Federal Decision Expected On SunZia Transmission Line – The Associated Press
Federal officials are expected to make an announcement regarding a proposed $2 billion transmission line between Arizona and New Mexico that has become a priority for the Obama administration.
U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell will be joined Saturday by members of New Mexico's congressional delegation for a news conference in Albuquerque.
In November, the Bureau of Land Management released its review of a compromise reached with the U.S. Defense Department over the location of a section of the 515-mile-long transmission line.
Disagreement over the route landed the project in limbo in 2013.
SunZia is one of seven pilot projects the Obama administration has put on a fast track in hopes of boosting renewable energy development mainly across the West. The projects cover a dozen states and span thousands of miles.
Billions Going Out Nationwide To Address Contaminated Sites – The Associated Press
Billions of dollars from an environmental contamination settlement now can be disbursed nationwide, including for cleanup of former uranium sites on the Navajo Nation and a chemical manufacturing site in Nevada.
The $5.15 billion settlement between the U.S. government and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. was reached last April. But a bankruptcy court had been awaiting appeals before declaring it final this week.
The settlement resolves a legal battle over Tronox Inc., a spinoff of Kerr-McGee Corp. Andarko acquired Tronox in 2006.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Navajo Nation will use more than $1 billion to clean up a uranium mill in Shiprock, New Mexico, and about 50 mine sites elsewhere on the reservation.
Another $1.1 billion will address a perchlorate groundwater plume that has contaminated Lake Mead in Nevada.
AG Updates Lawmakers On Behavioral Health Investigation – The Associated Press
State Attorney General Hector Balderas says he's researching the possibility of releasing more information from a 2013 audit of 15 nonprofits that provided behavioral health services for needy New Mexicans.
Balderas told lawmakers during a committee meeting Friday that a decision is expected soon.
The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government sued last September after the attorney general's office under a previous administration and the Human Services Department refused to release the audit.
A state district judge ruled last month that most of the document would remain under wraps.
The audit prompted Gov. Susana Martinez's administration to freeze Medicaid payments to the providers while the attorney general launched an investigation.
Balderas says investigations into three of the providers are complete, four are in progress and eight have yet to begin.
Navajo Financial Adviser Changes Plea In Criminal Case – The Associated Press
A former Navajo Nation financial adviser has pleaded no contest in a criminal case accusing her of funneling tribal funds to her family.
The Window Rock District Court accepted Laura Calvin's plea to a conflict of interest charge this week.
She faces up to 90 days in jail and probation under an agreement with prosecutors. Sentencing hasn't been set.
Calvin initially pleaded not guilty to six counts of conflicts of interest.
The charges stem from an investigation into the use of a discretionary fund meant for Navajos who had no other way to pay expenses and that prohibited nepotism. Prosecutors say three of Calvin's children and four stepchildren received $79,000 from the fund over several years.
Calvin oversaw payments from the discretionary fund for the tribe's legislative branch from 1995 to 2009.
New Mexico Tribes Discuss Proposed Gambling Compact – The Associated Press
Native American leaders from a handful of tribes are seeking support for a new gambling compact negotiated with Republican Gov. Susana Martinez's administration.
The proposed agreement comes after years of discussions. It will require the approval of the state Legislature and the U.S. Interior Department.
The proposal would cover gambling operations by the Jicarilla Apache, the Mescalero Apache, the pueblos of Acoma and Jemez and the Navajo Nation. The current compact expires later this year.
Jicarilla Apache officials say leaders from more than a dozen tribes met Thursday in Albuquerque to discuss the proposal, which includes new revenue sharing percentages.
The general counsel for the Jicarilla Apache, Dion Killsback, says the tribes need to be unified and at the very least should not stand in the way of the agreement.
House Speaker Wants Committees To Meet On Time – The Associated Press
The leader of the New Mexico House of Representative wants committees under his watch to be punctual.
House Speaker Don Tripp sent a letter to new committee chairs Friday, asking that they meet on time. He says doing so would encourage New Mexicans to get involved in their government.
Committees are where lawmakers vet bills, take testimony from proponents and opponents and decide whether the measures should advance.
In the past, committees often ran hours behind schedule, leaving constituents waiting to testify. In some cases, the hearing of a bill could be put off for a day or more.
Tripp says committees that operate efficiently and effectively will better serve the people.
He also asked for committee leaders to plan their agendas as far in advance as possible to allow for adequate public notice.