Key Advocate For Holtec Nuke Site Says Legislature Dealt Project A Setback But Not A Death Blow; NRC Delays License Decision, Plus: GOP Senator Happy With Session That Delivered Goodies For His District

Mayor Janway

Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway, an important advocate for the high level nuclear waste site being proposed by Holtec for an area between Hobbs and Carlsbad, says he is disappointed that a bill banning such waste storage without approval of the state was passed by Legislature and supported by the Governor. But Janeway says the project is not done yet:

We strongly believe that there are avenues allowing the HOLTEC project to move forward, but the passage of this bill will certainly delay the process. Perhaps just as frustrating as the passage of SB 53 is the broader issue that there seem to be individuals in other parts of the state who still seem to be automatically opposed to anything with the word “nuclear” in it, without considering the specifics. It is very clear that there is still a lot of work left to do in terms of nuclear education. There are many nuclear projects that offer safe and responsible opportunities for our state, and HOLTEC is one of them.

Republican Janway and other SE NM officials see the waste site as a major economic catch for SE NM. 

The AP reported Tuesday that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has delayed its decision on licensing the project from the end of March to May citing staff constraints. 

The waste would include spent nuclear fuel rods from commercial nuclear reactors, waste that has yet to find a permanent home. Holtec is asking for a 40 year license.

MLG will sign SB53 and has also written a fresh letter to the NRC in opposition to the storage proposal.

The Mayor's office says that when we reported on a December poll showing a great majority of New Mexico voters did not want a nuke waste disposal site we did not point out that the poll was commissioned by an anti-nuclear waste group. And we didn't. . .so

We asked veteran NM pollster Brian Sanderoff if he had any recent independent polling data on voter opinion on placing a high level nuclear waste site in the state. He said to his knowledge there is no such polling. 

Meanwhile, Janeway has just marked his 13th anniversary as Carlsbad mayor. He doesn't need a poll to determine his popularity.

A HAPPY R

Sen. Burt 

Republicans are deep in the minority in the state Senate (26-15) but Alamogordo area GOP Senator Bill Burt says he still managed to bring some goodies home:

--Securing a permanent tax break on military retiree income.

--Paving the way, along with Senator Ron Griggs (R-Alamogordo), for the expansion of the Alamogordo airport.

--Leading the defeat of a bill that would have killed 200 district jobs and a major Otero County investment in the migrant detention facility.

--Joining with the Otero County delegation to deliver nearly $15 million dollars on essential infrastructure. 

Not bad for an old radio guy. 

That retiree income bill permanently exempts up to $30,000 in military retirement from state taxes, updating the exemption that passed last year. 

Holloman Air Force Base is a major presence in Alamogordo and has been since 1942. The base says it now "supports about 21,000 Active Duty, Guard, Reserve, retirees, DoD civilians and their family members."

MEDIA BEAT 

After our Wednesday piece on the ABQ Journal layoffs readers wondered about the status of The Paper, the weekly that ABQ City Council Pat Davis began in June of 2020. They noted that the website had not been updated for several weeks and that the paper was not available on newsstands. But not to worry. Davis says a confluence of events had folks thinking The Paper has ceased publication but that isn't the case:

Joe, I’m glad you checked in on The Paper (and the Sandoval Signpost, Corrales Comment and The Independent, all at our publishing group now). Like you, we didn’t know the Journal was preparing those unannounced layoffs the same week we took our paper websites down for a quick refresh, but we are definitely still here. We’ve been slowly and quietly growing but I’m proud to report that our daily digital issues now have more than 45,000 daily (M-F) subscribers giving us the 2nd largest news reach in the state. We’ve quietly been reinvesting in new staff and resources. . . Starting next week readers of all 4 papers will find new layouts and new websites for each community. . .

Most notably, the Sandoval Signpost will relaunch as a new weekly print paper and daily digital version covering the entire county, including Bernalillo which hasn’t had a hometown paper for at least 30 years. In the East Mountains and Torrance County, we completed the agreement to purchase The Independent which ceased publishing in November. It will come back next week as a weekly print with a new daily digital version as well. We are looking for a full-time editor to rebuild that paper (resumes to pat@newmexico.news) 

And, of course, The Paper remains the city’s go-to arts and culture guide with a little news thrown in. We still print 10,000 print copies weekly. . .This mission to save local news is so important. . . 

Speaking of specialty local news, the Downtown ABQ News has been publishing for several years and has expanded during that time. If that's your thing, the publication offers reliable coverage of all things Downtown.

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

E-mail your news and comments. (newsguy@yahoo.com)

Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.  

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2023