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The one Democrat who will fight for the environment
Richard D. Barish
For New Mexicans who care about protecting the environment and investing in clean energy, Eric Griego is the one Democrat who can be counted on to fight for these issues.
In the race for Congress in New Mexico’s First District, there is only one candidate with a longstanding, consistent and uncompromising record of fighting for environmental protection and clean energy investments. That candidate is Eric Griego.
In the State Senate, Eric Griego sponsored and got passed green jobs training legislation and dedicated state investments in clean renewable industries. At a time when science deniers made climate change a controversial concept, Sen. Griego was not afraid to speak up and to act. He led the effort to successfully defeat rollbacks of a state-only carbon cap and eliminate our participation in the Western Climate Initiative.
When he was a member of the Albuquerque City Council, Griego spearheaded the city’s Water Conservation Task Force and led the effort to pass the Renewable Energy Incentive Program, which attracted green jobs to the city. And while Marty Chávez took thousands of dollars from big developers and pushed their pro-sprawl agenda, Griego fought for smart growth that would promote jobs, but not degrade the environment.
Eric Griego is one of only three current state legislators with a lifetime 100 percent rating from Conservation Voters New Mexico. He has been enthusiastically endorsed by CVNM, League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club.
Eric Griego has the boldest environmental platform in the race, and it is a top priority for him. He has gone on record with a draft bill that would create clean energy jobs, put us on the road to independence from foreign oil, and combat climate change. His legislation would put a down payment of at least $150 billion toward building a clean energy economy. He would fight for a moratorium on building new coal power plants and to phase out existing plants.
From the outset, he opposed the Keystone XL pipeline, which would permit the sale of dirty, tar sands oil and delay the transition to clean, renewable energy sources. Many politicians speak in generalities about the need to move beyond fossil fuels and to invest in renewables, but Eric Griego is the one Democrat in this race for Congress who has been unafraid to go on the record with concrete positions.
Griego’s opponents
Griego’s opponent, Marty Chávez, has made the environment a central part of his campaign, but the truth is that throughout his long political career, he has looked out for the interests of his campaign contributors more than the environment. The Albuquerque Journal took Chávez to task for exaggerating the environmental accomplishments of the city during his time as mayor in a January 13, 2008 article.
There will be enormous pressure in Washington from the special interests and the lobbyists, and in light of Chavez’s history, there are serious questions about whether he would do the right thing when push comes to shove.
In an article in the Albuquerque Journal on April 29, 2012, Chavez said that he would “work as an advocate in Congress for the state’s natural gas industry.” Natural gas production is highly polluting, including threatening our groundwater, and natural gas still produces large amounts of greenhouse gases when it is burned to create energy. The focus needs to be on developing renewable energy, not more fossil fuels.
Michelle Lujan Grisham lacks any record at all on protecting the environment and clean energy. It is worrisome that the urgent issues of energy independence and climate change do not appear to be a priority for her. Her website contains no environmental position statement at all! New Mexicans need a representative who will fight for federal investments to create clean, renewable energy jobs and for a clean and healthy environment for our children.
For New Mexicans who care about protecting the environment and investing in clean energy, Eric Griego is the one Democrat who can be counted on to fight for these issues.
Barish is Political Chair for the Central New Mexico Group Sierra Club.
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Spending is spending whether you call it a tax incentive or a spending program.
I’m not sure why Eric Griego wants to spend $150 billion in federal money on this effort. All that is really needed are good tax incentives, including investment incentives.
That’s simply nonsense. It’s money gone from the treasury either way – except a tax incentive is more costly to implement, harder to track, easier to cheat on, and generally less efficient.
Stimulate the clean-energy market and then clean energy businesses will get the job done.
Yes, spending money to stimulate the industry, as Griego proposes, is certainly a good way to go. Besides, if we spend the money to buy solar porducs, we get the products to use and keep! Spending money through tax incentives just gets us lower tax receipts, which won’t help power government facilities.
And of course, Mr. Barish’s organization is no slouch when it comes to buying influence and hiring all those “fighters” for the “environment” over the years.
http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=D000000259&year=2012
I was reviewing the candidates’ public appearances that are available online and realized something interesting about Griego’s answers. He likes to tout his lack of accomplishments by shrouding them in language that makes him appear effective. I am sure he is being coached by DC consultants to use language that manipulate the audience into believing what he wants them to believe.
When the other two candidates mention legislation they start with two words, “I passed…” Griego can only use those two words when describing one out of the 51 pieces of legislation he sponsored. I guess the consultants told him to say, “I am the only candidate who has a record of doing something about this issue. I sponsored legislation that would_____. ” You can fill in the blank with any number of progressive policy objectives like, make the rich pay their fair share. He uses the word “sponsored” multiple times to artificially inflate his achievements.
There is a debate today and Griego needs to give the impression that he can get things done. His two opponents have a track record of accomplishments he cannot compete with. He needs to stick with his canned responses so viewers will think he has the capacity to protect federal dollars. If he cannot do this, his campaign is doomed. [If he cannot stick to his responses, his campaign is doomed or if he cannot protect federal dollars his campaign is doomed?]
Sponsored means failed to pass when it comes out of Griego’s mouth. Along with “I sponsored,” Griego also uses the phrases “I carried” and “I introduced”.
At the link below, there is a video with Greigo talking about all the bill he sponsored and failed to pass. We need to send someone to congress who can get things done. Lets see how many times Griego says sponsored tonight.
http://griegovskeller.blogspot.com/2012/05/i-sponsored-or-ifailed-to-pass-i-was_18.html
Mr. Barish is there any area of the extractive industry sector the Sierra Club or Conservation Voters would promote? We need sand and gravel to build roads. Jobs for the public sector. Is SC ok with that? We need copper for the construction industry and other industries too. You ok with that? Can we mine it here? New Mexico is such a big state and for us that work in rural areas we need to drive long distances. Is development of oil and gas ok? Electric cars don’t work out there. Do you drive a Prius or similar car? Lots of special metals needed for the batteries. You ok with mining those products if they exist in NM?
Have you been on a coal mine, potash mine or gravel operation before? Lots of jobs there and in the oil and gas sector.
I am all for a cleaner society. Who isn’t. But the Sierra Club needs to change its industry vs. environment mantra. Because, industry has updated technology to operate much cleaner and more efficiently (though not perfectly). The Sierra Club needs to study this a bit. And, when they promote a position, undertake a cost benefit analysis reviewed in detail by the industries you impact.
You make some good arguments, Mr. Barish.
The goal should be to get to clean electricity by the 2040s.
On January 27th of this year, Marty Chavez laid out his clean energy plan. It’s a very good plan.
I’m not sure why Eric Griego wants to spend $150 billion in federal money on this effort. All that is really needed are good tax incentives, including investment incentives. Stimulate the clean-energy market and then clean energy businesses will get the job done. It will be better for our country to invest that $150 billion in education and training.
But if you go beyond that into draconian Kyoto-style regulations, you’ll severely harm the economy. The cost will be in the tens of trillons of dollars to bring down global temperatures by a degree. This is not good public policy.
Marty Chavez offers a path to a clean energy future without draconian regulations or massive new federal spending.
Marty Chavez also supports reasonable hydropower projects. 66% of renewable energy in this country comes from hydropower.
The Sierra Club has an odd antipathy toward hydropower, in part perhaps of guilt for agreeing to dam Powell Lake back in the 1950s and early 1960s. But small-scale hydropower is very promising. Sen. Bingaman and Congressman Lujan are strong supporters of hydropower. Martin Heinrich voted against small-scale hydropower jobs in New Mexico as recently as March 7th. I’m guessing Eric Griego would do the same.
Solar also depends on pumped storage — hydrostorage.
If Eric Griego’s position is anti-hydropower, that alone makes him less credible to me on renewable energy than Marty Chavez. It is hard to see how we get to a 100% clean electric energy grid by the 2040s without widespread deployment of solar power with hydrostorage and hydropower.
Oh please, all left wing Democrats will “fight” for the environment, they get paid millions to do it by the enviro-lobby, big deal.