Forecast For Spring: Nasty Drought Worsens For Much Of US - By Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer
Government forecasters say the spring in the United States looks like it will be dry and warm with little flooding.
Thursday's spring outlook is bad news for the West, which has been under a megadrought for more than 20 years. About two-thirds of the country is now abnormally dry or under drought conditions. Forecasters say that's only going to get worse.
They expect water use cutbacks, dangerous wildfires, low reservoir levels and damage to wheat crops. Forecasters expect nearly the entire country to be warmer than normal for the next three months, and that worsens drought.
Several factors go into worsening drought, the agency said. A La Niña cooling of parts of the central Pacific continues to bring dry weather for much of the country, while in the Southwest heavy summer monsoon rains failed to materialize.
Meteorologists also say the California megadrought is associated with long-term climate change.
Storefront Loan Proposal Hits Stalemate In State Legislature – Associated Press
The legislature hit a stalemate Thursday over an initiative to rein in interest rates on small, short-term loans.
Advocates for new limits on the storefront loan industry say current law allows annual interest rates of up to 175% that exploit the poor and can send borrowers into a spiral of debt.
The state Senate rejected amendments from the House to a bill that initially capped interest rates at 36% annually.
House-approved revisions would allow a maximum annual percentage rate of 99% for loans of $1,100 or less. The House-endorsed bill also allows for fees of $200 or 10% of loan principal.
The House has the opportunity to relent and restore the initial terms of the bill. If not, a conference committee would meet to negotiate a possible compromise, with three legislators from each chamber.
Opponents of reform say it would cut off credit options for low-income residents and that lenders would be driven out of business by the 36% cap.
New Mexico Governor Signs Prescribed Fire Measure - By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed legislation that will clear the way for more prescribed fires as New Mexico deals with worsening drought and climate change.
The measure clarifies liability for private landowners who conduct prescribed burns. Officials with the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department say that will make it easier and more affordable for landowners to get insurance. They say similar legislation in other states has resulted in increased prescribed burning.
Supporters of the measure says the intensity of recent fire seasons underscores the need for action.
A working group was established in 2019 to study how best to expand the use of prescribed burns. Meetings with landowners, tribal members, environmentalists, farmers and others followed.
More than half of New Mexico is dealing with exceptional drought, which is the worst category, according to the latest drought map.
The governor also signed other bills related to the minimum wage and education.
That included a bill aligning the state's minimum wage for employees under 18 with the adult wage of $10.50 an hour.
She also signed a bill establishing a 15-member advisory council that will advise the state Public Education Department on implementation of bilingual multicultural education programs. Some of the money could also be invested by the state to cover longer-term costs.
The governor also signed a bill to ensure that any financial assurance forfeited by mine operators that default on their reclamation obligations is deposited into a fund to be used for specific reclamation projects. The state could also invest some of the money to cover longer-term costs.
New Mexico Lawmakers Send Childhood Funding Bump To Voters - By Cedar Attanasio Associated Press / Report For America
The New Mexico Legislature has advanced a constitutional amendment that could increase funding for early childhood and K-12 education by hundreds of millions of dollars if it is approved by voters in a statewide election.
"The question has been debated for years, and now it is the people of New Mexico who have the power to decide how they will invest their own money," said Sen. Jacob Candelaria, a Democrat from Albuquerque.
House Joint Resolution 1 passed the Senate Thursday in a 26-16 vote.
The passage marked a victory for proponents who have tried for a decade to increase the withdrawal of funding from the Land Grant Permanent Fund, the state's $20 billion endowment based on natural resource extraction royalties and market investments.
The measure would increase withdrawals from the fund by 1.25%, with most of the money going to early childhood education and some going to K-12 schools.
Children in New Mexico face some of the highest rates of poverty in the country and achieve some of the lowest educational outcomes.
Supporters of the constitutional amendment argue that while the Land Grant Permanent Fund has doubled in the past 11 years, investments in child programs have grown by only half. They want to expand pre-K, childcare assistance and voluntary home-visits to new parents.
"Studies show that pre-kindergarten and other programs for kids 5 and under later pay off with higher high school graduation rates and fewer incarcerations," said Sen. Leo Jaramillo, a Democrat from Española.
Opponents warn the fund won't grow if oil and gas revenues drop because of efforts to curb emissions, and they argue that previous investments in K-12 education haven't paid off.
Republican Senators treated the measure as a referendum on Democratic executive power over education.
Many soured on the idea of increasing withdrawals from the fund following a hike in withdrawals approved by voters in 2003 during the administration of Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson. The measure allocated additional funds to K-12 education and gave him unprecedented control over public schools.
The funds withdrawn from the endowment then would have been generating profits today, some argued.
"The more we withdraw," said Republican Sen. William Sharer, "the less the power of compound interest helps."
Sharer, of San Juan County in New Mexico's northwest, put forward several amendments to blunt the bill that did not pass, from sunset clauses to a reduction of the increase to 1%, which is what the original bill called for.
It was increased to 1.25% in a compromise between House and Senate Democrats, who wanted to include K-12 schools, which according to court rulings are underfunded.
If approved by voters, early childhood education would become a new beneficiary of the fund and receive 0.75%. Public schools are already the largest recipient and would receive an additional 0.5%.
Democrats supporting the new increase said the additional money will be allocated by the Legislature, not the executive branch, and that it is needed to fund programs in the newly created Early Childhood Education and Care Department, which prepares infants and toddlers for kindergarten by increasing childcare opportunities and supporting new parents.
Amendments also created safeguards against major drains to the fund, including a brake on the 1.25% withdrawal if the fund ever shrinks to $17 billion.
Sen. Gay Kernan, a Republican from Hobbs, said she appreciated that safeguard but voted against the bill. "I wish we had a sunset," she said.
Currently valued at around $20 billion, the Land Grant Permanent Fund is one of the largest educational endowments of any institution or government in the world. The largest endowment belongs to Harvard University, which has an endowment of around $40 billion.
The measure will now be decided by a statewide vote that would likely take place this fall or next year.
New Mexico Debates Constitution Change For Education Funding - By Cedar Attanasio, Associated Press / Report For America
The New Mexico Legislature is debating a constitutional amendment that could increase funding for early childhood and K-12 education by hundreds of millions of dollars if approved by voters in a statewide election.
Passage would be a victory for proponents who have tried to increase the withdrawal of funding from the Land Grant Permanent Fund, the state's $20 billion endowment grown by natural resource extraction royalties and market investments.
The measure would increase withdrawals from the fund by 1.25%, with most of the money going to early childhood education and some going to K-12 schools.
Children in New Mexico face some of the highest rates of poverty in the country and achieve some of the lowest educational outcomes.
Supporters of the constitutional amendment argue that while the Land Grant Permanent Fund has doubled in the past 11 years, investments in child programs have grown by only half.
Opponents warn the fund won't grow if oil and gas revenues drop because of efforts to curb emissions, and they argue that previous investments in K-12 education haven't paid off.
If passed by the Senate, the measure would be decided by a statewide vote that would likely take place this fall or next year.
Special Election Set For June 1 To Fill Vacated House Seat – Associated Press
New Mexico's secretary of state has announced that a special general election will be held June 1 to fill the U.S. House seat vacated by Deb Haaland.
Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver made the announcement Wednesday after Haaland officially resigned the post Tuesday after being confirmed as secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior, which manages public and tribal lands.
Haaland, a tribal member of Laguna Pueblo, said she is now able to act as a role model to "little girls everywhere" in her new position. Haaland's initial election to Congress in 2018 and Cabinet confirmation set new milestones for Native American women in U.S. government.
"Deb Haaland's historic confirmation as the nation's first Native American cabinet secretary is a proud moment for all New Mexicans, but it also kicks off another important election cycle of which every eligible voter in Congressional District 1 should be aware," Toulouse Oliver said in a statement.
Congressional District 1 includes most of Albuquerque and parts of Sandoval, Santa Fe and Valencia counties.
Central committee members from the state's major political parties will now nominate a candidate to run in the special election. Independent candidates may also circulate nominating petitions.
Residents are encouraged to register to vote or update their voter registration ahead of the election.
New Mexico Updates Horse Racing Rules, Preps For Live Racing - By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press
Horse racing regulators in New Mexico have adopted several changes to the state's doping rules to align with the latest guidelines and recommendations issued by the Association of Racing Commissioners International.
The amendments come as tracks here and elsewhere brace for implementation next year of a new federal law that aims to set national medication and safety standards for the industry.
The executive director of the New Mexico Racing Commission said Thursday the constitutionality of the new law is being challenged by a national horsemen's group.
He also said the commission's staff is getting ready for live racing to resume in the state now that public health restrictions prompted by the coronavirus pandemic have been eased. The industry has been hit hard, as the casinos that help bankroll the races and purse winnings were forced to close last year.
New Mexico Pot Legalization Bill Advances As Time Runs Short – Morgan Lee, Associated Press
Legislation to legalize cannabis in New Mexico advanced Thursday toward a decisive Senate floor vote under a framework that emphasizes government oversight of pricing and supplies and social services for communities where the criminalization of pot led to aggressive policing.
A Senate judiciary committee advanced a Democrat-sponsored bill on a 5-4 vote amid stinging criticism from Democratic Sen. Joseph Cervantes, who fears the regulatory framework will create a powerful, government-protected monopoly.
The state Senate has until noon on Saturday to send a legalization bill to Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who says the industry would spur jobs and boost state government income.
The Senate panel discarded a rival legalization proposal from Republican state Sen. Cliff Pirtle of Roswell that stressed low taxes as a framework to stamp out the illicit marijuana market.
Legalization advocates focused instead on revisions to a House-approved bill from Democratic state Reps. Javier Martínez of Albuquerque and Andrea Romero of Santa Fe that emphasizes support for communities adversely affected by marijuana criminalization in the past.
The House-backed bill provides some automated pardon and expungement procedures for past marijuana possession charges and convictions. It also would set aside public funds in the future to underwrite vocation training for cannabis workers, education to prevent substance abuse, and an array of social services in communities that have experienced tough policing against illicit drugs.
Newly adopted amendments to the bill would initiate a study of cannabis production levels in other states and monitor the New Mexico market to ensure "market equilibrium." State regulators at the state Regulation and Licensing Department could put a freeze on cannabis production levels or new licenses.
Cervantes warned that the state may inadvertently be creating a tightly regulated cartel of marijuana producers, much like the liquor license system that lawmakers reformed this year to spur new opportunities in the hospitality industry.
"In other words, the government is going to decide how much of a shortage, how much of a demand and whether the price is right or not. And based on achieving some kind of market equilibrium, will decide whether to allow more plants or fewer plants to be grown and more licensed or fewer licensed to be issued," Cervantes said.
Proponents of the current bill say it would foster competition and that market controls would expire after three years, but Cervantes voiced skepticism. Several incumbent medical marijuana producers have lobbied for an extension of state production caps that some say inflate prices.
"Those that are able to control the market for those first three years, as you're describing, will get very used to the idea of being able to control that market," Cervantes said. "I'm sure the big boys have written this bill. I wasn't born yesterday."
The bill awaiting a Senate vote is designed to ensure opportunities for small craft-marijuana producers under a micro-license system that combines cultivation, manufacturing of pot products, sales and lounges for social consumption of weed.
It calls for a combined state and local excise tax on sales of 12%, on top of existing gross receipts taxes on sales that range from roughly 5% to 9% by location. Medical marijuana would become tax-free, with provisions for subsidized cannabis for poor patients.
Debate on the bill concluded at about 1:30 a.m. Thursday, as exhausted legislators postponed additional amendments for Senate floor deliberations.
State Sen. Mimi Stewart of Albuquerque voted to advance the bill, but wondered aloud how regulators would determine appropriate production levels as marijuana tourism draws in visitors from neighboring Texas, where nonmedical marijuana remains illegal.
Small craft pot operations would get a head start in the industry in July. The first licenses for full-scale marijuana businesses would be issued on March 1, 2022.
Navajo Nation Nears 30K COVID-19 Cases Since Pandemic Began - Associated Press
The Navajo Nation on Thursday reported six more deaths and 18 new cases of COVID-19 as the total number of cases approaches the 30,000 mark since the pandemic began.
The latest numbers pushed the tribe's pandemic total to 29,987 confirmed cases and 1,228 known deaths. The Navajo Nation had a soft reopening Monday with 25% capacity for some businesses under certain restrictions.
Still, mask mandates and daily curfews remain. Tribal President Jonathan Nez is strongly urging all residents to limit their travel to only essential activities.
He says now is not the time to go on vacation or to hold large in-person gatherings on the reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
Officials Seek Information On Death Of Endangered Gray Wolf – Associated Press
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating what it says is a suspicious death of an endangered Mexican gray wolf near Eagar.
The agency and others are offering a reward of up to $37,000 for information that leads to a conviction. Federal law enforcement officers removed the carcass from the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest on Feb. 19.
They say a vehicle was seen stopped or driving slowly near the Saffel Canyon trailhead the night before.
The wolf was part of the Hoodoo pack that was hazed away from Nutrioso in December.
Reintroduction of Mexican wolves to the American Southwest began more than two decades ago. The results of the latest annual survey show there are at least 186 wolves in the wild in New Mexico and Arizona, a figure that has increased for five consecutive years.
Still, environmentalists have said that high rates of illegal killings continue to slow recovery efforts.
At least 105 wolves have died illegally from shootings, trappings and other methods between 1998 and 2019, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service, representing 57% of all deaths.
Killing a Mexican gray wolf violates state and federal laws. Its punishable by up to a year in jail and thousands of dollars in fines upon conviction.
New Mexico Puts Surging Income Into Schools, Economic Relief – Associated Press
The New Mexico state Senate approved an annual budget plan for state government that increases general fund spending by nearly 5% to shore up educational funding, bolster environmental oversight and provide an array of economic relief to low-income workers and businesses.
The state Senate voted 29-13 on Wednesday with most Republicans in opposition to approved a $7.45 billion spending plan for the fiscal year starting July 1.
Recent budget amendments would tap into newly approved federal pandemic aid to pay down the state’s unemployment insurance debt and funnel more dollars toward health care for the poor under Medicaid.
Vice President's Husband Touts Relief Package In New Mexico – Associated Press
The husband of Vice President Kamala Harris joined officials in New Mexico on Wednesday to tour a tribal vaccination clinic. Kewa Pueblo has vaccinated the majority of its tribal members.
Doug Emhoff called it a vaccination model and acknowledged how hard the coronavirus has hit Native American communities. He says he was inspired by the work Kewa and other pueblos have done to bring their communities together at a trying time.
Emhoff also met with four working mothers in Albuquerque and talked with them about the challenges brought on by the pandemic. His visit was part of a tour to promote the $1.9 trillion federal relief package.
New Mexico Governor Signs Alcohol Bill Ok'ing Home Delivery – Associated Press
The governor has signed a sweeping liquor reform law that will allow home delivery in New Mexico. The bipartisan law makes it easier for businesses to get a liquor license.
To compensate existing license holders, it provides for a tax break. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says she signed the reform in part to increase revenue opportunities for the hospitality industry, which has been hit hard by shutdowns during the pandemic.
The bill directs officials to study the effect of the delivery policy on public health, and it bans the sale of wine and spirits at gas stations in McKinley County. The prohibition was included at the urging of a centrist Democrat representing that area of northwestern New Mexico, citing high levels of alcoholism.
Warning Issued Not To Drink Vegas-based 'Real Water' Product – Associated Press
Health officials are warning people not to drink a Las Vegas-based bottled water brand, Real Water, after linking it to liver illness in five hospitalized children.
Company President Brent Jones on Wednesday said stores should stop selling the product until the issue is resolved. It comes in boxy blue plastic bottles labeled "alkalized" and “infused with negative ions” at stores in Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and the Los Angeles area.
The company also was sued Tuesday in Nevada state court by a father, mother and their young son seeking damages and saying they became sick from the water.