APR WATER GRAB - SEC - LOCAL ENVIRO. & NEWS

 

October 8, 2010 -
The Race to Buy Up the World's Water  Newsweek  

November 1, 2018 -
An Aquifer From the Ice Age Becomes a Battleground in New Mexico. EcoWatch 

November 1, 2018 -
Bosque Watch Newsletter  

October 23, 2018 -
Challenge to Policy on Prosecuting Endangered-Species Hunters Tossed.  Courthouse News  

October 22, 2018 - PROTEST COPPER FLAY MINE -
The New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division (MMD) is holding a public hearing October 23 -24 on the Permit Application Package and Draft Environmental Evaluation in consideration of issuing a new mine operation permit for the Copper Flat Mine, 5 miles northeast of Hillsboro and 30 miles southwest of Truth or Consequences. More information: Action Network
Download flyer

October 18, 2018 -
SEC rate increases may begin in January.
Chieftain       Rate table  
            Public meetings on rate increases:
Oct. 19: Socorro Annex Building, 198 Neal Ave, 6 pm
Oct. 22: Magdalena Senior Citizens Center, 6:30 pm
Oct. 23: Alamo Wellness Center, 2 p.m.
Oct. 25: Datil Elementary School Gym, 3 pm

October 17, 2018 -
Proposed SEC rate increase for 2019. Rate Table  

October 16, 2018 -
No peep from councilors on proposed takeover. Chieftain letter 

October 12, 2018 -
Case Updates from NM Enviromental Law Center

Santolina - This is a very complex set of cases and filings. For the Level A Master Plan (which covers the entire proposed development), we appealed the County Commission approval of the Plan to the Court of Appeals and the paperwork on that by all the parties may be complete. Also in the Court of Appeals is an appeal by Bernalillo County of the 2nd Judicial District Court's decision voiding the Zone Map change for the Santolina development. The developer, Western Albuquerque Land Holdings (WALH), also filed an appeal of that decision and our Answer brief to their appeal is due October 30th. For the Level B Master Plan approval (Level B is for a sub-section of the whole Level A Master Plan), we have filed in District Court our Statement of Appellate Reasons and are waiting for the

Agustin Plains Water Grab -
Augustin (sic) Plains Ranch (APR) has filed a Notice of Appeal of the State Engineer's decision to deny - for the third time - APR's application to mine more than 17 billion gallons of aquifer water annually. We will soon file our Notice of Entry and a Motion for Summary Judgement (a request that the court issue a decision based on the merits of our case without having to go to trial).

San Augustin Water Coalition Meeting Tuesday, October 9th 6 p.m. at the Datil Baptist Church.

New Mexico Legal Notices website  

APR VS BLAINE Case D-728-CV-201800026 Filed Oct. 3, 2018 October 10, 2018 - Current Court Filing with register of actions October 5, 2018 - Two Court notices dated August 13, 2018 - 1 - State of NM Catron County Seventh Judicial district Court:   In the matter of the corrected Application filed by Augustin Plains Ranch, LLC, for permit to appropriate ground water in the Rio Grande Underground Water Basin in the State of New Mexico. Download here   2 - State of NM Catron County Seventh Judicial district Court:   Augustin Plains Ranch, LLC - Applicant/Appellant) v. Tom Blaine, P.E. and Protestants (Listed). Download here

October 4, 2018 -
While Nestlé extracts millions of litres from their land, residents have no drinking water.  Guardian  

October 4, 2018 -
SEC Board vacates Holcomb’s post. Chieftain  

October 1, 2018 -
Warning to wives about SEC billing statement.
 Chieftain  

September 25, 2018 -
As New Mexico Reservoirs Hit Bottom, Worries Grow Over the Future. ... The state’s reservoirs have done their job to help water users survive record drought in 2018. Now they are almost totally dry, and tensions are building over the year ahead. ‘Climate change is really happening,’ one water official says.  News Deeply  

September 19, 2018 -
Monsoon Storms, Key to Recharging Groundwater, May Become Less Common. ... A new study has revealed that monsoons in the Southwest have already become less common but more extreme in nature, posing new challenges for water managers eager to capture crucial runoff.  News Deeply  

September 17, 2018 -
In New Mexico, Move to Reuse Fracking Water Stirs Cry for Transparency. ... The state formed a working group, with the blessing of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to find ways to reuse wastewater from natural gas fracking wells. But concerned citizens say the process needs more daylight.
 News Deeply  

August 14, 2018 -
New Mexico Groundwater Diversion Plan Rejected as ‘Water Speculation’. ...Augustin Plains Ranch wanted to build 37 wells and a pipeline to deliver groundwater from remote Catron County to the Albuquerque metro area. For the third time, the state engineer found the plan would violate New Mexico law.  News Deeply  

(2012) Protecting Resources for Land-Based People: The New Mexico Water-Transfer Conundrum.
Poverty Law  

September 20, 2018 -
Why is SEC board acting as if it has something to hide?  
Chieftain Editorial  

September 20, 2018 -
(August 31, 2018) Santolina development takes another step forward. ... Bernalillo County Commission approved Santolina’s first Level B Master Plan on (Aug. 29, 2018) ... bringing the massive 21-square-mile development southwest of Interstate 40 and 118th Street one step closer to fruition. Albuquerque Journal or PDF file  

September 17, 2018 -
State says no to APR hearing - Chieftain  

September 16, 2018 -
PRC denies SunZia permit. ... It will transport electricity generated from wind farms in the eastern part of the state to a hub west of Phoenix that would serve customers in Arizona and California  Chieftain  

September 13, 2018 -
Socorro Mayor talks SEC buyout  Chieftain

September 6, 2018 -
SEC electric bills about to rise? ... City considers filing PRC protest. Chieftain    Related:   SEC electric bills about to rise? ... Resolution paves way for increase  Chieftain  

September 4, 2018 -
Senator Heinrich: Gila not appropriate for flyovers.
 NM Wild  

September 3, 2018 -
Billionaire Clinton donor joins Trump administration in bid to save Navajo coal plant. ... Private equity fund negotiates acquisition of largest coal plant in the West.  ThinkProgress  

August 23, 2018 -
Mayor: City buyout of SEC grid would mean cheaper rates.  Chieftain  

August 5, 2018 -
Battle for Water Rights Heats Up in El Salvador.
TruthOut  

June 26, 2018 -
Attend a rally in opposition to the Gila River diversion and then join us to make public comment at the NEPA scoping meetings scheduled for 4pm to 7 pm.
More info  

New Analysis Demonstrates Importance of Gila National Forest-Northern Arizona Wildlife Corridor for Mexican Wolf Recovery. NM Wild Or PDF file  

July 2018 -
Bosque Del Apache news letter.
Note the water problems on the Rio Grande. .

June 4, 2018-
Importance of Gila National Forest For Mexican Wolf Recovery. Wildlands Network  

Standoff Over Mexican Gray Wolf Continues in Southwestern U.S. NatureNow  

New Analysis Demonstrates Importance of Gila National Forest-Northern Arizona Wildlife Corridor for Mexican Wolf Recovery. New Mexico Wild  

May 30,2018 - APR watr grab update from Carol Pittman::
There is still no decision by the State Engineer on the application to mine water in the Plains of San Augustin. While we wait, let’s assess the situation.
Smoke Outlook.pdf  

The proposed project by the Augustin Plains Ranch LLC (APR LLC) is one which we, the community, must fight on three fronts.

1) The legal front. We have twice won on this front because we have had top-notch representation by the New Mexico Environmental Law Center. NMELC continues to represent us and should you have a couple of bucks to spare, a donation would help us meet our expenses (travel, court filings, copying, mailing). Here is a link to their website: http://www.nmelc.org/ You can also send a check to NMELC, 1405 Luisa St., Suite #5, Santa Fe NM 87505. In either case be sure to indicate that your donation if for the “Augustin Plains account.”

2) The second front we must fight on is the technical front. As you may know, the APR LLC has engaged Occam Engineering to conduct a hydrological study of the Plains. Occam Engineering is corporate president Scott Verhines, the former State Engineer who denied the APR LLC’s application, and Estevan Lopez, former head of the Interstate Stream Commission, a protestant of the application. These two men have changed sides.

We, therefore, must do our own hydrological study. If you’d like to contribute to our hydrology fund, there are two ways to do that. Make a donation to the San Augustin Water Coalition, PO Box 613, Datil NM 87821. Designate your donation for the “Hydrology Fund.” OR, go on line to the Southwest Research and Information Center http://www.sric.org/ and contribute to the Augustin Plains account. SRIC administers our grant funds, but also takes individual donations.

The investment you make to save our community will also protect the investment you’ve made in your home and/or business.

3) The third front in our water battle is political. While I'm not suggesting that anyone be a one-issue voter, I do suggest that you consider voting for those who stand with our community on this issue. If this project is approved it will set a precedent that can harm all of New Mexico's rural communities.
Socorro Voting Places.pdf
Catron Voting Places.pdf  
Download the above update.pdf

May 3, 2018 -
Is the SEC doing enough with renewable energy?
Chieftain  

April 26, 2018 -
Augustin Plains Ranch OpEd makes astounding claims - Download

April 26, 2018 -
'We'll survive': Officials: Farmers have water despite early drying Rio Grande - Chieftain

April 18, 2018 -
Jichlinski responds to Sen Heinrich article in the Chieftain   .pdf version 
Original Sen Meinrich article here  Chieftain  
pdf version

APRIL 17, 2018
2018 SAWC ANNUAL MEETING VIDEOS:
The presentation of an on-going study of the San Augustin Plains Aquifer by Dr. Alex Rinehart (Hydrogeology, Geomechanics) from NM Tech Earth and Environmental Science -
1 of 4.webm
2 of 4.webm
3 of 4.webm
4 of 4.webm

Alex Reinhart presentation slides.

April 6, 2018 -
20th anniversary of release of Mexican wolves in wild. Chieftain    .pdf  
     

(East Mountain) Water dispute has statewide implications. Mountain View Telegraph

April 5, 2018 -
Despite Overwhelming Opposition From Residents, Michigan Permits Nestlé to Draw More Groundwater for Bottling. ... Out of 81,862 comments filed, only 75 were reportedly in favor of granting the permit.  AlterNet  

April 5, 2018 -
Navajo water ruling will be appealed to NM Supreme Court. An attorney for non-Indian water users in northwest New Mexico says he will appeal a decision by the New Mexico Court of Appeals upholding an agreement between the Navajo Nation and state government settling Navajo water rights claims in the San Juan River basin.
Albuquerque Journal   .PDF

April 4, 2018 -
Letter from Rep Gail Armstrong to Zinke, head of the Deptartment of the Inetrior regarding the removal of their "objection" to the APR project.  Armstrong Letter

April 4, 2018 -
Anyone who has had an unreasonable experience with Socorro Electric Coop (SEC), our Electricity provider. ... We are currently compiling complaints and experiences yourself/others may have encountered with SEC, in an effort to collaboratively address SEC. Call Bonny Dexter 505-205-6658

April 2, 2018 -
Water grab on the plains of San Agustin. Letter to the editor by Sen. Martin Heinrich. Chieftain PDF

March 24, 2018 -
Warehouse 1-10 WATER 2018
Panel discussion.

 
The Panelists left to right:
* Mary Katherine Ray,
Wild Life Photographer and Chair for the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club
* Douglas Meiklejohn,
Founder and Executive Director of the New Mexico Environmental Law Center
* Carol Pittman,
The Augustin Plains Challenge San Augustin Plains Water Grab.
* Fred Phillips,
Professor of Hydrology at Dept. of Earth & Enviro. Science, NM Tech
* Gail Armstrong,
State Representative for District 49
* Ed Katzenberger,
Watershed Discipleship. Cooperative interfaith effort between Albuquerque Mennonite Church and NM Interfaith Power and Light

VIDEOS
Part 1.webm or mp4    Part 2,webm or mp4
Part 3.webm or mp4    Part 4.webm or mp4   
Part 5.webm or mp4    Part 6.webm or mp4
                    Part 7 webm or mp4

March 15, 2018 -
NM, feds reach agreement on wolf releases. Albuquerque Journal  

March 15, 2017 - Bhasker vows to go after the electric cooperative  

Warehouse 1-10 is proud
to present WATER 2018
Saturday, March 24th - 1 to 3pm

At Warehouse 1-10 is at 110 North Main, Magdalena.

Art Exhibits
Panel Discussion starting at Noon
Download the flyer:  Word or PDF

Coke, Nestle Near Ownership Of World’s Second Largest Aquifer. ... A concerted push is underway in South America that could see the Guarani Aquifer, one of the world’s largest reserves of fresh water, soon fall into the hands of transnational corporations such as Coca-Cola and Nestle. Popular Resistance  

USGS Library Materials for Water Resources Information.  FDLP

March 1, 2018 - APR Update from Randell Major:

I sat in on SM 30 "NO PERMIT FOR AUGUSTIN PLAINS RANCH WATER". It made it through several committees and then to the Senate Chamber and passed 36 to nothing. Which is good! Even though this memorial does not have the legal authority to direct the State Engineer what to do, it does send a strong signal.

This part is my opinion. The San Augustin Plains Ranch LLC has their lobbyist and are going strong to get our water. Senator Joseph Cervantes pointed out many different cities like Los Angeles, Phoenix, and others that get their water from somewhere else. Making the comment that NM may need to do the same" move water around". We need to keep up the fight. These guys are not going away anytime soon.  
Full report on meeting here    
 Copy of SM30 here  

New website: Peaceful Gila Skies - Stop Holloman Air Force Base expansion of military training over the Gila. Click here  

Time to support our Environmental Law Center leading the legal battatle against the water grab -

Last year, without being asked, people like you - who know us and respect our work - voted the New Mexico Environmental Law Center into 3rd place in the Santa Fe Reporter’s annual Best of Santa Fe in the category, “Best Non-Profit for the Environment”.

This year, we’d LOVE to come in 1st place! Willyou help us reach the top?

Please Vote! Support the work that our donors and clients make possible every year protecting New Mexico's air, land, and water.

Votes have to be in by 11:59 pm on Wednesday, February 28th. No pressure.

Vote here - the Santa Fe Reporter  

February 21, 2018 -

Interbasin transfers of water, that is, the movement of water from one basin to another, has consequences for the go-to area as well as the take-from area. It has been a common occurrence to move surface water from one area to another, via a diversion, tunnel or pipeline. The transfer of groundwater is beginning to appeal to water managers as scarcity becomes more pressing. Treatises have been written on the subject and this venue is not appropriate for a long explanation, but awareness is of great importance as we have learned from what is happening on the Augustin Plains. Briefly, here are the questions we might ask when an interbasin transfer of water is proposed:

1) What is the environmental cost to the take-from area? Will it kill the grass? the trees? Will it leave enough water for people, livestock and wildlife? And what happens to the land when large transfers occur?

2) What is the environmental cost to the go-to area? Does the water “fit” the area?

3) What is the economic cost to the take-from area? We have learned from the Augustin Plains experience that not much can happen in an area where the water supply is threatened. Catron County has experienced little growth for 10 years.

4) What is the cost of the water in the go-to area? Does the entity in charge of the project expect to make a profit?

4) How sustainable is the water supply? What happens to the go-to area when this finite resource is gone? What happens in the take-from place when the finite resource is exhausted? These two questions are extremely important in a semi-arid climate.
We can ask more questions, but these should get you thinking about the need for regulation that will ensure fairness for all. “El agua is vida” applies to all life and has ramifications extending beyond basic needs.
- Carol Pittman

Related: Comments by Rocking R Ranch -
I sat in on SM 30 "NO PERMIT FOR AUGUSTIN PLAINS RANCH WATER". It made it through several committees and then to the Senate Chamber and passed 36 to nothing. Which is good! Even though this memorial does not have the legal authority to direct the State Engineer what to do, it does send a strong signal.

This part is my opinion. The San Augustin Plains Ranch LLC has their lobbyist and are going strong to get our water. Senator Joseph Cervantes pointed out many different cities like Los Angeles, Phoenix, and others that get their water from somewhere else. Making the comment that NM may need to do the same" move water around". We need to keep up the fight. These guys are not going away anytime soon. - Randell Major

February 19, 2018 - Legislative Update from
Carol Pittman. The Legislative session is over and some good things happened. Gail Armstrong, our representative to the New Mexico House of Representatives, will host a Town Hall meeting at the Eagle Guest to bring us a recap. The meeting will also be an opportunity for you to express your concerns for our community. I’d like to suggest that Gail sponsor legislation on interbasin water transfers, and show Gail that we will support such legislation.

HERE ARE THE MEETING DETAILS:
Place: Eagle Guest Cafe, Datil
Time: 4:30-6pm
Date: Friday, February 23

January 25, 2018 - SEC: Deadline for co-op trustee candidates is Jan. 31 Chieftain

January 25, 2018 - Senator Munoz is the sponsor. The Memorial says it is “Asking the Office of the State Engineer to Refrain from Issuing a Permit to Augustin Plains Ranch Limited Liability Company to Appropriate fifty-four Thousand Acre-Feet of Water.” You can check it out at the link below

SENATE MEMORIAL 30 - 53RD LEGISLATURE- STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 2018
INTRODUCED BY - George K. Munoz - A MEMORIAL ... ASKING THE OFFICE OF THE STATE ENGINEER TO REFRAIN FROM ISSUING A PERMIT TO AUGUSTIN PLAINS RANCH LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY TO APPROPRIATE FIFTY-FOUR THOUSAND ACRE-FEET OF WATER. Download the Memorial

January 7, 2018 - Though New Mexico's national monuments appear to have avoided the sweeping acreage roll-backs happening in Utah, the Interior Department's recommendations for Rio Grande del Norte National Monument and Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks have many worried. Taos News

The Gila National Forest has released their Draft Wilderness Inventory maps, and the public is invited to submit comments. The draft maps total more than 1.2 million acres. New Mexico Wild volunteers have worked for the last four and half years helping to influence these draft maps. Public input is critical to ensure that these areas make it into the Final Wilderness Inventory, and your personal experiences and comments are essential to making that a reality.The Wilderness Homepage for the Gila National Forest 

September 2, 2017 -
Thousands weigh in on wolf recovery plan ... Just hours before the Tuesday night deadline approached for the public to weigh in on a proposed federal management plan for the endangered Mexican gray wolf, more than 9,000 comments had been posted online. Thousands more had been submitted to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by mail — most opposing a wolf recovery plan that many criticized as too restrictive to allow the species to thrive.
New Mexican

August 31, 2017-
How do Socorro Electric Co-op rates stack up.
(Part 1 of 2) Chieftain (Part 2 coming)

Reclaiming Public Services. ... How cities and citizens are turning back privatization.TNI

August 10, 2017 -
Would you support a City of Cororro buyout of the SEC? Vote here

NEW WATER GRAB ISSUES October 2012 - Groundwater in NM Report

August 2, 2017 -
Socorro Electric Co-op member survey -
In the upcoming months, SEC will be conducting a phone survey with members to received input on a variety of issues. We are interested in how we are doing as your provider. The SEC has hired a professional firm to conduct this survey, with the hopes of giving honest feedback about the service. The survey will ask questions on a variety of topics, such as the price of electricity, renewable energy, responsiveness to inquires, and internet service.