear fuel storage in New Mexico.

He wrote in 2018, referencing case law, “Taken together, both Bullcreek and Nielson clearly establish two principles: first, that the NRC has the statutory authority to license and regulate consolidated interim nuclear waste storage facilities, and secondly, that the comprehensiveness of that federal regulatory scheme preempts virtually any state involvement.” 

Balderas further wrote in the opinion, “While there are a large number of factors that are considered by the NRC in evaluating a license application, state approval is not among them.” 

Even the Joe Biden administration has recognized the need for nuclear fuel, writing that it “made a commitment to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the energy industry by 2035. Nuclear energy is a part of that solution.” 

Despite all sides coming together in support of nuclear energy being a viable solution to our nation’s energy needs, Democrats continue to harp on decades-old fear tactics to keep investment, namely the multi-billion-dollar Holtec project, from investing in New Mexico’s future. However, the court challenge to the unconstitutional law is imminent.

U.S. regulators deliver massive blow to NM Holtec project’s opponents Read More »

Leftist columnist reveals surprising take on email signature pronouns

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The Santa Fe New Mexican’s columnist Randall Balmer, who says his “politics lean left, sometimes far to the left,” recently posted a column criticizing the use of pronouns in one’s email signature as over-the-top. He also commented on the grammatical incorrectness of using “they/them” and other words that are meant to represent more than one person in an article titled “Don’t look for pronouns on my email signature.”

“Aesthetically, the eclipse of singular pronouns — she/her, he/him — in favor of plural — they/them — has wreaked havoc on sentence structure. As an insufferable grammarian, I cringe whenever I hear statements like, ‘Everyone has a right to their opinion,’ utterly disregarding the fact that everyone is singular, not plural. My rejoinder is likely to be something along the lines of, ‘No, everyone are not entitled to their opinions,’” he wrote.

“Second Wave feminists argued that people should not be defined by gender but by their abilities and their attainments. Denying equal opportunity simply on the basis of essential characteristics related to sex and gender, they insisted, was inherently unfair. To appropriate Martin Luther King’s words, individuals should be judged not by external characteristics but by the ‘content of their character.’”

He then went even harder on the pronoun fad sweeping across the globe, writing, “The mania for specifying pronouns signals an unfortunate recidivism back to the days of gendered essentialism. People seem all too willing to reduce their entire identities to gender, whether female, male, trans, cis, bi, below the belt or over the top. It’s so important, they argue, that it needs to be stated prominently, whether in conversation or in the signature line of emails.” 

“I understand that this obsession is fueled in part by people struggling with their own gender identities. I sympathize; the road to clarity for many is fraught and painful. But the sum of an individual is infinitely greater than gender or pronouns or sexual preference and should never be reduced to that,” Balmer concluded. 

Although Balmer is a left-winger and even leans far-left on many issues, even he cannot stand the obsession over pronouns.

Leftist columnist reveals surprising take on email signature pronouns Read More »

Colorado gov. signs bill banning women’s choice to stop chemical abortion

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A new law signed by Democrat Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, S.B. 23-190, bans women from accessing abortion pill reversal if the mother chooses to terminate a chemical abortion.

The medication progesterone, taken within 72 hours of the first abortion pill, mifepristone, is effective in reversing the abortion pill’s effects, allowing the mother to save her child’s life. Heartbeat International, which runs the Abortion Pill Reversal Network, says it has confirmed that over 4,000 babies have been born since 2013 2013 after women underwent the reversal process.

Now, the Democrat-controlled Colorado is ripping away this choice for women by banning access to progesterone to counteract the abortion pill.

A summary of the bill indicates, “A health-care provider engages in unprofessional conduct or is subject to discipline in this state if the health-care provider provides, prescribes, administers, or attempts medication abortion reversal in this state, unless the Colorado medical board, the state board of pharmacy, and the state board of nursing, in consultation with each other, each have in effect rules finding that it is a generally accepted standard of practice to engage in medication abortion reversal.”

According to a report by PBS, “The bill also limits advertising by pregnancy resource centers, which do not offer abortions; rather, they are known to try to talk people out of getting an abortion.”

“Abortion pill reversal (APR) offered me a second chance at choice after starting and regretting a chemical abortion in early 2013. Because of the help I received, my son was one of the first of over 4,500 babies saved and born perfectly healthy because of the progesterone reversal-treatment,” said Rebekah Hagan, the research education coordinator for the Vitae Foundation. 

“I am deeply saddened and concerned by S.B. 23-190, which seeks to eliminate a woman`s choice to reverse her abortion by banning the practice of APR. Without this much-needed help as an option, women will be forced to complete abortions they no longer want to complete, and children who have the potential to be saved will now perish,” she added.

Democrats passed the bill using the pretext of a 2019 study by Mitchell D. Creinin, which attempted to disprove the efficacy of abortion pill reversal via progesterone. However, the researchers had to halt the study after too many women hemorrhaged and ended up in the emergency room. 

Dr. Creinin incorrectly attributed this effect to progesterone and deemed the reversal process unsafe. In reality, only one woman from the reversal group went to the emergency room and did not need emergency treatment. Several women from the control group (the group that only took the abortion pill and did not have the reversal treatment) needed blood transfusions and a dilation and curettage (D and C).  Creinin’s study proved that the abortion reversal process is 80% effective and that the abortion pill, mifepristone, is dangerous. 

Colorado now awaits word from the Colorado Medical Board regarding its results on abortion pill reversal in the state. 

Colorado gov. signs bill banning women’s choice to stop chemical abortion Read More »

Will Rep. Vasquez vote to avert border catastrophe by extending Title 42?

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First-term U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico’s Second Congressional District represents one of the two swing districts held by Democrats that include swaths of the southern border. The other vulnerable Democrat is Rep. Vicente Gonzales of Texas. 

Since Joe Biden took office, over six million illegal immigrants have flooded into the United States. Some of the immigration catastrophe has been averted due to Title 42, which was implemented first during the Trump administration, which grants removals by the U.S. government of persons who have recently been in a country where a communicable disease was present. However, Title 42 is set to expire on May 11, 2023.

Recently in El Paso, TX — just 46 miles from the Second District — over 1,000 migrants rushed the Paso Del Norte bridge border entry point.

On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on a measure, H.R. 2, to extend the policy that has alleviated some of the border fiasco. 

According to Axios, “Months of work” on the GOP package have resulted in “the strongest border security package that Congress has ever taken up,” said Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA).

“The bill also includes money to improve technology for border security and additional border personnel,” reported the outlet.

“The crisis at the border is unfolding in these vulnerable Democrats’ backyards. They can either vote with their extreme party leadership or do something to alleviate the pain for their constituents – and we will be watching closely whose side they choose,” wrote National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Delanie Bomar in a statement to the Piñon Post. 

Vasquez is one of the most vulnerable House Democrats up in 2024, with the NRCC putting his seat on the shortlist of congressional districts being targeted in Next November’s election. Former Congresswoman Yvette Herrell, who held the seat between 2021 to 2023, is running again for the seat with national figures, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who was in Las Cruces for her election kickoff. 

Will Rep. Vasquez vote to avert border catastrophe by extending Title 42? Read More »

Unions demand UNM wage hike despite just getting raises

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The University of New Mexico teacher’s union, “United Academics” of UNM, along with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) New Mexico, are picketing on Wednesday from noon to 1:00 p.m. at the university for higher wages despite just being given a six percent raise bump.

But the raise was not enough for the militant unions, which are now demanding a “living wage” and scoffing at the six percent raise as not “real.”

AFT New Mexico wrote, “Are you fired up about the fight for a living wage? It’s time to make your voice heard! Join @UA_UNM for a Living Wage Rally to show we won’t stand for low wages! Together, let’s show our strength and commitment.”

A signup sheet for the picket claims, “Thousands of UNM employees, including hospital workers, faculty, graduate workers, facilities workers, and staff, struggle to make ends meet every day living on wages that often fall below the federal poverty line. The UNM Regents need to ensure that staff and educators (who are bringing up the next generation of New Mexicans, producing research advancements, and ensuring our university’s day-to-day functions) are paid a dignified wage!” 

In July 2022, UNM raised its minimum hourly wage for staff employees increased to $15. The average salary estimate for a UNM employee is around $21.29 per hour or $44,277 annually, according to data from August 2022.

The university’s guiding principles regarding salaries state that “[q]uantifiable, objective measures are used to evaluate the success of the University’s Compensation program over time.” The program notes some key factors in its pay adjustments include rewarding “individual excellence and promote employee growth and development” and promoting “fair and equitable compensation of its staff employees at all organizational levels.” 

The minimum wage of $15 an hour and competitive salaries for UNM workers aren’t enough to appease the unions, which are now moving the goalposts for a “living wage.” The unions have not said what salary number they are looking for to achieve the so-called living wage. 

According to MIT’s living wage calculator, for a single adult in Albuquerque, New Mexico, one would be making $15.97. The $15 minimum wage plus a six percent increase, as set by UNM, essentially matches this figure. However, it appears the unions want an even higher salary than a “living wage.”

Unions demand UNM wage hike despite just getting raises Read More »

Eco-leftists take out full-page ABQ Journal ad to attack Gov. Lujan Grisham

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On Sunday, a full-page ad funded by multiple aco-left groups appeared in the state’s largest newspaper, the Albuquerque Journal, and the Santa Fe New Mexican and the Las Cruces Sun-News blasting Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The group angered over the governor’s veto of electric vehicle tax cuts, claimed the Democrat made “empty promises” on “climate change.”

The ad, paid for by the Western Environmental Law Center (WELC), was co-signed by a mirage of different “climate change” groups, including 350NM, the Center for Biological Diversity, ProgressNow New Mexico, the Sierra Club’s Rio Grande Chapter, WildEarth Guardians, among others. 

WELC wrote on Twitter, “After stymieing #ClimateAction for two consecutive #NMLeg sessions, we call on @GovMLG & #nmpol to #ActOnClimate,” adding, “The climate movement in New Mexico will not relent.”

ProgressNow New Mexico chimed in, “We hope @GovMLG takes her role on [the U.S. Climate Alliance] seriously and leads with a commitment to #ActOnClimate that she has shown in the past. There’s no time to waste,” referring to the group Lujan Grisham was recently appointed to serve. 

The outcry comes after the far-left Democrat governor signed 2019’s Energy Transition Act, which is the state’s version of the extreme socialist Green New Deal. Apparently, the groups are not happy with these extreme steps to harm the oil, gas, and coal industries, wanting even more New Mexico energy jobs to be stricken by the pen of Gov. Lujan Grisham.

Eco-leftists take out full-page ABQ Journal ad to attack Gov. Lujan Grisham Read More »

Former New Mexico state Senator Dow passes away

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On Saturday, it was reported that former New Mexico Sen. R. Leo Dow, a Republican, passed away at the age of 96. 

According to his obituary, “Leo was born in 1926 in Chilili, New Mexico and worked hard his entire life. He started building barns and cuartito’s in his teens, and served in the U.S. Army, during WWII. He was very proud of his military service and that people everywhere thanked him for it until the day he passed. After the war ended, he returned home, purchased a truck and hauled wheat, beans, potatoes and vigas throughout the Southwest.”

“Certainly, a steadfast entrepreneur from 1950 to 1990, he was elected to public office by age 40 serving as NM State Senator from 1967-1976 for District 32 (became District 10).”

Dow introduced Pete V. Domenici “to every corner of New Mexico in the early 1970’s. Leo and Pete were good friends from early years of baseball and produce deliveries,” according to the write-up.

After serving two terms in the state Senate, Dow ran as former Congressman Joe Skeen’s lieutenant governor running mate, losing the race by one percent. 

He “proudly knew, met, or shook hands with seven U.S. Presidents, and summed a lot up with a handshake,” the obituary added. 

Celebration of Life services will be held on Friday, May 12, 2023, and are arranged through Gabaldon Mortuary at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church (1860 Griegos Rd. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107) with a public viewing at 10:00 a.m., Rosary at 10:30 a.m., Mass at 11:00 a.m., and internment at Mt. Calvary Cemetery (1900 Edith Blvd. NE, 87102) at 12:30 p.m.

Former New Mexico state Senator Dow passes away Read More »

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