New Mexico

New Mexico was an early leader to adopt Clean Car Standards, Federal Efforts Build on State’s

May 19, 2009 -- SANTA FE – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson applauded President Obama’s new national fuel efficiency and clean car standards, announced today, that build on regulations New Mexico adopted in 2007. The standards will reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil and help combat global warming. It’s estimated the new standards will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 900 million metric tons over the lifetime of the program, equivalent to taking 177 million cars off the road or 194 coal-fired power plants out of commission.    » read more »

Udall Resolution to Raise Awareness of CCM Clears Senate

May 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON—The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed legislation introduced by Senator Tom Udall, D-N.M., to take a first step towards boosting research and education efforts related to Cerebral Cavernous Malformation (CCM), a relatively unknown illness more prevalent among New Mexico Hispanics than any other group.

Udall's resolution expresses the U.S. Senate’s recognition of the critical need to increase research, awareness and education about CCM. Udall was joined by Senator Jeff Bingaman in introducing the resolution.    » read more »

May 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall announced last week that the New Mexico Crime Victims Reparation Commission is set to receive $1.22 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help combat violent crimes against women.

“The funding released today will help support families whose lives have been touched by domestic violence, and holds abusers accountable for their criminal actions,” Bingaman said.

“Every time a violent act is committed against a woman, the devastating impacts are lasting and widespread,” said Udall. “Incidents of rape, domestic violence and stalking are never acceptable, and this funding will be used to crack down on these inexcusable acts within our communities.”    » read more »

Traffic and Pedestrian Light Retrofits with LED Bulbs Will Cut Electric Bills

May 13, 2009 -- Santa Fe, NM – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today announced that $5 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has been allocated to the State Energy Program to provide traffic and pedestrian light retrofits at intersections throughout the state. Older, incandescent bulbs will be replaced with LED- or light-emitting diode- bulbs, which use significantly less electricity.    » read more »

May 12, 2009 -- SANTA FE – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson issued the following statement today reaffirming his commitment to end the use of gas chambers for animals by June 19, 2009.

“I realize there has been some confusion about the effective date for the new law banning the use of gas chambers for euthanizing animals,” Governor Bill Richardson said. “Let me be clear: that date is June 19, 2009. That is the clear intent of the bills I signed into law, and it is the desire of the people of New Mexico."    » read more »

US 84/285 improvements will create 180 high-wage jobs, boost local economy, and increase safety

May 12, 2009 -- ESPANOLA – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today led a group of state and local officials in dedicating two transportation projects near Espanola along U.S. 84/285. These projects are the first of nine in New Mexico approved for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Because of New Mexico’s ongoing comprehensive transportation planning process the state was second in the nation to initiate projects being funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.    » read more »

May 11, 2009 -- SANTA FE – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today agreed to work with the Legislature to commission an independent review of investment practices and policies, including the use of third-party marketers.

The state Board of Finance and the Legislative Council Service will work on the scope of the review, along with an appropriate budget.    » read more »

May 11, 2009 -- SANTA FE – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today helped celebrate the inauguration of SCHOTT Solar’s flagship U.S manufacturing plant at Mesa Del Sol. The state-of-the-art facility represents an initial investment of over $100 million in the Albuquerque area and the creation of 300 new jobs, growing to 350 by year’s end and to eventually as many as 1,500.    » read more »

May 8, 2009 -- SANTA FE -- New Mexico Governor Richardson met earlier this week with leaders of 21 of the Tribes, Nations, and Pueblos of New Mexico at the first State-Tribal Leaders Summit. Hosted by the Pueblo of Acoma, tribal and state leaders met to promote dialogue and collaborative problem-solving for a number of issues raised by both the tribes and the state.

“I am very pleased at the success of State-Tribal Leaders Summit and the dialogue we had on important issues and needs in tribal communities,” said Governor Richardson. “I am furthering my commitment to strengthen the government-to-government relationships with all the tribes and to addressing the issues that were presented at the tribal Summit."    » read more »

April 28, 2009 -- SANTA FE – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson applauded the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeal’s unanimous decision today to require the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to take a hard look at the potential adverse impacts from oil and gas drilling on Otero Mesa.

“This is a major boost in our fight to protect one of New Mexico’s most ecologically valuable and unique places,” Governor Bill Richardson said. “I am pleased that the courts share our steadfast position that the public must have a voice in decisions affecting oil and gas leasing on Otero Mesa."

The Tenth Circuit Court upheld a previous ruling in federal district court that the BLM could not issue a new lease without further National Environmental Policy Act requirements.    » read more »

Urges DOE Secretary Chu to scrap requirements that would limit project size and viability & would place unreasonable financial burdens on states

April 28, 2009 -- SANTA FE -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson’s office today released a letter the Governor sent to US Department Energy Secretary Henry Chu protesting critical changes to the proposed requirements for competitive grants for so-called Smart Grid technology. The new guidelines would severely reduce the amount of funding available to states through the grants, which were created as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.    » read more »

Action signals move toward stronger environmental safeguards for Proposed Coal‐Fired Power Plant on Navajo Nation

April 27, 2009 -- (Santa Fe, NM) -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today applauded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s motion for voluntary remand of the air quality permit for the Desert Rock Energy Facility.

“I am encouraged by this decision -- it’s a significant victory in our ongoing fight to protect the quality of our air,” said Governor Richardson. “We still have work to do to make sure that this project only moves forward with the proper environmental safeguards. I am pleased the Obama Administration is taking action to reverse the disastrous environmental policies of the Bush Administration."    » read more »

No Cases Have Been Reported in New Mexico So Far

April 26, 2009 -- (Santa Fe) – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said today that the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and New Mexico Department of Health already have emergency response plans in place if New Mexico develops any swine flu cases. So far, New Mexico has no cases of swine influenza.

The United States declared a public health emergency today due to 20 confirmed cases of swine flu in California, Texas, Ohio, New York and Kansas as well as numerous cases in Mexico. In the U.S., patients are 7 to 54 years old; one person has been hospitalized and no one has died.    » read more »

April 17, 2009 -- Albuquerque, NM – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today joined Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall and Congressman Martin Heinrich at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History to highlight the many benefits to New Mexico from the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, recently signed into law by President Obama. Bingaman, as chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, helped shepherd the bill through Congress.    » read more »

April 16, 2009 -- Albuquerque, NM – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation will invest $12.5 million in New Mexico water infrastructure projects as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The New Mexico funding will go to the Navajo Nation Municipal Pipeline and to support infrastructure reliability projects at Elephant Butte Dam and levee repair work along the Rio Grande.    » read more »