Transportation from New Mexico Independent

FAA rush job on Eclipse jet certification?

Marjorie Childress — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:16:25 GMT

Did the Federal Aviation Administration rush certification of the Eclipse 500 very light jet in 2006 in order to “save the company”?

That’s the subject of a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing next week. Both the committee staff and the Inspector General’s Office of the Department of Transportation have done studies of the FAA certification process, and the outcomes prompted this hearing, according to a report in the New Mexico Business Weekly.

Increased Oil Drilling: How does it help again?

Marjorie Childress — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:26:24 GMT

The Republican Party has made increased domestic oil production a major plank in its efforts to win the White House, claiming that more American-made energy will make Americans less dependent on foreign oil suppliers.

During an appearance Sept. 8 on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, NM Rep. Heather Wilson said increased domestic oil production would help our ailing economy, by making America “less dependent on foreign sources of oil.” But when questioned about how increased drilling ensures Americans have access to that domestic supply in a global market, Wilson didn’t have an answer.

Here is the video (Wilson’s comments start at 6:30) followed by the transcript of the specific comments about off-shore drilling:

Guv signs roads and health care bills

Heath Haussamen — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:25:08 GMT

Without ceremony, Gov. Bill Richardson signed today a $200 million highway-construction bill approved during the recent special session of the Legislature.

Richardson also signed the health-care funding bill the Legislature sent him, with a partial veto.

The highway bill will help fund 13 projects across the state that are part of Governor Richardson’s Investment Partnership (GRIP).

“With this money we can address critical highway projects in rural New Mexico,” Richardson said in a news release. “These rural highways are the lifeline for thousands of our residents who use them everyday to commute, visit families and conduct their daily business.”

State agency says it is cooperating with federal investigators

Heath Haussamen — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:23:00 GMT

The New Mexico Finance Authority says it’s “cooperating fully” with federal investigators who are looking into the dealings between the state and a California firm that was paid almost $1 million under a state contract related to a $1.6 billion transportation program named for Gov. Bill Richardson.

Eclipse lays off hundreds of workers

Trip Jennings — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:38:00 GMT

Eclipse Aviation is laying off a third of its workforce, or up to 650 workers, across the company, KOB is reporting.

The layoffs are meant to "achieve financial stability" as soon as possible, according to a story by Albuquerque Journal's Richard Metcalf.

Here are some of the details:

Approximately 650 employees are getting pink slips at the headquarters and manufacturing hub in Albuquerque as well as major service centers in Albany, N.Y., and Gainesville, Fla. A breakdown of layoffs in Albuquerque was not available.< /blockquote>

NASCAR in TorC?

Marjorie Childress — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:00:00 GMT

The Hot Springs Motorplex development in Truth or Consequences has been widely touted as a potential home away from home for both NASCAR and Roush Racing, but according to an investigation by the St. Petersburg Times, it's not likely to happen. Nonetheless, officials in New Mexico are giving the developer the benefit of the doubt.

Spaghetti train tracks for the Rail Runner? No reason to fret

Joel Gay — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:30:00 GMT

State officials say there's no need to worry about the fate of the New Mexico Rail Runner Express — those wavy train tracks near Santa Fe aren't done yet.

The Santa Fe New Mexican asked the question that hundreds of sharp-eyed drivers have asked since workers started laying steel track outside the capital. The tracks have been attached to concrete ties and look like they're finished, but the steel undulates like a roller-coaster ride. The New Mexican has been flooded with questions, the paper said. At least one man also wrote to the Independent, citing the rise and fall of the rails.

House passes $200 million in road money

Trip Jennings — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:16:32 GMT

The House by a vote of 61-0 just passed a bill that spends $200 million over this year and the next on road construction.

The money goes to pay for more than a dozen high-priority road construction projects that were put on indefinite hold last autumn because of an absence of funds. The cost of materials has risen so rapidly that it has pushed up the cost of road construction.

Roughly $50 million of the $200 million will come from the state's main account, or general fund, but it is based on certain contingencies being met and the appropriation will be split between two years.

The other $150 million will come from severance taxes bond proceeds, but with $75 million scheduled for release in this fiscal year and $75 million scheduled to be released in the fiscal year that starts July 1. To read a bill analysis, click here.

Senate vents, but stays

Trip Jennings — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:24:49 GMT

The Senate blew off some steam. Now it's back to work.

After several senators unloaded on Gov. Bill Richardson for calling the Legislature into special session, several of their colleagues stood up to advocate for staying in session.

"The discussion whether we need to be here should have taken place two days ago," said Sen. Clint Harden, R-Clovis.
br>One of the issues the Legislature will address in the special session, Harden said, is $200 million for the 2003 road construction program known as Governor Richardson's Investment Partnership. The money, if approved, likely will go toward paying for rural road construction projects across the state.

Leaner special session

Trip Jennings — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:30:00 GMT

Gov. Bill Richardson scaled back his special session ambitions even further Tuesday after a new revenue forecast showed the state can count on much less money than expected from oil and gas revenue. That leaner financial forecast caused some lawmakers to wonder how much money there really is to spread around. And one prominent lawmaker asked why the Legislature is meeting at all.

A referendum on the Rail Runner

Joel Gay — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:00:00 GMT

When voters in two new transit districts go to the polls in November, they'll be asked whether to approve an eighth-cent hike in their gross receipts tax to fund public transportation projects from Taos County to Valencia County. But in many respects, the vote will be a referendum on the New Mexico Rail Runner Express, the commuter rail line that started service in 2006 and that, by December, will run from Santa Fe to Belen.

Trains, buses and vans: Will NM voters say yes to paying for mass transit?

Joel Gay — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:10:38 GMT

In addition to choosing a new president and four members of Congress in November, voters from Taos to Belen may decide the fate of a tax hike to help pay for mass transportation, including a hefty chunk for the Rail Runner Express commuter train.

NMI Interview: Pearce sticks to his guns on energy, aims at Udall

David Alire Garcia — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:28:46 GMT

Pearce brings years of experience in the oil industry to bear on what he sees as a pivotal issue in this year's campaign. And his prescriptions -- more domestic drilling, expanded nuclear power and renewable alternatives too -- flow from his view that the major problem is not enough supply.

TODAY'S TOP STORIES: Is the guv out of the veepstakes?

Gwyneth Doland — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:45:36 GMT

These days, Big Bill doesn't seem to be looming so big as a Vice Presidential contender, the Albuquerque Journal notes. The print edition devotes most of page A4 to an AP story about the contenders, with a sidebar by Jeff Jones.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Transportation is in a pickle because two tunnels and an overpass it built for the Rail Runner Express meet height guidelines set by the feds—but not the state. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports this morning that the state won't rebuild the tunnels because the older state guidelines were set for bigger freight trains, not today's smaller passenger trains.

New Mexicans drove less in May

Matthew Reichbach — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:15:00 GMT

New Mexicans drove less in May of 2008 than the same month in 2007.

John Fleck in the ABQNews blog noted the U.S. Department of Transportation's monthly Traffic Volume Trends report (pdf) showed a 2.6-percent drop in miles driven compared to the same month last year. Nationwide the drop was more significant, 3.7 percent or nearly 255 billion miles.

In May of 2007, New Mexicans drove 777 million miles, according to the report. The preliminary numbers showed 257 million miles driven in May of this year.