Energy

Renewable Energy/Environmental Preservation

Global climate change is the result of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases mostly by developed countries, and there are predictable consequences (drought, extreme weather, sea level rise, often devastating poor populations of developing countries) that will require major mitigating and adjusting actions in response to this change. We can transition away from dependence on fossil fuels in ways that will not only reduce environmental damage, but are economically superior to use of fossil fuels. I strongly support the state doing all of its business in a way that encourages energy and environmental conservation, renewable energy, and efficient mass transit. This will save us money in the long run, and preserve the health and beauty of New Mexico. Every time I use Atomic City Transit or the NCRTD “Blue Bus” instead of driving, that is one less gallon of gasoline that we burn and contribute to global warming.

New Mexico has millions of acres of forest that need thinning in order to return to a healthy, sustainable state. If we don’t do that, most of them will end up in forest fires like Cerro Grande or Las Conchas, costing us much more than thinning. I convinced Los Alamos County to join the Rio Grande Water Fund, an innovative coalition of public and private groups from all over northern New Mexico, that is working to increase the rate of restoration of our beautiful forest watersheds.

I strongly support the Water Fund’s increasingly successful efforts, in 2017 getting 18,000 acres thinned and tens of thousands more acres treated with controlled burns and other means. These efforts also create desperately needed jobs in the rural parts of our state. New Mexico should support small businesses that are taking on this work with low-interest loans or LEDA programs. I have encouraged the Los Alamos Fire Department in getting trained in forest thinning and successfully applying for forest restoration grants. The state should encourage and fund this for Fire Departments throughout New Mexico.

I support local efforts to regulate oil and gas development for local environmental and social conditions. The State needs to strictly enforce environmental regulations on drilling, fracking, and handling of wastewater, which will require needed amendments to the Oil and Gas Act that I will pursue. There is economical recycling technology available for drilling wastewater which minimizes the use of water and the need for wastewater injection wells. With the scarcity of water in our state and the need to protect our groundwater resources, we should require recycling over injection. I support a statewide ban on fracking in environmentally or culturally sensitive areas, such as near Chaco Canyon or the Rio Grande.

New Mexico’s fragile water resources need to be vigorously protected. The Nacimiento copper mine near Cuba in my District 43 is an example of the damage that copper mining can do to groundwater: the present estimate is that cleanup, in addition to work already being done by the US Forest Service, will cost $5 million, while the companies that caused the pollution are long gone. We need to amend the State Water Quality Act to allow strict regulation of mining activity to prevent further disasters like this.

All forms of renewable energy, from hydroelectric, wind and solar to nuclear, need to be considered. The true costs of renewable energy sources must be evaluated against the true costs of fossil fuels. That includes environmental degradation, transportation costs, health costs, and international economic impact. When fossil fuels are produced and used, this must be done as cleanly and efficiently as possible, such as by installing equipment to minimize methane leakage.

We should transition electricity generation to renewable sources, such as solar with storage, wind, and other developing renewable technologies, while using smartgrid and energy conservation techniques to reduce electricity consumption. We should encourage energy-saving choices, such as use of mass transit, electric or hybrid cars, better home insulation, use of passive solar heating and lighting, and installation of home solar arrays and storage. Agricultural use of waste-into-energy techniques can produce net-lower-carbon energy. Many of these techniques, if done right, will not only reduce environmental damage, but are economically superior to use of fossil fuels.

I do not support present-day nuclear reactor power because it is not economically or environmentally viable due to safety, mining/environmental and waste disposal problems. However, new technology such as the NuScale Small Modular Reactor (SMR) shows promise, at least in the safety area (passive safety: safe emergency shutdown without operator intervention or auxiliary electrical power), with potential major cost savings. I believe the federal government should support building the first SMR to validate (or disprove) the design’s potential. Other difficult issues regarding nuclear power, such as the environmental and human cost of uranium mining, and waste handling and disposal, remain. If all these issues were resolved, nuclear power could be part of the solution to global warming, in addition to energy conservation, wind and solar.

I am proud of the progress that the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities is making toward the county’s goal of becoming a carbon neutral electricity provider by 2040. Los Alamos already generates a significant amount of renewable power through hydroelectric plants in Abiquiu and El Vado, and with solar arrays with battery storage. Solar electric generation on rooftops or arrays on LANL mesa tops is increasingly affordable, and as energy storage and smart grid technology improves, it may be possible to supply a significant portion of our community’s and the Lab’s needs right here. The county is also doing increasing amounts of recycling, now including yard waste for composting, which not only reduces the amount of methane generated from landfills, but saves the county and its ratepayers money.