New Mexico Independent: Stories by Joel Gay

Rancher shoots 39 marauding antelope

Joel Gay — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:48:37 GMT

A northern New Mexico wheat farmer shot and killed at least 39 pronghorn antelope that wouldn't stay out of his fields, the state Game and Fish Department says. But Neal Trujillo and his son, Neal Trujillo Jr., won't be charged, according to the Albuquerque Journal, because of a state law passed in 1997 that allows such killings.

Gas-tax gap: Minimal boon, major damage to NM roads

Joel Gay — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:16:56 GMT

Sen. John McCain's proposed gas-tax holiday could cost the state big while saving drivers little. It also would come at a time when transportation budgets are shrinking, a state official said.

Rio Grande: Floods of the past could foretell the future

Joel Gay — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:14:12 GMT

The Rio Grande should flow strong this summer thanks to this winter's high snowfalls. That could be a mixed blessing if an already-high river swells with monsoon rains and sends water crashing into a 50-year-old network of levees that may no longer be strong enough to withstand the flood. In fact, some scientists say such flooding could increase in the future because of global warming.

Guv seeks protection for NM rivers

Joel Gay — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:06:11 GMT

Gov. Bill Richardson is seeking unprecedented protection for thousands of miles of New Mexico rivers and streams, saying it would ensure water quality far into the future.

Albuquerque opens new path and bridge, aims to be more bike-friendly

Joel Gay — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:12:14 GMT

Albuquerque opened a new bicycle bridge this week and it has plans to extend bike trails in coming years. But much more work is needed to make the Duke City the bike-friendly metropolis Mayor Martin Chavez envisions.

Could San Juan pollution top L.A.?

Joel Gay — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:46:38 GMT

San Juan County made the list of Top 10 contributors of carbon dioxide in a Purdue University study that studied counties around the country. And it could climb higher. Plans call for a another major-coal burning plant on the Navajo nation.

Clinton likes gas-tax holiday idea

Joel Gay — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:13:39 GMT

Sen. Hillary Clinton has joined Sen. John McCain in calling for a federal gas-tax holiday, leaving Sen. Barack Obama as the sole major presidential candidate to not endorse the idea. Obama says a holiday won't net American families much in the way of savings. A holiday also likely would mean fewer federal dollars for New Mexico at a time when the costs of building and maintaining roads has skyrocketed.

Clean air where you'd never expect

Joel Gay — Thu, 01 May 2008 21:02:27 GMT

You can breathe deeply and feel good about it in Albuquerque if you have a compromised respiratory system. In a new report, the American Lung Association rates the Duke City's air as some of the cleanest in the country. No kidding.

Tapping into hidden resources

Joel Gay — Fri, 02 May 2008 13:00:00 GMT

Sandoval County is on the leading edge of a developing trend that has communities trying to turn brackish, undrinkable water into clear H2O. Sandoval County, in cooperation with a private firm, is thinking about a desalination plant to help make way for future growth.

For years cities like Albuquerque and Rio Rancho just bought water rights or harvested water from rivers. But increasingly inland cities have found themselves forced to use other methods to find water. Now, some are adopting a version of what coastal communities have done for years: taking the salt out of seawater.

Trigo Fire suggests long fire season

Joel Gay — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:42:45 GMT

The tenacity of the Trigo Fire, which firefighters appeared to be containing Friday, suggests 2008 may bring a long, difficult wildfire season in New Mexico.

Fungus to the biofuel rescue?

Joel Gay — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:43:06 GMT

Can a fungus really help in the production of biofuels? Researchers believe so. Some say a particular fungus known mostly famously for devouring the cotton uniforms of WWII soldiers could break down a wide variety of plant fibers into simple sugars, and perhaps be the key to the industrial production of ethanol that doesn't require corn and other valuable foodstuffs.

Every drop counts

Joel Gay — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Water conservation officials say the city has reduced water consumption all it can through 13 years of voluntary efforts and incentives. While an attempt to legislate additional water conservation has run into stiff opposition from some quarters, others support it. "I think we're at a crossroads with water conservation," Albuquerque water conservation official Katherine Yuhas explains. Since the conservation program began in 1995, there's been a "wonderful response" from water customers, she adds. "But we're at a place now where we need to push ... where more legislation is necessary."

Green and not so green

Joel Gay — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:21:12 GMT

Two leading environmental groups released scorecards that rate state lawmakers on their greenness, or not so greenness.

Feds call off oil, gas lease sale

Joel Gay — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:00:00 GMT

A federal agency has postponed a controversial oil and gas lease sale in the Rio Grande drainage of southern Colorado. The action comes after a similarly controversial sale in New Mexico drew a new type of challenge.

Farmers band together to sell... water

Joel Gay — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:00:41 GMT

Water is apparently a lucrative cash crop. Farmers in southeastern Colorado will find out if that's true. Several have banded together to sell their water rights and say the money they make will allow them to stay in agriculture.