Mora County Commissioner John Olivas wants a ban on oil and gas drilling in Mora County because he is concerned with the environmental impact of a drilling process named hydraulic fracturing – or “fracking,” as it is colloquially called.

The Washington, DC-based Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) and the New Mexico-based Rio Grande Foundation have released a new report on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s)rampant abuse of power in enforcing the “Regional Haze Provision” of the federal Clean Air Act.

Full text of the new report is available online.

The specific target of the EPA in this unfolding debacle is the San Juan Generating Station in the Four Corners region of New Mexico. Author William Yeatman, Assistant Director, Center for Energy and Environment, at CEI, describes in detail how the EPA ran roughshod over New Mexico’s rightful authority under the Clean Air Act, at a cost of almost $340 million to New Mexico ratepayers.

As Yeatman writes in the paper, “New Mexico proposed a plan in full compliance with federal and state laws and regulations. In a contortion of logic, the EPA is rejecting New Mexico’s cost-effective analysis for a plan that achieves the EPA’s own target for cost-effectiveness. It is the only state subject to this bizarre reasoning.”

While overreach on the part of the EPA is not uncommon, Yeatman explains in detail that “New Mexico is being treated differently than every other state, in order to justify $700 million in costs beyond what the EPA’s own rules stipulate are necessary.”

Said Paul Gessing, President of the Rio Grande Foundation, “In New Mexico, we care deeply about both clean air and economic growth. Our own policymakers in the Environmental Department came up with a cost-effective solution that fully-complied with the EPA’s own guidelines, but that was completely ignored by the out-of-control federal agency.”

Concluded Yeatman, “New Mexico lawmakers should send a strong message to the EPA that its actions are unacceptable. They should enact a resolution condemning the EPA’s arbitrary regulations and demand that New Mexico be treated like its peers. In so doing, they would be governing in the best interest of the nearly 500,000 New Mexicans who face a $120 per year electricity tax to pay for invisible benefits.”

Last night, before a nice crowd at the UNM Law School, Cato Institute climate expert Patrick Michaels presented on some of the issues addressed in his new book "Climate Coup: Global Warmings Invasion of Our Government and Our Lives." His powerpoint slides can be found here and video of his talk and the Q&A period can be found below:

The Environmental Improvement Board has voted to adopt the less-stringent, less-costly haze restrictions on the Four Corners power plant. We applaud this move and hope the EPA is willing to accept the state-level regulations. Nonetheless, during the public testimony period on the issue, I made sure to add the Rio Grande Foundation's voice in support of the more reasonable haze reduction measures.

New Mexico has a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) that mandates that so-called "renewable" sources account for 10 percent of all power generated by 2011; 15 percent for 2015; and 20 percent for 2020 and thereafter. While environmentalists would have us believe that these government regulations will create jobs and spur economic growth, the real story is far different. According to a new study commissioned by the American Tradition Institute and the Rio Grande Foundation finds that New Mexicans will pay $2.3 billion more for electricity than they otherwise would because of the RPS. The new study can be found here. A "quick findings" page can be found here.

Under New Mexico's "Renewable Portfolio Standard" law, regulated electric utilities must derive 15 percent of their electricity needs from renewable sources by 2015, with 20 percent to come from renewable sources by 2020. Starting in late June, Public Service Company of New Mexico will begin holding Integrated Resource Planning public meetings to determine how it will comply with the renewable mandate over the next decade-plus.

On March 1, 2010, the unelected Environmental Improvement Board held a public comment session during which citizens were able to offer their comments to the Board on a proposal to limit carbon emissions in New Mexico to 25% below 1990 levels. Comments were limited to three minutes. I used my three minutes to demand recusal of three EIB members due to self-evident conflicts of interest.