At the Southwest County Commission alliance, members continued the meeting through discussing resolutions that had been proposed at prior sessions.

A resolution supporting placement of solid waste bills on county property tax bills, was tabled, because it had not been completed.

A resolution against the Doña Ana County Citizens' Proposal in the matter of establishing an Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument was discussed.

At the last meeting of the alliance, Kim McCreery of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance had questioned why the alliance was involved in the issue, as Doña Ana County was not a part of the group.

Alliance Chairman Gabriel Ramos asked her at the time to give a presentation on the proposed national monument. She said she would or if she could not attend would have someone make the presentation.

No one stepped forward to give any information on the monument at the October meeting.

Walter Anderson, representing the Council of Border Conservation Districts, said the Doña Ana Soil and Water Conservation District, had requested support from the council, because 38 landowners, whose land is within the boundaries of the proposed monument were never asked for input. The boundaries enclose 60 parcels of private land and 80 sections of state land. "Fifty percent of the Bureau of Land Management property is within the boundaries. The rest is in military control. Hatch's water system is within the boundaries."

The council in turn requested the alliance to support the efforts.

"If the monument proposal is signed by executive order," Anderson said, "the management plan comes after. The proposal is a direct threat to national security, because the Portrillos are five miles from the border. The Border Sheriffs Association opposes it, because it will become another drug-smuggling and human-trafficking corridor."

He said about 30 organizations outside Las Cruces oppose the national monument. "The landowners inside the boundaries have some of their base property tied to BLM permits. If grazing goes away, what happens to their investments? This is sad. This is a democratic society, but that does not give it the right to take someone's property."

Hugh B. McKeen, Catron County commissioner, said it was reminiscent of Tombstone, Ariz., which could not work on its town water system, because it was inside a wilderness area.

The resolution was approved.

Ramos, in reference to an earlier comment by Luna County Commissioner Javier Diaz, requested a resolution for the next meeting to keep Gila Basin water in New Mexico, as assigned to the area by the Arizona Water Settlements Act. The act allocates 14,000 additional annual average acre-feet of water to the four-county area of Catron, Hidalgo, Grant and Luna, plus $66 million for water-related projects and up to $128 million for a diversion structure.

"I encourage counties to develop projects to keep the water," Ramos said.

McKeen said he has been attending the Interstate Stream Commission meetings, and the ISC has said it will not entertain new projects.

"The water comes at a cost," McKeen continued. "We have to petition to use the water, and we have to pay for it. We can't use it without high-value crops. For Catron County, it seems impossible. Municipalities can afford it. It has hung in my craw that we can't have a mainstream dam. The ISC has approved diversions, but not dams. We can't get a statement out of Gov. (Susana) Martinez whether she approves of dams or not. There are good projects, but how can we pay for the water. We can only collect the excess. I have questions on how to collect muddy water. I don't know how we can save the water for the area."

Diaz said he has heard comments that the state will keep the water, but probably not for use in southwest New Mexico, but more likely in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

McKeen said it's just like the San Juan-Chama project. Anyone up north who can get water out of a Colorado River tributary can get the water.

"The water and the money are meant for the area to have water for the future," McKeen said.

Diaz alleged that it was all about the money, not the water.

Ramos said he attended the AWSA meetings for a time, but "it went wrong when they allowed other entities to join the group."

Walter Szymanski, Grant County resident, commended McKeen for his clarifications. "You can send a letter to someone, but then it means you have to send our money to Arizona for the water. We would keep the water, but our money goes to Arizona."

Ramos said the group has to take into consideration the value of the water.

Diaz changed the subject to electrical transmission lines, proposed for the area. SunZia and Southline are proposing lines. "My request is for economic development."

Darr Shannon, Hidalgo County commissioner, asked how Southline would create economic development. Diaz said through a Hidalgo County substation perhaps.

Shannon said the proposed transmission lines go straight through New Mexico on their way to California. "They keep switching where they want the lines. There would be no royalties on the power passing through the state."

Ramos proposed writing a letter asking questions about benefits to the area.

Diaz said with the transmission lines, there might be solar plants in the counties to connect to the lines. "Luna County is making a request for a solar plant on ungrazeable land."

Dan Lorimier of the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club said Sun Zia does expect a substation in Hidalgo County. He showed it on a map. He also said a geothermal company, which is in and out of construction in the southern part of the county, would involve a substation.

During a roundtable discussion, Ramos asked what questions should be asked of SunZia and Southline.

Diaz said the region wants to know where the corridors are. "We want them where there is the least impact on grazing.

John Strand of Luna County said SunZia had been "around for the past three years. They hope for an environmental impact statement in the near future."

He said the alliance should ask for the location of the corridors and substations. The transmission lines will carry renewable energy from the northern part of New Mexico to the western grid. "It will give New Mexico a better grid and considerable economic development, as the pole and substations are taxable."

Strand reported that "quite a few renewable companies are looking at wind and solar, but there is no capacity, because New Mexico has poor transmission infrastructure. The wind energy being developed near Santa Rosa is being exported to California. California is paying for the energy, to take credit for it, but New Mexico is likely using it. California is demanding 20 percent of its electricity now come from renewable sources. In New Mexico, the requirement will be 20 percent renewable by 2020."

He said solar companies are looking at the southwest counties, but there is no transmission availability. SolarReserve is building near Gila Bend, Ariz., Strand said. "And the company is kicking the tires here. The biggest advantage to counties is that they look at Industrial Revenue Bonds for the construction. If they don't do IRB's, the counties will pay more."

Strand discouraged a resolution at this point, until the EIS is received within the next month or so.

"For renewable to work, we need a combination of solar and wind, and also a small peaking natural gas plant," Strand said. "Land used for the line will not incur additional property taxes. The infrastructure built is taxable."

He said construction costs for the lines are about $2.5 million per mile. Strand did not know if the poles were assessed on construction costs. Diaz said the county assessors should know the answers to those questions.

Lorimier said he believes renewable energy is the bright side of New Mexico's future.

Nancy Kaminski, Grant County resident, said she uses a lot of solar on her 450 acres. The units are high enough not to denude the land, but to provide shade. "Since we got the panels, we have not paid an electric bill, but get money back each month. It cost $20,000 to build. You can't find better return on investment. The solar gain is excellent."

"I agree that solar power on each house is the answer, rather than denuding the land," Shannon said.

Diaz pointed out that the area is "exporters of everything we do—cattle, chilies, power…"

Richard McGuire, Catron County commissioner, said a concern of his county is the "water-grabbing efforts on the San Augustin Plains. "A corporation from New York wants to drill 27 or 28 wells, put in 30-inch pipe and take it out of the Augustin aquifer 54 miles to the Rio Grande for Albuquerque and Santa Fe. They're trying to tell us that it is an open basin that will never go dry. They have the money, so it will be a fight."

"We don't see the progress of the drilling," McGuire continued. "They filled in the test well, so it doesn't clarify the data they say they have. It keeps Catron and Socorro counties having to pay for things they shouldn't have to—attorneys."

Ramos asked Russell Ward, Silver City District Ranger on the Gila National Forest for an update on the travel management plan.

"Lisa (Mizuno, environmental coordinator) said March," Ward said. "But every time we've put a date, we've missed it. People are devoted to the EIS fulltime."

The next meeting will take place at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, at the Grant County Administration Center.