by Patty LaTaille
Show Us the $
Formal notice has been sent to Tessera that its solar project application is suspended until the terms of the escrow agreement with Saguache County are met. The agreement with Tessera includes maintaining a $15,000 escrow account to cover expenses incurred by the county to process the application. To move its application forward, Tessera is required to pay for those expenses and keep a positive balance in the escrow account. The company needs to add to the account, as there are several expenses outstanding.
SLV residents await news of another public hearing, a withdrawal of Tessera’s application, or a change to a new PV or CPV technology.
Refuge be Damned … I meant … Drilled
According to the draft Environmental Assessment released on January 7, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed allowing two exploratory wells to be drilled on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge to search for oil or natural gas. 41 conditions must be met, but supposedly “the wells would not significantly affect or unreasonably degrade the 78,670-acre refuge.” A final record of decision on the Environmental Assessment (EA), or a decision to go for a more stringent Environmental Impact Statement, must be pursued before drilling can actually begin.
According to Christine Canaly, Director of San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council, “Drilling would have negative impacts on businesses and activities involving the unique agriculture, wildlife, and recreation, as well as citizens’ dedication to local sustainability in the San Luis Valley. Denying drilling through permanent mineral acquisition would have long term benefits of protecting the unique character of this magnificent area.”
Dreaming of a White … Easter?
The SLV is in a no snow year – less than an inch of snow has been recorded for the entire snow season In Alamosa. The snowpack in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains is also below average, the only mountain range in the state to have this dubious honor.
Flu on the Loose
Influenza has hit the SLV hard, with a multitude of cases appearing in schools, nursing homes and clinics, sending nine of the sufferers to the hospital during the month of February.
Emotions and Opposition Run High at Railroad Waste Transfer Meeting
A public meeting with opposing arguments regarding a transload site to transport radioactive waste transport through Antonito turned emotional; 40 individuals addressed the board, seven in favor and 33 opposed.
The San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad (SL&RG) had petitioned the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to allow the SL&RG to control and operate the transload site without interference or oversight from the county. The transport of the radioactive waste from the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to the disposal site in Clive, Utah, would then be resumed.
Concerned citizens from Conejos, Antonito, New Mexico and throughout the SLV shared their stories of illnesses and disabilities caused from exposure to radioactivity and environmental toxins. Others shared their familial connections to the lands of New Mexico and Colorado. The decision on the “transport of death” is still pending.
