Latest on Fight Against Polluting Desert Rock Power Plant Tax Break Bills

DDR's Elouise Brown, Roundhouse rally 2/5/07

The latest call for action was reported at the desert-rock-blog.com on Friday. The blog is an excellent place to stay current on the quickly changing maneuvers some legislators, including some Democrats, are using to try and pass an $85 million tax break for what will be a massively polluting coal-fired power plant on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico:

DDR CONTINUES TO BATTLE SB 431 & HB 178 AT THE  ROUNDHOUSE !

Dooda Desert Rock (DDR) had such a chaotic but fearless time for the last two days, unfortunately the bill was moved forward in the Senate, but still temporarily stalled in the House.

The NM Senate Conservation passed SB 431 to Finance but, no date is set for that hearing.

HB 178 was momentarily tabled again. The sponsor volunteered a new amendment and Rep. Wirth has his amendments. The Chair of the NM House Energy Committee asked both sides to compose a substitute bill which may be heard on Wednesday, February 28, 2007.

Please continue to write letters to [and call] the following - Need your help:

2/5/07 rally photos

House Energy and Natural Resources Members:

• Rep. James Madalena (D) Chair (SD 65, Jemez Pueblo)
• Rep. Jim Trujillo (D) Vice Chair (SD 45, Santa Fe)
• Rep. Thomas Anderson (R-SD 29, Albuquerque)
• Rep. Paul Bandy (R-SD 3, Aztec)
• Rep. Donald Bratton (R-SD 62, Hobbs)
• Rep. Candy Spence Ezzell (R-SD 58, Roswell)
• Rep. Miguel Garcia (D-SD 14, Albuquerque)
• Rep. Thomas Garcia (D-SD 68, Ocate)
• Rep. William Gray (R-SD 54, Artesia)
• Rep. Joni Gutierrez (D-SD 33, Mesilla)
• Rep. Antonio Lujan (D-SD 35, Las Cruces)
• Rep. Jeff Steinborn (D-SD 37, Las Cruces)
• Rep. James Strickler (R-SD 2, Farmington)
• Rep. Peter Wirth (D-SD 47, Santa Fe)

Senate Finance Committee Members:

• Sen. Tim Jennings (D) Co-Chair  (SD 32, Roswell)
• Sen. John Arthur Smith (D) Co-Chair (SD 35, Deming)
• Sen. Carlos Cisneros (D-SD 6, Questa)
• Sen. Joseph Carraro (R-SD 23, Westside ABQ)
• Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort (R-SD 19, Sandia Park)
• Sen. Pete Campos (D-SD 8, Mora/SF/Torrance)
• Sen. Carroll Leavell (R-SD 41, Eddy)
• Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson (R-SD 37, Dona Ana)
• Sen. Nancy Rodriguez (R-SD 24, Santa Fe)
• Sen. Bernadette Sanchez (D-SD 26, Westside ABQ)

**************
Contact for DDR:
Elouise Brown
President, Dooda Desert Rock
505-947-6159
www.desert-rock-blog.com
thebrownmachine@hotmail.com

Editor's Note: Check our previous posts (links below) for more information and tracking of this issue, including Democratic Rep. Joni Gutierrez and her abrupt about face on the tax break, which resulted in the House bill being revived after it was tabled and effectively stopped. Rep. Gutierrez is being heavily criticized for her defection from environmental principles and she has so far refused to explain why she changed her mind and decided to support this horrendous tax break for a coal-fired, greenhouse gas spewing power plant that will be a major polluter of New Mexico's and the nation's air.

• February 21, 2007
• February 17, 2007
• February 13, 2007
• February 5, 2007
• December 15, 2006