Home Blog Page 97

Court vacates prairie chicken protection

0

Adrian Hedden
Carlsbad Current-Argus
achedden@currentargus.com

A federal court ruling could mean the end of federal protections for a struggling grouse species in southeast New Mexico, the conservation of which created years of debate on land use and impacts to local industry.

The lesser prairie chicken was listed as endangered in November 2022 in its southern distinct population segment (DPS), which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service used to describe the bird’s southern range in southeast New Mexico and West Texas.

Its northern segment, covering portions of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and the northern Texas Panhandle, was listed as threatened.

Endangered status means the agency believes a species’ extinction is imminent. The listing requires a federal recovery plan be put in place while often setting aside lands for habitat critical to recovery.

Threatened status indicates an endangered listing may soon be warranted.

After backlash from the oil and gas and agriculture industries, and allegations the listing and recovery efforts could negatively impact local economies and the industries that drive them, a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas issued a ruling to vacate the lesser prairie chicken’s endangered listing.

The ruling was signed by U.S. District Judge David Counts, in a March 2023 lawsuit filed by the Permian Basin Petroleum Association against the U.S. Department of the Interior – the parent agency of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which enacted the initial listing.

Counts’ verdict, which also denied motions by environmental groups to legally intervene in the matter, followed an Interior Department motion in May contending the endangered status was not warranted for the lesser prairie chicken and asking the court to vacate the listing.

This was after the federal administration changed hands from Democratic President Joe Bident to Republican President Donald Trump, who issued an executive order in January calling for federal agencies to reduce oil and gas regulations or those that could restrict fossil fuel production.

The agency argued, and was supported by Counts, that it previously erred when separating the species into the north and south population segments, meaning the listing was invalid.

“The Service concedes that it improperly applied its DPS Policy in a manner that tainted the substance of the final listing rule,” read the motion. “Given the seriousness of the error identified, the Service will be unable to correct the rule’s defects on remand short of engaging in an entirely new analysis.”

The move had industry groups claiming victory in a debate dating back to the first time the bird was listed as threatened in 2014, a listing that was opposed on similar grounds and later overturned.

Bronson Corn, president of the New Mexico Cattlegrowers Association, said that if the most recent listing was allowed to stand, it could devastate agriculture and energy development in New Mexico.

“This outcome represents a significant victory for both the oil and gas and livestock industries in New Mexico, and we are proud to have played a role in defending these vital sectors,” Corn said.

Wayne Walker, chief executive officer of Common Ground Capital, a conservation banking company involved in protecting the species, said delisting the prairie chicken would cause “more uncertainty for everyone.”

Conservation banking functions by selling “credits” to land users such as utility or oil and gas companies, offsetting their impacts to the species, then using the proceeds to pay other landowners to set up contiguous areas for the species to recover, which Walker referred to as “strongholds.”

It’s a business model that relies on the urgency afforded by the listing, he said, and one that could prove a success where Walker said government-sponsored programs “failed.”

To demonstrate this failure, Walker pointed to continued declines in lesser prairie chicken populations throughout the native range, down 90% today from the bird’s historical population, according to the American Bird Conservancy.

“You’ve got big infrastructure going, big transmission lines, wind and solar. All that stuff’s going to be coming,” Walker said. “Without that listing, you’re not going to have effective offsets.”

In opposing the listing and federal action to restore the species, critics pointed to voluntary conservation programs known as “candidate conservation agreements with assurances.” These contracts entail landowners taking on certain practices to conserve a species, making them immune to additional restrictions when a listing takes place.

But with the listing being vacated, Walker said there will be little incentive for landowners to enter those, or any, programs to restore the species.

“You will have people participate in our programs, but it will be a much smaller percentage than would have if we had the species listed,” Walker said. “We expect participation in our program to go down significantly. We do think there will be some good corporate actors.”

Managing Editor Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.

Is Holtec pulling out of New Mexico?

0

Adrian Hedden
Carlsbad Current-Argus
achedden@currentargus.com

Grave concerns for the viability of a project to store nuclear fuel at a site near Carlsbad were shared by the company proposing to do so in a letter to local officials in southeast New Mexico.

Company officials wrote in the letter that the project “was impossible” amid strong opposition from state lawmakers and current agreements in place with local leaders, though suggesting later that such issues could be renegotiated to move the facility forward.

Holtec International appeared ready to build the facility which would hold up to 100,000 metric tons of the refuse after a June U.S. Supreme Court verdict reinstated a federal license to build and operate the site.

But in a July 28 letter to the Eddy-Lea Energy Alliance, which was presented to the group at its Aug. 11 meeting, the company said the project was blocked by New Mexico state law.

That’s because of Senate Bill 53, passed by state lawmakers in 2023 to bar any state agency from issuing permits Holtec would need to operate the site, and the overall “political climate” in New Mexico, read the letter.

Holtec was issued a federal license to build and operate the site known as a Consolidated Interim Storage Facility (CISF) by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in May 2023, an approval that was vacated by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals last year.

The matter, along with a similar license and ruling to vacate the license for a site to store the fuel in Andrews, Texas, by Interim Storage Partners, went before the U.S. Supreme Court this year with justices ruling those opposed and who initially appealed the license to the site had no legal standing to enter the licensing process in the first place.

That left Holtec and its supporters claiming victory and expecting the project to move forward, after more than a decade of negotiations between the company and Alliance, public hearings and debate.

But the progress could be stalled, as Holtec’s recent letter to the Alliance sought to terminate its revenue sharing agreement with the consortium. The agreement would give ELEA a third of the project’s revenue once the facility was operational in exchange for use of the land needed.

“Unfortunately, the passage of state legislation that effectively prohibits the construction of the CISF, combined with the continued public opposition expressed by New Mexico’s current administration, has made the project impossible in the near future,” read the letter signed by William F. Gill, Holtec vice president and senior counsel.

Gill went on to explain that the project’s success hinged on support expressed by former Gov. Susanna Martinez, a Republican – support that was reversed by Martinez’ successor and current Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Lujan Grisham, her Cabinet, lawmakers and New Mexico’s entire five-person congressional delegation – all Democrats – remained opposed to the proposal and the project in Texas throughout the licensing process due to risks they purported it could pose to the oil and gas and agriculture industries in rural southeast New Mexico.

“Faced with the obdurate opposition of the state government to establishing the consolidated interim storage facility in the state, we find ourselves with no alternative but to respectfully terminate the revenue sharing agreement effective immediately,” the letter read.

Waste project still viable?

Despite those words, Holtec spokesman Patrick O’Brien said in a statement the company still believed the project was doable, pending further negotiations with the Alliance to potentially alter the agreements and allay concerns expressed in the letter.

“With the NRC license in place, our HI-STORE consolidated storage project in New Mexico, partnered with Eddy-Lea Energy Alliance, remains a viable part of that solution,” read the statement emailed to the Current-Argus on Aug. 14. “The two parties, with a nearly decade long relationship, have discussed options available moving forward on both the revenue sharing and land purchase aspects under the current agreement, and will continue to do so.”

Alliance Chair John Heaton agreed it’s not over.

He said the Alliance and Holtec continued to negotiate how to get around the state legislation effectively blocking the project, and that Holtec cannot “unilaterally” terminate the agreement.

“The letter they sent us has no basis in fact as far as what they (Holtec) plan to do,” Heaton said. “This says they want to withdraw from the agreement, and there is no provision in that agreement that they can do that unilaterally.”

Aside from those plans, and concerns over opposition in New Mexico, Holtec also explained in the letter that it planned to take part in the U.S. Department of Energy’s “expressions of interest” program which would see the company going out to other communities to find support for other federal waste storage facilities.

Holtec’s agreement with the Alliance, Heaton said, is “essentially a non-compete” agreement, meaning the company is not allowed to promote or take part in competitive projects in conjoining states.

Heaton said that means Holtec cannot pursue projects in Colorado or Texas, places the federal government, he said, was targeting for such facilities. The company and local leaders remained in discussion on how to address these contractual concerns, Heaton said.

“I think we can get to some agreement,” he said.

Critic says project doesn’t ‘make any sense’

However, Don Hancock with the Southwest Research and Information Center in Albuquerque, a frequent critic of nuclear development in New Mexico, said Holtec’s letter was “unsurprising” as he said the project was doomed from the start.

He also said it is not economically sound as he argued Holtec does not have any customers – utility companies in possession of the spent fuel that are currently storing it onsite at the reactors.

About “90%” of spent nuclear fuel is already stored in the eastern half of the U.S., Hancock argued, and efforts to move it out west were “bad and nonviable.”

“It is confirming what has been suspected for a while,” Hancock said. “NRC licensing is necessary, but not sufficient. They have no customers. Who’s going to be pay for the transportation?”

As for the Supreme Court ruling that supported Holtec and the Texas facility, Hancock said the idea that it made the projects inevitable was “not realistic.”

He questioned if leaders in Carlsbad and the surrounding communities would ever receive a return on their investment in the project, which entailed granting Holtec access to the 1,000 acres of land for the site, along with promoting and supporting the project over the years.

“You can’t do it in New Mexico,” he said. “The thing I hope the local people in Carlsbad would say is that they invested the money to buy this site. What are local people actually getting out of it? That’s too bad that they pursued projects that don’t make any sense.”

Managing Editor Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.

Artesia girls volleyball opens season with a win at Carlsbad

0

The Artesia Lady ‘Dogs went on the road with returning nine seniors, and started slow, losing the first game against a ready Carlsbad Cavegirls’ team. Artesia bounced back from a first game 25-22 loss, and won in four sets on Tuesday at Carlsbad Gymnasium.

The Lady ‘Dogs have nine seniors returning from a team that played for the state championship in 2024. During the opening set, Artesia called two timeouts in the first set to gather themselves. In the second set, Artesia came back from a 25-24 deficit and won the second set 28-26. The Lady ‘Dogs would take control after breaking through Carlsbad’s serve in the second set when the game was tied 24-24.

Artesia would come back to win the game and match 25-22, 28-26, 25-6 and 25-16.

JT Keith |Artesia Daily Press

Artesia’s Avery Frederick blocks a shot at the net by Carlsbad’s Jazmariyah Sandoval as Artesia opened its season with a 25-22, 26-28, 25-6 and 25-16 in four sets Tuesday at Carlsbad Gym.

“I will say that Carlsbad has had two games under their belt,” assistant Lady ‘Dogs coach Mandi Lewallen said after the team’s victory. “In our first game of the season, you can tell that we were timid about some touches on the ball.”

Lewallen said that once the team settled in the Lady ‘Dogs were able to do what the coaches thought they could. She said that after coming off the championship game in 2024, there were a lot of expectations. This season the team’s approach is to take each game one game at a time.

“We need to make less errors,” Lewallen said. “We need to take it one game at a time, and to make sure we are doing the little things right.”

Lewallen said Thursday’s 6 p.m. game at The Bulldog Pit against Alamogordo will be the seniors last, first home game of the season.

County says no to oil and gas PFAS reports

0

Adrian Hedden
Carlsbad Current-Argus
achedden@currentargus.com

A state regulation adopted earlier this year required oil and gas operators report to local government agencies all fluids used in drilling for fossil fuels – and if they contain a suite of substances known as “forever chemicals.”

But Eddy County Commissioners, during their Tuesday, Aug. 19, meeting, opted to not require operators to file these reports with the county, contending companies are already required to disclose most of the ingredients in liquids for hydraulic fracturing or “fracking.”

The rule, along with a ban on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in oil and gas drilling called for operators to report to the state of New Mexico and local jurisdictions the ingredients of the liquids for every drilling facility in the state.

The acronym PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) is an umbrella term for thousands of man-made industrial chemicals first used in 1949 for Teflon in nonstick pans. Labeled “forever chemicals” by scientists and environmental activists, PFAS were found in groundwater around the country and in New Mexico near Air Force bases where they were used in a firefighting foam.

PFAS are believed to cause various cancers through long-term exposure or consumption, along with several other impacts to the human body including high cholesterol and low birth weight.

Industry leaders denied the substances were present in drilling, but after a series of public hearings in November 2024, the Oil Conservation Commission approved the rule in March while allowing local jurisdictions to opt out of the reports, which would come via certified mail from all oil and gas drilling facilities in the county.

In approving the resolution to opt out, Eddy County leaders argued it would be a burden for the county to catalogue the reports as they are received. The chemicals would still be reported to the state, per the rule, but not to Eddy County or any other local jurisdiction that opts out.

“Eddy County is not a regulatory agency when it comes to oil and gas extraction. That responsibility falls with the state,” said Eddy County Manager Mike Gallagher. “This does not mean that companies are not going to continue to disclose that.”

District 1 Commissioner Ernie Carlson said there was no provision in the rule allowing the county to respond, protest or take any action in response to the reports.

“Getting that certified letter is really a waste of our time because there’s nothing we can do about it,” he said. “It’s just going to be another stack of certified mail.”

District 4 Commissioner Bo Bowen said the amount of additional mail the county would receive was impractical, and that he hoped if enough local entities chose not to receive the reports, lawmakers would block them altogether in the next legislative session.

“If you think about every operator that’s in Eddy County, every well or drilling rig you see, the hopes is with enough people passing resolutions not to receive this junk mail, it will get wiped out in the next session,” Bowen said.

Other business

A $1.5 million project to expand the county’s Law Enforcement Training Center was approved by commissioners. The work will entail a new fitness center and locker rooms, a new breakroom and a passage to connect the new areas to the rest of the facility.

The Eddy County Sheriff’s Office was approved to hire two recruits through the “over-hire” process, which allows the entity to hire new staff before vacancies occur. In total, the two positions will cost about $234,000 for the year’s remaining 22 pay periods.

Eddy County Sheriff Matt Hutchinson was also approved to provide retention bonuses to his office’s employees for various terms of service ranging from five to 10 or more years on staff. In total, the retention program will cost the county $300,000 a year.

Commissioners also received an update from the Permian Strategic Partnership, a nonprofit group made up of oil and gas companies throughout southeast New Mexico and West Texas. The partnership reported it invested a total of $200 million in projects throughout the region in the six years of its existence.

Managing Editor Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.

WIPP allowed more space for waste

0

Adrian Hedden
Carlsbad Current-Argus
achedden@currentargus.com

A nuclear waste repository near Carlsbad was approved by the federal government to mine out more space for waste disposal, in line with the state of New Mexico’s 10-year operations permit issued in 2023.

The New Mexico Environment Department included in its hazardous waste permit issued to the U.S. Department of Energy in November 2023 language for two new panels where waste will be emplaced, allowing the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant to operate for 10 more years.

Those panels were given final approval July 31 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency via a letter transmitted to Mark Bollinger, manager of the energy department’s Carlsbad Field Office.

At WIPP, the Energy Department disposes of transuranic nuclear waste (TRU), which is clothing materials, equipment and other debris irradiated during nuclear activities. The waste is buried at WIPP in a salt deposit about 2,000 feet underground. The salt gradually collapses on the waste, burying the refuse and blocking radiation from escaping.

Panels are mined out areas in the WIPP underground where drums of waste are placed for disposal. The permit gives approval to mine out the site’s 11th and 12th panels; the previous permit approved only eight.

Panels 11 and 12 were intended as “replacement panels” for space lost to contamination after an accidental radiological release in 2014, caused by a ruptured drum of TRU waste already emplaced in the underground, Bollinger said during a July 30 public forum.

Bollinger said the new panels would not increase WIPP’s waste capacity while adding to its physical footprint, and that the facility continued to operate under the same 6.2 million-cubic-foot capacity outlined in the Land Withdrawal Act.

As of the July 30 meeting, Bollinger said WIPP was at about 2.8 million cubic feet of waste buried, about 45% of the limit.

The new panels would be mined on the west side of the WIPP underground, where workers were already mining an access drift to connect the new area with the rest of the facility. That work was nearing completion, Bollinger said.

“The Land Withdrawal Act created WIPP, and is our guidance to how we’re doing,” he said. “All waste that comes to us must be defense TRU waste and it must meet the full waste acceptance criteria.”

Bollinger said waste was currently being emplaced in Panel 8 – the final panel under the previous permit – but it was unclear when it would be full and WIPP would begin using Panel 11.

He said federal officials expect to have disposed of 424 shipments of waste in Panel 8 by the end of the federal fiscal year, which concludes Sept. 30.

“We’re making good progress there, and we are expecting to transition to a new panel very soon,” he said. “But it will take some time to fill up Panel 8, and with permission from all of our regulators, begin emplacing in Panel 11.

WIPP to expand beyond new panels

In the EPA letter signed by Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator Abigale Tardif, the agency explained that the Department of Energy also included an analysis of a 19-panel facility, adding seven panels on top of those approved by the agency.

Subsequent panels beyond the 11th and 12th would require a new permit with the state of New Mexico, per the language in the newest permit that allowed for the two new panels.

“These panels (11 and 12) are intended to restore lost waste disposal capacity, primarily due to the 2014 radiological incident and other operational issues,” read the EPA letter. “Initially, the DOE submitted an analysis for a 19-panel repository, reflecting expectations for seven future waste panels beyond the two for which approval was requested.”

The EPA said it “generally agreed” with the Department of Energy’s performance analysis of the 19-panel layout.

But Don Hancock with the Southwest Research and Information Center, an Albuquerque-based government watchdog group and WIPP critic, said the approval raised several other questions tied to WIPP’s expansion and compliance with the state permit.

Southwest Research was included in negotiations for the 2023 permit, which included several clauses the Department of Energy agreed to in exchange for the new panels, Hancock said.

Among those were requirements to prioritize Cold War “legacy” nuclear waste in Panel 12, which Hancock said was WIPP’s original intended purpose, along with providing annual reports on the federal government’s process in finding a new repository outside of New Mexico and a provision that allows the New Mexico Environment Department to close WIPP should any section of the permit be violated.

The Environment Department recently opposed a federally created definition of “legacy waste” as required by the new permit, arguing it was too broad and requiring the energy department to file a revision by November.

“The letter doesn’t impose any conditions,” Hancock said of the EPA approval. “The EPA should support DOE complying with the other conditions in the permit they negotiated.

As for adding panels 13 through 19 in the future, Hancock said they would require an entirely new permit renewal, even if the energy department applies for approval before the 10-year term of its current permit.

“We have been and will continue to oppose expanding WIPP in the way the DOE has proposed to,” Hancock said. “That is allowing them to put waste at WIPP that it was not designed for.”

Future waste streams he said would be beyond the scope of WIPP included surplus plutonium, which the department of energy said it could dilute to meet WIPP’s acceptance criteria, and TRU waste created in the production of plutonium pits – triggers for nuclear warheads.

The federal government said it plans to produce 80 pits a year by 2030 to “modernize” its atomic arsenal.

Even so, adding seven more panels would put WIPP dangerously close to “busting” EPA standards for radiation emissions from the site, Hancock said.

“WIPP is supposed to be for Cold War legacy waste. The expansion is because DOE wants to use WIPP for waste that is not Cold War legacy waste. We are opposed to that,” he said.

And looking ahead, Hancock said a repository outside of New Mexico was crucial to allow the federal government to dispose of nuclear waste for decades in the future while lifting the burden from New Mexico.

“Another repository outside of New Mexico is a linchpin to the whole expansion question,” Hancock said. “They are in the position to say not all of the waste has to go into WIPP and that they are serious about finding another repository.”

Managing Editor Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.

O’Neal’s love for Ruidoso brings her back for concert

0

By Tim Keithley

There’s something about the southwest that lingers deep in Jamie O’Neal’s heart.

“It seems like there’s a connection,” Jamie said during our radio interview this week. “It’s just something about the southwest that makes me feel at home despite living around Nashville.”

Cue the record: “There is no Arizona.” It’s Jamie’s signature No.-one hit from 2001 about promises made and not kept. Her new album is called “Sometimes” with the cover photo-shoot made at White Sands National Monument outside Alamogordo.

“We’re doing a 25-year anniversary remake of that song on my new album,” Jamie said. “It’s hard to believe that it’s been that long. That song has the southwestern vibe that I love so very much.”

Like most everyone that paid attention to news accounts about the recent flooding events that occurred here and spread across the country, Jamie said she learned about the destruction and her heart went out to those impacted. She last played at the Spencer Theater just one year ago, in July 2024.

“When I heard about it I called Charles (Centilli) and told him that I wanted to do something to help the flood victims,” she said. “I told him to put together a fundraising concert and I would come and bring other artists.” Charles is the theater’s longtime director.

The brief phone call developed into Thursday’s night’s special benefit concert featuring Jamie, country star Ty Herndon, and Ruidoso’s Tawnya Reynolds who grew-up here before moving to Nashville.

The show begins at 7 p.m. with tickets at $55. All proceeds from the benefit concert will go directly to the Community Foundation of Lincoln County which in turn will support local flood victims. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at www.spencertheater.com.

Three keys to Artesia football defeating Hobbs on Friday night

0

JT Keith 

Artesia Daily Press 

jtkeith@elritomedia.com

Friday Night Lights will look a lot different for two of the state’s powerhouses football teams on Friday. The Hobbs Eagles (1-0) will come into the Bulldog Bowl for a 7 p.m. kickoff. Look for a lot of high scoring and hard-hitting action, as Artesia lost last year’s matchup 44-40. The contest had video game-like numbers as the Bulldogs ran 72 total plays and had 474 yards of total offense, while the Eagles ran 76 plays and had 473 yards of total offense according to Max Preps.

Last year’s game came down to the last possession, with the Bulldogs having a chance to win, according to Bulldogs coach Jeremy Maupin. 

Here are the things the Bulldog must do to secure a victory.

Stop Hobbs’ running game

The ‘Dogs (1-0) must slow down Hobbs’ running back Shamus Wright. According to the Hobbs News-Sun, the junior running back ran for 235 yards on 13 carries in the season-opening 41-13 victory over Lovington on Friday night. Artesia’s defensive line must confuse the big offensive line of Oliver Hernandez, Isaiah Morales, Ricardo Alvarez, and Max Garcia. Hobbs rushed for 381 yards on the ground against Lovington. 

In last year’s game, Artesia gave up 265 yards rushing, with Wright gaining 117 yards on six carries. He broke free for a 66-yard run but did not score.

Make Hobbs’ quarterback throw the ball

The ‘Dogs must make Hobbs’ quarterback Junior Medrano throw the ball. He is a first-time starter, and this will be his second game seeing action under the bright lights of the Bulldog Bowl on Friday. Against Lovington, Medrano had more yards rushing the ball, 87, than passing the ball, going 8 of 16 for 71 yards, according to the Hobbs News- Sun.

Artesia running back Bryce Parra breaks loose on a 75-yard touchdown run against Carlsbad Friday night.

Tire Hobbs’ defensive line out

It is still August, so it will be hot, humid, and muggy at the start of the game, with fans packed in the stands on both sides. Artesia needs to be unrelenting and go after Hobbs’ defensive line. Artesia must tire out Hobbs’ two best defensive linemen, Jeremiah Mackey, who finished the Lovington game with two-and-a-half sacks and ended the Wildcats drives according to the Hobbs News -Sun. Also, Michael Meridyth, the Bulldogs must get them running side -to-side and make neutralize their pass rush.

“I think Mackey is really good,” Maupin said.

With the Bulldogs’ screen game and its ability to run the draw and throw the ball to its receivers on the line, allowing them to create in space, by the fourth quarter, the linemen should be tired.

“We have to have some sustained drives and get after these guys,” Maupin saidl

Artesia coach Jeremy Maupin is not afraid to go for it on fourth down; he went for it both times and called passing plays, which resulted in a first down conversion.

Down and distance mean nothing to Maupin. In last year’s game, the ’Dogs were in a third-and-25 at their own 25-yard line, and Maupin called a draw play to tailback Bryce Parra, who picked up the first.

If last year’s game is any indication of the winner, whoever has the ball last could win the game.

jtkeith can be reached at 575-420-0061, or onX@JTKEITH1.

Oil and gas group offers backpack giveaway

0

Staff reports

New Mexico students can win a backpack filled with electronics, school supplies and other prizes via the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association (NMOGA)’s annual Ultimate Backpack Giveaway contest.

Entries in this year’s contest are accepted at https://www.nmoga.org/backpack2025 until Sept. 19.

This year, five winners will receive a backpack with an iPad, a keyboard, school supplies and free pizza party, read a NMOGA news release.

“NMOGA has long been a proponent of supporting and strengthening the New Mexico school system, and we’re proud of the industry’s impact on New Mexico students,” read the release.

NMOGA pointed out all the products included in the backpacks were made using petroleum products generated via oil and gas production in New Mexico, read the news release.

The release also pointed $2.3 billion in tax revenue, the Association said was provided to New Mexico in 2024, supporting public services such as education.

“The technology and school supplies provided in our backpacks have a unique connection to the oil and gas industry,” the release read. “Products like iPads, AirPods, and even the backpacks themselves are made possible thanks to petroleum byproducts. These byproducts are essential in creating the plastics and materials used in a wide range of modern technology and everyday items.”

To enter, students can go to NMOGA.org and fill out the registration form. Winners are chosen randomly.

“We’re honored to support New Mexico’s future energy leaders by supporting a strong educational foundation. From all of us at NMOGA, we wish you a great year of discovery, learning, and growth,” the release read.

Police blotter

0

Aug 15

Anthony John Urban arrested for DWI of intoxicating liquor or drugs, driving while intoxicated with minor in the vehicle, speeding.

LARCENY

8:44 am – Officer dispatched to N. 1st St. in reference to shoplifting.

WELFARE

10:12 am – Officer dispatched to 700 block of Champ Clarke Ave. in reference to the welfare of a child.

10:54 am – Officer dispatched to 1000 block of S. 2nd St. in reference to the welfare of a child.

DISTURBANCE

11:06 am – Officer dispatched to 1000 block of S. 2nd St. in reference to disturbance.

SUSPICIOUS

11:27 am – Officer dispatched to 400 block of W. Washington Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

STOLEN

1:03 pm – Officer dispatched to 3300 block of W. Main St. in reference to a stolen vehicle.

3:25 pm – Officer dispatched to 1300 block of S. 13th St. in reference to a stolen vehicle.

ACCIDENT

2:06 pm – Officer dispatched to N. 7th St. and W. Texas Ave. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

FRAUD

2:08 pm – Officer dispatched to 1800 block of S. 17th St. in reference to fraud.

WELFARE

2:32 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of N. 26th St. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

ACCIDENT

5:00 pm – Officer dispatched to W. Main St. and S. 13th St. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

WELFARE

5:28 pm – Officer dispatched to 1500 block of W. Main St. in reference to the welfare of a child.

RECKLESS

5:35 pm – Officer dispatched to S. 13th St. and W. Hermosa Dr. in reference to a reckless vehicle.

DOMESTIC

6:22 pm – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Clayton Ave. in reference to domestic.

DISTURBANCE

11:40 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of N. 8th St. in reference to disturbance.

Aug 16

Arrest

Trevor Wade Starkey arrested for criminal trespass.

SUSPICIOUS

12:10 am – Officer dispatched to 700 block of W. Lolita Ave. in reference to suspicious trespass.

4:11 am – Officer dispatched to 2500 block of W. Main St. in reference to suspicious person.

UNWANTED

8:22 am – Officer dispatched to 100 block of W. Centre Ave. in reference to an unwanted subject.

10:38 am – Officer dispatched to 1100 N. 1st St. in reference to an unwanted subject.

12:56 pm – Officer dispatched to 500 block of W. Chisum Ave. in reference to an unwanted subject.

ACCIDENT

10:58 am – Officer dispatched to 100 block of S. 1st St. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

DOMESTIC

11:55 am – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to domestic.

INCORRIGIBLE

1:00 pm- Officer dispatched to 800 block of S. Roselawn Ave. in reference to an incorrigible child.

WELFARE

5:16 pm – Officer dispatched to 1200 block of S. 18th St. in reference to the welfare of a child.

SUSPICIOUS

6:16 pm – Officer dispatched to 800 block of W. Quay Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

LARCENY

6:49 pm – Officer dispatched to 1500 block of W. Yucca Ave. in reference to larceny.

WELFARE

7:24 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of W. Cleveland Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

DOMESTIC

8:05 pm – officer dispatched to 500 block of W. Chisum Ave. in reference to domestic.

SUSPICIOUS

8:30 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of N. 26th St. in reference to a suspicious person.

9:15 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of N. 1st St. in reference to a suspicious person.

SHOTS FIRED

10:24 pm – Officer dispatched to W. Runyan Ave. and S. 13th St. in reference to shots fired in the area.

Aug 17

Arrest

Karmen Nicole Davis arrested for battery against a household member.

Tomas Lazaro Salazar arrested for battery against a household member, false imprisonment.

WELFARE

12:06 am – officer dispatched to 1600 block of N. 1st St. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

BURGLARY

4:35 am – Officer dispatched to 800 block of W. Mann Ave. in reference to an auto burglary.

9:03 am – Officer dispatched to 2400 block of N. Pecos Ave. in reference to burglary.

WELFARE

11:57 am – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 10th St. in reference to the welfare of a child.

THREATS

12:15 pm- Officer dispatched to 1400 block of W. Yucca Ave. in reference to threats.

DEATH

1:01 pm – Officer dispatched to 900 block of E. Mill Rd in reference to an unattended death.

ACCIDENT

1:26 pm – Officer dispatched to S. Roselawn Ave. and W. Grand Ave. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

DOMESTIC

1:59 pm – Officer dispatched to 800 block of S. Roselawn Ave. in reference to domestic.

5:28 pm – Officer dispatched to 800 block of S. Roselawn Ave. in reference to domestic.

5:48 pm – Officer dispatched to 200 block of Airport Rd. in reference to domestic.

ACCIDENT

4:48 pm – Officer dispatched to 100 block of W. Hermosa Dr. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

Aug 18

SUSPICIOUS

1:38 am – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to a suspicious vehicle.

LOUD

1:39 am – Officer dispatched to 1100 block of W. Chisum Ave. in reference to loud noise.

DOMESTIC

10:08 am – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 10th St. in reference to verbal domestic.

WANTED

11:38 am – Officer dispatched to 3300 block of W. Main St. in reference to a wanted subject.

THREATS

1:15 pm – Officer dispatched to 1400 block of W. Champ Clark Ave. in reference to threats.

FIGHT

1:57 pm – Officer dispatched to 1100 block of W. Bullock Ave. in reference to a fight in progress.

DISTURBANCE

4:24 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 10th St. in reference to disturbance.

WELFARE

7:17 pm – Officer dispatched to W. Washington Ave. and s. 15th St. in reference to the welfare of a child.

RECKLESS

7:17 pm – Officer dispatched to S. 20th St. and W. Hermosa Dr. in reference to a reckless vehicle.

SUSPICIOUS

8:50 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 10th St. in reference to a suspicious person.

11:55 pm – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to a suspicious activity.

Aug 19

Arrest

Andrew Prudencio Medrano arrested for failure to appear.

SUSPICIOUS

1:33 am – Officer dispatched to 2200 block of W. Main St. in reference to a suspicious person.

DOMESTIC

2:38 am – Officer dispatched to 700 block of W. Lolita Ave. in reference to domestic.

BATTERY

3:57 am – Officer dispatched to 1300 block of S. 1st St. in reference to battery.

WANTED

7:29 am – Officer dispatched to W. Bullock Ave. and Watson Blvd. in reference to a wanted subject.

HARASSMENT

11:03 am – Officer dispatched to 1400 block of W. Hank Ave. in reference to harassment.

DOMESTIC

12:42 pm – Officer dispatched to 500 block of S. 20th St. in reference to domestic.

SHOTS FIRED

1:02 pm – Officer dispatched to 1500 block of W. Cannon Ave. in reference to shots fired.

DISTURBANCE

4:03 pm – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to disturbance.

BATTERY

5:36 pm – Officer dispatched to 1500 block of W. Cannon Ave. in reference to battery.

WELFARE

9:16 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 13th St. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

10:16 pm – Officer dispatched to 2500 block of W. Briscoe Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

Aug 20

ACCIDENT

7:56 am – Officer dispatched to S. 14th St. and W. Main St. in reference to a motor vehicle accident

SUSPICIOUS

9:05 am -Officer dispatched to 1000 block of S. Ward Ave. in reference to suspicious activity.

BATTERY

9:36 am – Officer dispatched to 2300 block of W. Grand Ave. in reference to battery.

HARASSMENT

10:21 am – Officer dispatched to 500 block of E. Main St. in reference to harassment.

SHOTS FIRED

10:25 am – Officer dispatched to 1000 block of W. Richardson Ave. in reference to shots fired.

SUICIDAL

2:03 pm – Officer dispatched to W. Main St. and Centennial Ave. in reference to a suicidal subject.

WELFARE

2:59 pm – Officer dispatched to 1400 block of W. Hank Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

UNWANTED

3:01 pm – Officer dispatched to 1400 block of W. Hank Ave. in reference to an unwanted subject.

INCORRIGIBLE

6:51 pm – Officer dispatched to 1800 block of W. Centre Ave. in reference to an incorrigible child.

WELFARE

7:33 pm – Officer dispatched to 400 block of W. Logan Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

DOMESTIC

8:03 pm – Officer dispatched to 500 block of W. Washington Ave. in reference to verbal domestic.

9:19 pm – Officer dispatched 1400 block of W. Hank Ave. in reference to domestic.

Aug 21

Arrest

Johnny Lee Sisk arrested for disorderly conduct.

DOMESTIC

12:15 am – Officer dispatched to 900 block of S. 2nd St. in reference to domestic.

WELFARE

3:19 am – Officer dispatched to 1100 block of W. Centre Ave. in reference to welfare of an adult.

4:55 am – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 10th St. in reference to welfare of an adult.

ARMED SUBJECT

8:18 am – Officer dispatched to N. 4th St. and W. Cannon Ave. in reference to an armed subject.

BATTERY

9:36 am – Officer dispatched to 300 block of W. Main St. in reference to battery.

DOMESTIC

9:37 am – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to verbal domestic.

SUSPICIOUS

10:35 am – Officer dispatched to 100 block of N. 1st St. in reference to suspicious activity.

ACCIDENT

11:25 am – Officer dispatched to 1600 block of N. 13th St. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

3:30 pm – Officer dispatched to 1800 block of W. Centre Ave. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

WANTED

2:30 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of Catalina Dr. in reference to a wanted subject.

WELFARE

4:26 pm- Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

THREATS

5:27 pm – Officer dispatched to 2100 block of W. Centre Ave. in reference to threats.

SUSPICIOUS

7:00 pm – Officer dispatched to 200 block of W. Chisum Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

Aug 22

Arrest

Jason Carlos Rodriguez arrested for aggravated burglary with deadly weapon, forcible criminal damage to property, and possession of burglary tools.

Jimmy Ray Stevens arrested for battery against a  household member, interference with communications destroying removing.

SUSPICIOUS

8:43 am – Officer dispatched to N. 10th St. and W. Chisum Ave. in reference to suspicious activity.

8:44 am – Officer dispatched to 1300 block of W. Cannon Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

ACCIDENT

10:16 am – Officer dispatched to N. 1st St. and W. Main St. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

WELFARE

10:39 am – Officer dispatched to S. 5ht St. and W. Quay Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

11:21 am – Officer dispatched 1300 block of W. Cannon Ave. in reference to altered mental welfare.

HARASSMENT

11:23 am – Officer dispatched to 1800 block of Briscoe Ave. in reference to harassment.

THREATS

2:34 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of Lolita Ave. in reference to threats.

BURGLARY

2:57 pm – Officer dispatched to 1100 block of W. Main St. in reference to burglary.

HARASSMENT

3:29 pm – Officer dispatched to 3300 block of W. Main St. in reference to harassment.

3:32 pm – Officer dispatched to 1500 block of W. Cannon Ave. in reference to harassment.

8:49 pm – Officer dispatched to 300 block of W. Hermosa Dr. in reference to harassment.

DOMESTIC

7:39 pm – Officer dispatched 2400 block of W. Briscoe Ave. in reference to physical domestic.

Aug 23

Arrest

Brian Silva Caldera arrested for speeding, aggravated DWI of intoxicating liquor or drugs, consume possession of alcohol, open container in motor vehicle.

RECKLESS

12:20 am – Officer dispatched to N 1st St. and E. Richey Ave. in reference to a reckless vehicle.

12:21 am – Officer dispatched to N. 26th St. and W. Richey Ave. in reference to a reckless vehicle.

DISTURBANCE

1:29 am – Officer dispatched to 1100 block of W. Merchant Ave. in reference to disturbance.

SUSPICIOUS

9:04 am – Officer dispatched to 800 block of S. 3rd St. in reference to suspicious person.

BURGLARY

9:15 am – Officer dispatched to 900 block of S. 11th St. in reference to an auto burglary.

WANTED

10:22 am – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 10th St. in reference to a wanted subject.

DOMESTIC

10:40 am – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to verbal domestic.

WELFARE

3:19 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 4th St. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

ACCIDENT

7:32 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of W. Hermosa Dr. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

ARMED

9:22 pm – Officer dispatched to 2800 block of W. Grand Ave. in reference to an armed subject.

SUSPICIOUS

9:50 pm – Officer dispatched to 2600 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to a suspicious vehicle.

RECKLESS

10:16 pm – Officer dispatched to N. 1st St. and W. Richey Ave. in reference to a reckless vehicle.

DWI ARREST

10:46 pm – Officer dispatched to N. 26th St. and W. Richey Ave. in reference to a DWI

Aug 24

ARREST

Madison Taylor Castillo arrested for battery against household member.

Anthony Michael Hall arrested for assault against a household member.

Veronica Ann Duran Gomez arrested for battery against a household member, battery, resisting evading, obstructing an office.

Alexandria Carrasco arrested for disorderly conduct.

SUSPICIOUS

12:21 am – Officer dispatched to 1500 block of W. Dallas Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

1:27 am – officer dispatched to 600 block of N. 6th St. in reference to suspicious person.

DOMESTIC

1:23 am – Officer dispatched to 900 block of W. Sears Ave. in reference to physical domestic.

RECKLESS

2:08 am – Officer dispatched to 1500 block of W. Main St. in reference to a reckless vehicle.

4:14 am – Officer dispatched to S. 13th St. and W. Washington Ave. in reference to a reckless vehicle.

STOLEN

5:47 am – Officer dispatched to 100 block of N. 26th St. in reference to a stolen vehicle.

FIGHT

7:29 am – Officer dispatched to 400 block of W. Cleveland Ave. in reference to a fight in progress.

WELFARE

8:07 am – Officer dispatched to 900 block of S. 2nd St. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

DISTURBANCE

9:26 am -Officer dispatched to 1300 block of W. Yucca Ave. in reference to disturbance.

ACCIDENT

12:22 pm – Officer dispatched to 1500 block of W. Main St. in reference to a motor vehicle accident.

SUSPICIOUS

12:50 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of W. Hermosa Dr. in reference to a suspicious person.

1:16 pm – Officer dispatched to 1500 block of W. Sears Ave. in reference to suspicious activity.

2:03 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 7th St. in reference to a suspicious person.

4:00 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 10th St. in reference to a suspicious person.

RECKLESS

4:53 pm – Officer dispatched to 1300 block of Hermosa Dr. in reference to a reckless vehicle.

FIGHT

5:20 pm – Officer dispatched to 1100 block of N. 1st St. in reference to a fight in progress.

DOMESTIC

5:21 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of W. Missouri Ave. in reference to domestic.

SHOTS FIRED

7:15 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 13th St. in reference to shots fired in the area.

FIGHT

8:51 pm – Officer dispatched to 1100 block of W. Missouri Ave. in reference to a fight in progress.

DISTURBANCE

9:33 pm – Officer dispatched to 900 block of S. 2nd St. in reference to disturbance.

SUSPICIOUS

10:21 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of Catalina Dr. in reference to suspicious activity.

Aug 25

SUSPICIOUS

12:37 am- Officer dispatched to 1100 block of W. Runyan Ave. in reference to suspicious activity.

4:25 am – Officer dispatched to 2200 block of W. Briscoe Ave. in reference to suspicious activity.

Migrating from blue to red states

0

Cal Thomas

During the high inflation days of the Biden administration, many of the less than well-off were forced to cut back on their spending, whether it was food, gasoline or in some cases medication. Some migrated from blue states to red ones where often taxes, housing and prices were lower.

Blue state Democrats are reacting to losing residents not by reducing taxes, but by raising them. Their philosophy seems to be that they are losing money so taxes must be raised to make up for the shortfall. The exact opposite should happen, but because Democrats are so wedded to “tax the wealthy” they can’t see any other way.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D), who followed his tax cutting predecessor Larry Hogan (R), signed a bill in May which increases income taxes on residents making more than $500,000 a year. Hogan’s administration touts that it cut state taxes by $4.7 billion over his eight years in office, moving the state’s economy from 49th to 6th in the nation in economic performance. Hogan claimed to have left behind a $5.5 billion surplus and $3 billion in a rainy-day fund. It takes a genius – or a Democrat – to spend such a large surplus in so short a time. This is likely among the reasons Maryland is experiencing a net population outflow.

A Wall Street Journal editorial points out the potential political fallout for Democrats from this modern great migration. Between 2020 and 2024 the losses from states that have raised taxes and have lousy schools are as follows: “California (-1,465,116), New York (-966,209) and Illinois (-418,056).”

Which states are benefiting from the influx of new people? Texas (747,730), and Florida (872,722). These two states “gained the equivalent of West Virginia. Utah, Idaho, Arizona and North Carolina also experienced a rush of newcomers.”

The political benefits to these lower taxing states (assuming any fleeing Democrats don’t bring their ideology about “taxing the rich” with them) will be seen in coming elections. The Journal predicts Democrats could lose as many as 10 house seats in 2030, the year of the next census. This would likely overcome the gerrymandering California and Illinois are fashioning as they draw districts to give Democrats an even larger advantage than they currently enjoy.

This is what can happen when politicians are more interested in gaining or maintaining power, ignoring the Constitution (and yes, Texas Republicans are doing the same but for different reasons).

For those who flunked or didn’t take civics in high school this is the way the process is supposed to work. Census data taken every 10 years in even decades determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. The House is currently fixed at 435 members, so states gaining population may gain seats while states with slower growth or declines may lose seats. This is the Democrats’ great fear and why some are trying to go outside the Constitution and the census to rig the system.

Following the census and apportionment, states redraw their congressional and state legislative district boundaries to reflect population shifts and ensure districts have roughly equal populations.

Independent Redistricting Commissions, separate from state legislatures, are then responsible for drawing district boundaries, according to the Campaign Legal Center.

It doesn’t take a political genius to realize that if people are taxed more on what they have earned, many, including businesses, will look for places that tax them less. This is what’s happening in some blue states. Democrats who think raising taxes on the successful will benefit them in future elections, may be sowing seeds for future electoral defeats.

Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America” (HumanixBooks).