Crooked Bough News Round-up

— ‘It’s a Beautiful River in the Middle of a Hellscape’

 

at 10/8/26 4:05pm

A hiker crosses a bridge over the Pecos River, downstream from its source in the Sangre de Christo Mountains in northern New Mexico. (Photo by Jerry Redfern/Capital & Main) It’s an early May afternoon, and Charlie Barrett has parked his pickup in a pullout along a county road a few hundred feet from the Black River in southern New Mexico, just a mile from where it empties into the Pecos River. He has stopped to set up a video camera that detects heat and gasses invisible to the eye to check for emissions at a nearby oil and gas operation. Stepping out of the truck, Barrett finds the pullout muddy and dotted with puddles — an anomaly during an ongoing drought. A gray chunk of salt the size of a medicine ball sits near a mud puddle flecked with shimmering, white crystals. “Unfortunately this is pretty common,” he said. “It’s also quite dangerous.” It appeared that someone had dumped oilfield wastewater — also known as produced water — at the pullout. The extremely saline and toxic byproduct of oil and gas production carries a mix of petroleum compounds and oilfield chemicals. Produced water can be radioactive, too. Barrett said he worries that people would unwittingly drive through the muck or pull off the road and walk through it. All day, every day, hundreds of semi trucks haul the toxic produced water from well sites to disposal stations along the highways and backroads of this far corner of New Mexico. That water is an unwanted byproduct of oil and gas development. More than three barrels of wastewater come out of the ground for every barrel of extracted oil, on average in New Mexico. As fossil fuel production has skyrocketed in the Permian Basin, the amount of produced water has followed. In addition, the water-to-oil ratio increases as wells and oilfields age — a process known as “watering out.” Charlie Barrett, a thermographer with Oilfield Witness, points out a chunk of salt that likely fell off of a truck carrying oilfield wastewater near Malaga, New Mexico. (Jerry Redfern/ Capital & Main) New Mexico state rules ban produced water use for anything outside the oilfield. This has led to a parallel industry devoted to gathering, transporting and reinjecting produced water deep underground. That, in turn, has led to a rise in seismic activity in the region, as well as dramatic blowouts that spew toxic water when injection wells fail. Barrett works for industry watchdog Oilfield Witness as a thermographer, using a thermal camera to measure gaseous emissions from oilfield equipment. As he set up to record, produced water trucks rumbled by under a cloudless sky. Barrett began filming. “Oh, man, that’s fing terrible,” he said. On its small screen, in wavy, candy-colored hues, the camera revealed the heat signatures of three active flares near a house. “Got a person’s home here and then this mess … all producing CO2 and methane and other volatile organic compounds, blowing right into their home,” he said, looking through the viewfinder. “Jesus, man. It’s ridiculous.” When he looked at the footage later on a bigger screen, he found another lit flare in the video, in addition to the first three. One shot — four flares. This despite the fact that New Mexico has banned nearly all flaring since 2022. Companies burn off — or “flare” — natural gas for a few reasons, including: it doesn’t meet specifications; it is over pressurized in a pipeline; or it’s required for equipment maintenance. Though better for the climate than venting unburned gas into the atmosphere, flaring still produces carbon dioxide and other toxic pollutants. Later, Barrett sat on a small boulder along a quiet bend in the Pecos River, talking about his work. The river gurgled; dragonflies hovered, and the grasses rustled as more oilfield trucks rumbled over a nearby bridge, a reminder that Barrett was sitting in one of the most prolific fossil fuel basins on the planet. “It sucks,” he said. “It’s a beautiful river in the middle of a hellscape.” Charlie Barrett documents emissions coming from nearby oil and wastewater storage tanks on an oil well site near Loving. (Jerry Redfern / Capital & Main) Several months earlier, the last time Barrett visited this spot, he found salt deposits covering the ground between the bridge and the riverbank. “I mean, the whole road was flooded over,” he said. “We couldn’t confirm one way or another if that was an actual produced water spill,” he added, but there are few other possibilities. Such a spill would represent another environmental shock for this troubled river. The irony: The river needs more water. U.S. Geological Survey data going back nearly 40 years shows the annual snowpack slowly but steadily declining in the mountains around the Pecos River’s headwaters. River flow measurements in the upriver town of Pecos show the same. As climate change heats and dries New Mexico, and the Pecos River runs ever lower, one of the biggest drivers of that change sits atop the river’s banks, just feet from where Barrett sits — 75,000 square miles of oil and gas wells across 55 counties in New Mexico and Texas: the vast Permian Basin. Water and Geology The Pecos River, favorite of Looney Tunes character Yosemite Sam and the historic demarcation line of the Wild West, starts among some of New Mexico’s highest mountains east of Santa Fe and runs south for more than 500 miles before entering Texas at New Mexico’s lowest point. Its headwaters rush untamed through miles of steep canyons and pine-covered slopes, garnering it a National Wild and Scenic River designation. Its waters nourish farms and ranches across the center of New Mexico. But where it exits the state, the Pecos looks more like a tightly managed creek — a conveyance delivering carefully tallied water through the middle of the Permian Basin, the country’s most productive oil and gas region. The environmental group American Rivers has twice named the Pecos one of the country’s most endangered rivers: once in 2024, along with New Mexico’s other waterways, and in 2021 all on its own. Both the river and the Permian Basin are natural features of a landscape transmogrified by the human desire for energy from fossil fuels. Over the last century, people have drilled tens of thousands of wells, stitched the basin with pipes and released carbon trapped tens of millions of years ago, all to power cars and jets and buildings. That released carbon changed the chemistry of the atmosphere, trapping heat that warms the planet and dries New Mexico. (function(){function e(){window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r];r++)if(i.contentWindow===e.source){var a=e.data[`datawrapper-height`][n]+`px`;i.style.height=a}}})}e()})(); Meanwhile, on the Pecos, as on other rivers across the state, there is a greater demand for less and less water year after year. Last winter’s snow bust only added to the pressure. “It is totally terrifying in a lot of ways,” said Hannah Riseley-White, the director of the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission. Her job is to make sure that the state meets its obligations to all of the groups that have a stake in river water. “Everyone this spring got tired of me at the beginning of every meeting screen-sharing the snowpack figures for all of the basins that we manage,” she said. “It fell off the cliff. It wasn’t just record breaking. It was beyond anything that we could have imagined in terms of snowpack.” The previous winter wasn’t much better. Neither are the long-term forecasts. Riseley-White said she expects a 25% to 30% decrease in river water by 2070. (function(){function e(){window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r];r++)if(i.contentWindow===e.source){var a=e.data[`datawrapper-height`][n]+`px`;i.style.height=a}}})}e()})(); “So the biggest challenge that the Pecos faces is just aridification due to climate change,” she said. The percentages come from New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s 50-Year Water Action Plan, which lays out how global warming will shrink New Mexico’s water supplies in coming decades. It also proposes how to conserve existing supplies and create new water sources in a very dry state. That includes treating oilfield wastewater — the stuff Barrett believes he found on the roadside — to make it clean enough that the state will allow it to be used outside the oilfield for industrial and other, broader uses. “The industry’s actually advocating for repurposing produced water and pumping it into this river,” Barrett said, while sitting beside the Pecos. To date, the legal maneuvering to make that happen has been unsuccessful. A recent push to change state rules and allow the broad use of treated wastewater ended when Lujan Grisham appeared to have influenced a rulemaking body’s deliberations. Another push to change state rules is underway, but no deadlines have been set. State environmental groups strongly oppose the idea, arguing that it’s not possible to be 100% sure that all toxic chemicals are removed from the water. Meanwhile, over the border, the Texas branch of the Sierra Club has tallied five proposals to discharge treated produced water into the Texas portion of the Pecos River watershed, though none have yet been approved. “Do I think [treated] produced water will solve all of our problems in the Pecos? No,” Riseley-White said. “But thinking about it as one of the many sort of tools in the toolbox I think makes sense.” She added: “Part of coming up with creative solutions is going to necessarily require looking at all of the options, and that’s certainly one of them. And I think technology is there to clean water to various standards. It’s just a question of whether financially the incentives are there.” Other Dangers Endangered animals live along the Pecos River, including the dunes sagebrush lizard and the Texas hornshell mussel. The lesser prairie chicken was part of that group until the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service formally removed its protections under the Endangered Species Act in early 2026, despite its declining population. “There’s going to be just increasing challenges in ensuring that there’s sufficient water for those species, just like for the other users that depend on it,” Riseley-White said. One successful example: While working with the hornshell on a tributary of the Pecos, “landowners recognized that if there was water in the Black [River] for the hornshell, that meant that there was water there for them, too,” she said. The latest challenges to endangered animals’ survival comes from Washington. In early July, the Department of the Interior rolled back the definition of “harm” to mean only directly injuring or killing endangered species. Noise and habitat destruction would no longer be considered threats to an endangered species’ well-being. A string of oil wells lines the Pecos River south of Loving. There are 380 oil and gas wells within a half-mile of the river in New Mexico. Aerial photography made possible by LightHawk. In late July, the department rescinded the so-called “blanket rule” that covered threatened species with many of the same protections afforded endangered species. It also imposed consideration of the economic cost of protecting plants and animals — i.e. the additional costs to oil and gas production. Taken together, the two changes undo historic protections for plants and animals across the country, including those that call the Pecos River watershed home. Of the thousands of oil and gas wells that pierce the ground in New Mexico’s share of the Permian Basin, 380 are within a half mile of the river. Another 11 injection wells — used to dispose of produced water — lie within that same stretch. “The sound pollution and light pollution also affect this river ecosystem,” Barrett said. He studied ecology and wildlife management and previously worked for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas A&M Forest Service as a staff ecologist. He said the oilfield disturbance “drives a lot of species away from this ecosystem, which can lead to extirpation, which is regional extinction.” Despite the enormous challenges, Riseley-White said she remains optimistic. “My hope in the Pecos is that as we face these challenges, we can get all of the different interests at the table and find solutions that make sense to everybody,” she said. “I think it’s challenging, but I think it’s definitely possible,” she said.

[Category: Environment & Climate Change, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, oil and gas, Pecos River, produced water]

— Judge extends temporary access to White House for news organizations Trump banned

 

at 10/8/26 2:31pm

The White House pictured on June 11, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)WASHINGTON — A federal judge will rule in the coming days on whether the Trump administration can legally rescind White House press passes for journalists at three news organizations, or if those reporters will be able to continue accessing the grounds while the case continues.  U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia Timothy J. Kelly said at the end of a Thursday hearing he intends to issue his decision on a preliminary injunction in the press freedom case before Tuesday.  Kelly, appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term, granted the news organizations — CNN, MS Now and Politico — a temporary restraining order in late September, forcing the White House to return press passes it had confiscated and permit the reporters back into the complex.  A preliminary injunction, which the administration could appeal, would replace the short-term temporary restraining order that generally cannot be appealed to a higher court. The TRO was set to expire Thursday, but Kelly extended it through Tuesday.  Viewpoint discrimination alleged Theodore J. Boutrous, Jr., a partner at Gibson Dunn who represents the three news organizations in the case, argued during the hearing the president’s decision to ban the reporters was a clear example of viewpoint discrimination and violated the First Amendment. “The president got up on the wrong side of the bed and declared a ban on these news organizations,” he said.  Trump posted on social media in mid-September he intended to block journalists at the news organizations from using their White House press passes to enter the grounds. “Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America,” he wrote at the time. “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.” Trump and administration officials later said they had concerns about the types of national security articles published by the news organizations.  But Boutrous said during the hearing the ban was clearly about the president’s belief he should receive more positive news coverage.  “He has been clear that the reason for this ban is he doesnt want scrutiny of his policies,” Boutrous said.  Administration questions journalistic standards Michael Velchik, senior counsel in the civil division of the Justice Department, argued the decision to ban the news organizations was not solely based on national security but grievances with their journalistic standards.  “He set out both of those independent concerns,” Velchik said, referring to the president.  Velchik said he believed that “publishing national security information and not running it by the government clearly violates journalistic standards.” Velchik also said the letters administration officials sent to the news organizations after the ban took effect gave them the opportunity to rebut the administration’s claims about their reporters. He said that none of the three chose “to respond to any of the substantive concerns.”  “We did provide a process and they chose not to participate,” he said. 

[Category: DC Bureau, Gov & Politics]

— New Mexico cybersecurity leader calls for quantum safeguards while state inks deal with major player

 

at 10/8/26 2:25pm

From left to right, New Mexico Economic Development Department Secretary Rob Black, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Fujitsu Chief Technology Officer Vivek Mahajan on Oct. 8, 2026, announced a partnership to create a quantum computing research center in New Mexico. (Photo by Matt Mondschein/Source NM)New Mexico cybersecurity officials told state lawmakers Thursday to prioritize updating digital security systems across state agencies before other countries develop a high-tech quantum computer. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE The admonition came the same day Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced a partnership with Japan-based tech company Fujitsu to establish a quantum computing research center in New Mexico. The timing of both meetings emphasized how quickly quantum computing is developing in government and business. Government agencies typically store sensitive data — such as birth and death records, juvenile records and health records — in encrypted systems. Standard encryption typically deters hackers by requiring a computer to solve a series of complex math problems one at a time. Experts believe that quantum computers, however, will be able to solve several complex math problems at once, rendering standard encryption useless. Officials in the U.S. and China, in particular, for years have been locked in a race to beat the other to a quantum breakthrough and gain an edge in obtaining the other nation’s state secrets. State lawmakers this year have often discussed how New Mexico, which has attracted several high-profile quantum companies in recent years and is home to multiple national laboratories, can lead the country’s efforts. The Quantum World Congress in September recognized just two states — New Mexico and Illinois — as national leaders in quantum technology investment. Todd Baran, general counsel for the New Mexico Office of Cybersecurity, on Thursday spoke to state legislators on the interim Science, Technology and Telecommunications Committee in Los Alamos. He said it’s critical to create security systems that could fend off a hostile country with quantum computing technology as soon as possible. “The malicious actors are going to harvest this data today and then, four or five years from now when the tool becomes available to decrypt it, they’re going to decrypt it,” he said. Baran added that the federal National Institute of Standards and Technology has set deadlines for adopting newer encryption methods. By Dec. 31, 2030, many federal systems and federal contractors must make the switch. The goal, he said, is to have all federal systems updated and to “retire” the old encryption methods by 2035. Baran told lawmakers that the Legislature will need to pass a bill in the upcoming legislative session that gives his office the authority to mandate these changes across state agencies. Currently, he said, his office doesn’t have that power. While Baran was speaking in Los Alamos, Lujan Grisham was inking a memorandum of understanding in Santa Fe with Fujitsu. The corporation has worked with New Mexico State University since 2025 and will now work with the state to build the state’s capacity for quantum computing hardware and software and to support education and workforce programs. Under the agreement, Fujitsu’s center would focus on training scientists and engineers in addition to creating internships and research opportunities for students. The governor said the partnership is a key step in ensuring New Mexico continues to lead the nation’s quantum efforts. “I want New Mexico to be a leader in quantum. I’m banking that that is the future of innovation and investment in the state,” Lujan Grisham said at a news conference in the Roundhouse Thursday morning. “There are only two states in the World Quantum Conference that are identified as leading and ready, and that’s Illinois and New Mexico. And I’m bullish about us winning.” Fujitsu Chief Technology Officer Vivek Mahajan, speaking alongside Lujan Grisham, said he believed New Mexico’s universities and national labs made the state the natural choice for such a partnership. “You have world-class labs here, really good university talent,” he said. “And I think the government here has created an excellent ecosystem.”

[Category: Economy, Gov & Politics, fujitsu, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, quantum, quantum computers]

— Urban, rural hospitals closing at similar rates, study finds

 

at 10/8/26 1:41pm

Urban hospitals are closing at roughly the same rate as rural ones, and the shuttered hospitals are more likely to have served communities with high poverty rates and fewer transportation options, according to a new study. (Photo by Dana DiFilippo/New Jersey Monitor)Urban hospitals are closing at roughly the same rate as rural ones, and the shuttered hospitals are more likely to have served communities with high poverty rates and fewer transportation options, according to a new study published Thursday in the journal JAMA. Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health analyzed hospital closures and openings that occurred between 2010 and last year. They found that closures increased by 4% year over year, while new hospital openings decreased 3% year over year. The study comes as health systems across the nation brace for the effects of the broad tax and spending measure passed by congressional Republicans and signed by President Donald Trump in July 2025. The so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act is projected to cut federal Medicaid spending by an estimated $886.8 billion over the next decade, according to estimates by the Congressional Budget Office. The law includes $50 billion in rural health grants to be distributed to states over five years, but the funds are for a wide variety of initiatives, with limitations on how much hospitals can benefit. Public attention has mostly focused on struggling rural hospitals, but the Harvard researchers found that urban hospitals also have been vulnerable: The closure rate was 9.1% for urban hospitals and 8.3% for rural hospitals. Across both rural and urban areas, hospitals that were for-profit, small or safety-net, or served the most vulnerable counties — such as those with higher poverty rates or less access to transportation — were most likely to close. Overall, 432 hospitals closed between 2010 and 2025 while 216 opened, leading to a net loss of over 24,000 beds. Rural areas were less likely to see a new hospital, as the new facilities were mostly urban, for-profit and small. Rural communities are more likely to have fewer doctors per capita and a lower overall number of patients. Of the hospitals that closed, about 73% shut down completely, while the remaining retained outpatient care, including rural emergency hospital care. The Midwest and the South saw the most closures overall, and there were more closures in states that didn’t expand Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act, according to the study. Stateline reporter Nada Hassanein can be reached at nhassanein@stateline.org. This story was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Source New Mexico, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

[Category: Uncategorized]

— Voters in midterm elections identify a culprit for rising cost of living: Trump’s tariffs

 

at 10/8/26 11:30am

Voters angry over the rising cost of groceries and other items due to tariffs could be expressing their dissatisfaction in the midterm elections. (Photo by Ming Tang Tung/Getty Images)WASHINGTON — Rebecca Myers lives in one of the nation’s most hotly contested congressional districts, and tariffs were on her mind as she voted early and in-person in Suffolk, Virginia in late September. The 44-year-old trained social worker said she and her husband, who recently retired after 25 years in the U.S. Navy, are raising two children, ages 7 and 9, and forgoing a family vacation to save money. “Im an educated person, but Im not going to pretend to be an expert in the economy. All I can say is I know my familys finances very well and I know everything we spend money on has gone up in price. “I understand some of it is due to the tariffs, some of it is due to the war in Iran,” Myers told States Newsroom in an Oct. 1 interview. Myers is among a growing number of voters found to be taking their anger about affordability to the polls this midterm election and blaming President Donald Trump’s tariffs as a culprit for rising expenses. Public opinion surveys bear out Myers is far from alone in making the connection. (Getty images) “The real top line is that for maybe the first time ever, tariffs are a salient issue at the ballot box,” said Scott Lincicome of the libertarian Cato Institute. “You know, normally trade is a boring issue that nobody really thinks about or cares about.” Myers, who lives in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, voted for Elaine Luria, the Democratic candidate and former U.S. representative who is challenging the incumbent Republican, Rep. Jen Kiggans. Kiggans, Myers said, has supported Trump’s “MAGA agenda,” including tariffs. Kiggans’ campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Trump opponents seize on issue Organizers are targeting districts like Myers’, where Democrats could flip seats. “We talk to families every day who are struggling with the things that they need to take care of themselves and their families,” said Sondra Goldschein, executive director of the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy. Her organization, which also has a political action committee that endorses Democrats, recently hosted a “tariff-proof” cooking class in Chesapeake, Virginia, to drive attention to the issue. Attendees received tips like substituting chicken for beef, buying domestic produce, and choosing frozen over canned goods — all which have been affected by Trump’s ever-changing taxes on imports. Goldschein and national organizers are targeting voters not only in Virginia, but in Florida, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania. “This Republican-backed Congress and all of the members that come from states like this have really turned their backs on working families,” Goldschein told States Newsroom during an interview ahead of the cooking class. In a state-by-state breakdown of tariffs, the conservative National Taxpayers Union Foundation and Trade Partnership Worldwide found the top 10 states most affected by Trump’s tariffs — in the tens of billions of dollars — are California, Texas, Michigan, Georgia, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Ohio and Tennessee.  Virginia, where business owners have paid a collective $6.2 billion in tariffs ordered by Trump since January 2025, ranked 18th. Nearly all are in the midst of fierce battles for U.S. Senate or House seats as tariffs emerge as what critics predict will be a major factor in the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. Ever-changing tariffs New research shows Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs on imported goods have cost business owners and consumers billions of dollars.  “The typical estimate has it being in the neighborhood of $1,000-plus per year of additional (consumer) costs, and maybe accounting for somewhere between one-half and 1 percentage point of the inflation rate. That doesnt sound like a lot, but if someone came along and gave you a tax increase of $1,100, which is about what this is, youd feel it,” said Kimberly Clausing, economist and senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics. Clausing and fellow economist Maurice Obstfeld at the nonpartisan think tank reviewed 13 academic papers from 2025 and 2026 on Trump’s tariffs and the pass-through costs to consumers and businesses. “What makes it a little confusing and hard to measure is that theres been a lot of uncertainty about the trade policy, and so its come in spurts and reversals and restarts,” Clausing said, adding that some businesses may absorb the new taxes on imports at first but then eventually raise prices later. “Its not like you raise the tariff on day one and (on) day two all the prices have fully adjusted. Its a little slower than that, but you do see absolutely evidence that with time the tariffs are being passed through to consumers, and very little evidence that foreigners are bearing a significant burden,” she said.  Trump’s tariff policy has changed more than 50 times since he began his second term in January 2025, according to the Tax Foundation, a think tank that advocates for a slimmed-down tax code and “policies that lead to greater economic growth.” As of Sept. 10, the foundation estimated that Trump’s tariffs will cost each household an average $820 in 2026. While Trump campaigned on the promise that other countries would pay for his tariffs, and vowed the same once he took office again, the statement has always been false, economists have documented. Tariffs are taxes that American businesses and individuals pay upon retrieving their shipments of items they’ve purchased from other countries. The tariffed goods fall into hundreds of categories — anything from machine parts to food. The president’s early round of “emergency” and “reciprocal” tariffs imposed on worldwide goods in April 2025 were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in February. Since then, Trump has used three other statutes to justify charging import taxes on goods. Impact spreads across states The breakdown produced by the National Taxpayers Union found the biggest effects in states and industries scattered throughout America. Sectors hit hardest by tariffs in the top 10 states include automobiles and auto parts; steel, aluminum and other metals; clothes and shoes; and food and beverages. For example, businesses in Michigan have paid an extra $23 billion on imports, largely cars and trucks. Meanwhile, the food and beverage sector was hit hardest in Florida, where importers have paid an extra $11 billion since Trump began implementing new tariffs in 2025 through Aug. 4, 2026, according to the conservative organization’s analysis that drew from Census Bureau import data.   (function(){function e(){window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r];r++)if(i.contentWindow===e.source){var a=e.data[`datawrapper-height`][n]+`px`;i.style.height=a}}})}e()})();   Bryan Riley, director of the National Taxpayers Union’s free trade initiative, described Trump’s tariffs during his second term as “a very costly policy.”  “If youre in a state like Georgia, big tariff costs are mainly because theres a lot of auto manufacturing in Georgia, surprisingly to many people. And then thats not going to be the case in New Mexico, which doesnt have a lot of auto manufacturing, so (there are) less tariff costs and different categories hit in each state,” Riley said.  The analysis did not account for any court-mandated refunds the Trump administration must pay back after the Supreme Court deemed the president’s initial emergency tariffs illegal. Those refunds to businesses are not necessarily passed on to consumers. Trump and the cost of living Polls show voters are growing increasingly frustrated with Trump’s handling of the economy, as his approval ratings plunge, and many of those surveyed are blaming the administration’s trade policy for the rising cost of living. Overall, 69% of American adults, and 52% of Republicans, say Trump is not meeting his promise to fix the cost of living, according to an Associated Press/NORC nationwide poll of just over 2,100 voters from Sept. 24-28. Specifically on trade and tariffs, the survey found that overall 68% of respondents disapprove of Trump’s trade negotiations with other countries, and 64% think the tariffs have gone too far. Lincicome of the Cato Institute said it’s a “shocker” that tariffs are becoming a mainstream concern among voters. When surveying just over 4,100 voters in mid-August, Cato and Morning Consult found 3 in 4 participants said they will consider tariffs when casting their midterm election ballot. Additionally, the survey revealed 74% of respondents — 66% percent of Republicans and 84% of Democrats — blamed Trump’s tariffs for increased prices on items they buy at the store. Lincicome, vice president of general economics for Cato, pointed to his home state of North Carolina, where Roy Cooper, the former Democratic governor now vying for an open U.S. Senate seat, is making opposition to tariffs a centerpiece of his affordability agenda. “Its pretty clear from both the polling and Democrats in not just North Carolina but Georgia and Iowa and other places (candidates) are really chomping at the bit to run on cost of living, and to say theyre going to nix all these tariffs. … Even in places like Ohio, where Sherrod Brown is trying to win,” Lincicome said. Brown, a Democrat who served in the U.S. Senate from 2007-2025, was “one of the most consistent protectionists” of domestic manufacturing in the upper chamber, Lincicome said. “Now all of a sudden hes running on nixing the tariffs,” Lincicome said. “Now hes not nearly as vocal as somebody like Cooper or (James) Talarico in Texas or Jon Ossoff in Georgia. Hes still saying hes going to get rid of these tariffs, and thats a pretty shocking change.” Trump ‘skillfully used tariffs,’ White House says The White House defended Trump’s record on the economy and said he has “skillfully” imposed tariffs. “President Trump signed the largest working-class tax cuts in history, lowered the cost of prescription drugs, sealed the border, drove violent crime to the lowest level in nearly a century, unleashed an energy revolution, added more than a million private-sector jobs, and sent Americans’ 401(k)s climbing to record highs.  “The President skillfully used tariffs to renegotiate almost 20 trade deals and level the playing field for American workers and businesses. The Trump administration has consistently maintained that the cost of tariffs will ultimately be borne by foreign exporters who rely on access to the American economy, the world’s biggest and best consumer market,” said White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers. 

[Category: DC Bureau, Gov & Politics]

— Aging workforce, immigration crackdown are depleting skilled workers

 

at 10/8/26 9:38am

A construction worker wields a hammer on the job at the Mill Creek Residential project in Paramus, N.J., in May 2026. The supply of skilled workers in construction and other trades is under pressure from aging, immigration enforcement and a rush to build data centers. (Photo by Tim Henderson/Stateline)A perfect storm of harsh immigration enforcement, aging journeymen and a building boom for data centers is wreaking havoc on the nation’s supply of skilled trade workers.  Automakers and construction contractors say they need more access to workers through accelerated training, steady immigration and a cultural shift to encourage young people to do the hard, dirty work of skilled trades. They’re looking for plumbers, electricians, carpenters, machinists and technicians — specializations increasingly in short supply.  Worker shortages are the top reason for construction project delays, a September survey by the Association of General Contractors of America found. Applicants are there, but half of the contractors who were surveyed said too many job candidates are unqualified and need more training.  The association cited both the demand for workers building data centers and tougher immigration enforcement as contributing causes for the shortage.   “Over 50% of craft workers are born outside the United States. We don’t know that they’re illegal but frankly DHS (the Department of Homeland Security) is not being that discriminating in whom they pick up or who feels threatened by them,” said Ken Simonson, the chief economist for the Association of General Contractors of America. One answer is for the government to allow more worker visas for construction and other trades, he said.  “We’ve been stymied for 20 years or longer trying to get construction treated similarly to agriculture, where if you can demonstrate that there isn’t enough Americans interested in a job you can bring in somebody,” Simonson said.  (function(){function e(){window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r];r++)if(i.contentWindow===e.source){var a=e.data[`datawrapper-height`][n]+`px`;i.style.height=a}}})}e()})(); Pay is rising for the skilled trades, but it’s hard to say how soon higher wages would attract more people. On social media, trades workers complain of long commutes to work sites, long waits through low-paid apprenticeships and a feeling they’re not valued as much as office workers. “Getting up at 4am-5am. Driving 50 plus miles to random job sites. Obviously the dirty part which is construction sites and inhaling dust and dirt all day. Seeing people in corporate jobs in nice clothes while I’m dirty going on lunch break,” wrote a 30-year-old on a Reddit social media post in July, concluding that they should have finished a college chemistry degree. Thousands agreed, including a 31-year-old tradesperson from Michigan who said top pay in their field, plumbing and HVAC, is attractive but that many make less than $70,000.  “Been in the trades since I was 16 and recently started going back to college,” the person wrote. “Everybody I know who chose a degree over an apprenticeship is starting to outpace me in life buying houses and having kids while we’re check to check and getting less healthy by the day. “ These are the concerns employers have to address if they’re going to find enough workers to build homes, cars and data centers for artificial intelligence. Ford Motor Company and the Ad Council announced a publicity campaign to bring more young people into the trades, with a video declaring “millions of skilled trade jobs are waiting for people ready to do something, with great pay, job security and work you can take pride in.”  Ford and the alliance didn’t mention immigration enforcement as an issue, but the Association of General Contractors and an unrelated survey of roofers both mentioned it as a prominent factor in reducing the supply of skilled workers.  John Burns Research and Consulting, an independent housing research company, reported that many of the roofers it surveyed earlier this year saw immigration enforcement as hurting their business.  “There are no American kids willing to install roofs in Central Texas,” said one roofing contractor in anonymous quotes published by the group.  “Tough immigration reform and not enough Americans to fill the void,” said another.  “A lot of these people have been deported. The next generation is complacent and does not want to do physical work,” said a Florida roofer.  Elizabeth LaJeunesse, vice president of building products research at John Burns, said the vehemence of responses about immigration was surprising.  “Most of these firms are pretty conservative, so this is a real phenomenon we’re picking up on, that level of concern over immigration enforcement,” LaJeunesse said. Duane Musser, vice president for government relations for the National Roofing Contractors Association, said the responses are typical of what he hears from members. Immigration as well as better trade education are critical to roofing, he said.  “Advocating for solutions to workforce shortages, including expanded career and technical education programs and bipartisan immigration reform, is a top priority,” Musser said.  The DHS told Stateline in an unattributed statement that those who are here legally and are not breaking other laws have nothing to fear” and that “we will continue to enforce our nation’s laws and remove illegal aliens from American communities.”  In September a Trump-appointed federal judge stayed a federal practice of entering construction sites without a warrant to investigate immigration status. One construction worker of Mexican descent in Alabama complained that he had been detained three times since 2025 despite showing a state drivers license demonstrating that he was a citizen born in Florida.  Immigrant workers make up a majority of roofers, painters and stucco masons, according to a Stateline analysis last year.   The nation will need 1.7 million new skilled trade workers every year through 2035, according to a September report by Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades, a trade group including Ford Motor Company, toolmakers and other businesses. Training programs produce just more than half the numbers needed, and only half of those who enroll in skilled training programs finish, the report found.   Nine states were identified by the alliance report as having high demand but low supply of skilled labor: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.  Florida ranks first for demand for skilled workers, but nearly last for supply, higher only than Maine. Not enough new Florida workers are coming online as building in the state booms and current workers near retirement age. The state’s Association of General Contractors’ chapter hopes the advancements in workforce AI will drive more young adults into construction jobs since those can’t be replaced by chatbots. Quotation You can’t hide lower skills in a trade, whereas middle management and white collar jobs are protected by the vagueness of the job. – Shoua Thao, a machinist in Minnesota Other states have the opposite issue: ranking high for new workers but low in demand for them, based on recent hiring and future projections.  In the top 10 for worker supply but bottom 10 for demand: Indiana, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Wyoming.  The alliance report suggested employers themselves need to help train future workers. The companies building data centers, in particular, want those tradespeople. “America needs hundreds of thousands of electricians, welders and fiber technicians to build AI infrastructure,” said Dina Powell McCormick, president and vice chairman of Meta, in a statement, adding that the alliance is “paying for the training, removing the barriers that keep people from stepping into these careers, and guaranteeing a job at the end of it.” Shoua Thao, 40,  is straddling the line between trades and AI as a machinist in the computer-assisted manufacturing business known as CNC machining, which uses computer code to control production. The son of Hmong refugees in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, Thao is now experimenting with AI production techniques.  “Trades are the one career path that doesn’t lie,” he said. “You can’t hide lower skills in a trade, whereas middle management and white collar jobs are protected by the vagueness of the job.” Eventually trades could become a more valued career path than college, Thao said, though he has been discouraged at times by low pay and long hours that take time away from family. “I think it will be a slow process but eventually, sometime in the future, maybe my children’s future, trades will take over,” Thao said.  Stateline reporter Tim Henderson can be reached at thenderson@stateline.org. 10:46 amEditor's note: This story has been updated to correct Florida's rank among states for supply of skilled workers, and to correct the name of the John Burns Research and Consulting company and some of the material attributed to Elizabeth LaJeunesse, vice president of building products research for the firm. This story was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Source New Mexico, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

[Category: Economy, Immigration]

— New Mexico police chief tells lawmakers Flock cameras ‘very valuable’ despite increased criticism

 

at 10/8/26 6:00am

Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story on Oct. 6, 2026, briefed lawmakers on the interim Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee about how his department uses controversial Flock cameras after the Legislature passed a law restricting them. (Photo courtesy of Flock Safety)The police chief in New Mexico’s second-largest city attempted this week to allay lawmaker fears about one of the most controversial tools in law enforcement: Flock cameras. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE But by the end of the presentation, some still had big questions and concerns about the technology Democratic-majority Legislature and governor opted to restrict earlier this year. Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story told lawmakers on the interim Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee on Tuesday that his department has access to 43 Flock cameras across the city. They’ve helped detectives close several cases, he said, including several homicides and a bank robbery across the state line in El Paso, Texas. “If we have a missing person, if we have one picture of that car — even if it has nothing to do with when that person went missing — a lot of times that’s very helpful,” Story said. “When we have a crime where we have either a partial plate or a good vehicle description, that’s where this system becomes very valuable for law enforcement.” Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in March signed Senate Bill 40, known as the Driver Privacy and Security Act, into law. It took effect in July and prohibits law enforcement agencies from using data from automatic license plate readers for investigations into “protected healthcare activities,” such as seeking gender-affirming care or an abortion, as well as for public demonstrations or someone’s immigration status. Critics point to examples the law attempts to address. In Texas, a sheriffs deputy who did not have a warrant used Flocks nationwide network to track a woman suspected of attempting to get an abortion, which is banned in the state with few exceptions. At the federal level, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has accessed Flock data through local law enforcement agencies to read license plates. Flock has denied having a contract with ICE.  Nationally, politicians and civil rights groups have increasingly questioned whether automatic license plate readers — particularly the tens of thousands of Flock’s — risk violating constitutional privacy protections. In Bernalillo County, Sheriff John Allen recently nixed his department’s contract with Flock over the increasing skepticism. In Tuesday’s presentation, Story sought to push back on some of that. He gave lawmakers a tour through the software by typing in his own license plate number and showing several photos Flock cameras had taken of his pickup truck that week. He then challenged lawmakers to figure out where he was coming from or going to in each of the photos of his truck. “Try to tell me…where I came from before those hits, where I went after, who was in the vehicle and who was driving,” he said. “The reality is from most of these hits, we can’t determine any of those things.” Rep. Andrea Reeb (R-Clovis), a career prosecutor, said she’s seen firsthand how they’ve been beneficial for criminal investigations.  Interim committee Chair Rep. Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos) was not as convinced, though. She asked Story how he could have accessed the photos of his truck if they weren’t tied to a specific criminal case number. When he responded that he created a case number specifically for this demonstration, she said she was worried that that process could be abused. “Who has the authority to create these fake case numbers? Because that’s what you’re telling me,” she said. “I was somewhat optimistic about the fact that many of these methodologies are requiring case numbers, but if we also have the ability to do fake case numbers, I’m a little concerned about that. It’s sort of an illusory check on the system.”

[Category: Criminal Justice, Gov & Politics, Flock, Las Cruces police, Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story, Rep. Christine Chandler]

— EPA head announces oil and gas emission rules rollbacks during visit to Santa Fe

 

at 10/7/26 4:32pm

Environmental groups protested outside the Santa Fe Convention Center on Oct. 7, 2026 while EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced to oil and gas executives and officials revisions to a Biden-era methane emission reduction rule. (Photo by Matt Mondschein/Source NM)The head of the Environmental Protection Agency announced plans Wednesday for further cancellations of Biden-era oil and gas regulations aimed at reducing emissions of climate-warming gasses while on a visit to New Mexico, as environmental groups protested the proposals.  EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced a second rollback of rules during the annual meeting of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE “Americans must be able to afford to heat their homes in the winter and fill up their car and drive to work. They can’t do that when the people producing the energy are weighed down by unnecessary burdens,” Zeldin said in a statement. “The Trump EPA is committed to fixing this so the U.S. can reach its full energy potential.”  The 2024 EPA methane rule created performance standards to reduce methane and smog-forming organic compounds from new, modified and reconstructed oil and gas infrastructure. The rule also created a super emitter program to identify and investigate large leaks or releases of methane located at or near an oil and natural gas facility. During his speech in Santa Fe, Zeldin announced that the EPA is “days, not weeks” from proposing to eliminate the super emitter program. He added the EPA will propose to revisit the overall approach to regulating associated gas from oil wells.  Environmental groups apart of a the New Mexico Methane Table coalition march towards the Santa Fe Convention Center in New Mexico on Oct. 7, 2026 while EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the revisions to the methane rule. (Photo by Matthew Mondschein/Source NM) Groups protesting Wednesday included the Sierra Club Rio Grande chapter; the Environmental Defense Fund; New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light; and Healthy Climate New Mexico. They said the planned revisions will further harm the environment and set back states that have enacted stricter regulations on methane pollution. Nini Gu, with the Environmental Defense Fund, told Source NM that satellite images from the Delaware subbasin, which covers areas of New Mexico and Texas, showed that New Mexico had 60% less methane pollution than Texas, where operators face weaker emission standards. With the geography and industry being similar in both states, the disparate results are “mainly due to regulations,” Gu said. Gu highlighted New Mexico’s attempt to codify elements of the 2024 methane rule into state law. In August, the New Mexico Environment Department proposed the creation of a state super emitter program which would identify large methane leaks through satellite and aircraft imagery. The New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board will host a hearing on the proposal starting on Dec. 1, which Gu said is “an opportunity for New Mexico to codify its own regulations to reduce methane emissions.  “That can happen in spite of what the EPA does,” Gu said. The Environmental Defense Fund noted in a statement Wednesday praised Colorado and New Mexico’s work to implement tougher methane standards.   At a time when Americans are facing high energy costs, EPA should not give oil and gas companies more room to waste a domestic resource, adding to the nearly $7 billion in lost energy value since the Administration stopped enforcing key methane protections,” said Jon Goldstein, with the Defense Fund. “Rolling back these safeguards would mean more wasted energy, more methane pollution and greater health risks for communities living near oil and gas operations.”  Missi Currier, New Mexico Oil and Gas Association president and CEO, told Source NM the organization will carefully review Zeldin’s announcement.  “NMOGA and our membership support clean, reliable, affordable energy, and practical policies that reduce emissions, protect public health, and provide certainty for energy producers and consumers,” she said.

[Category: Environment & Climate Change, Gov & Politics, Environmental Defense Fund, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Healthy Climate New Mexico, New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light, New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter]

— Advocates blast Trump campaign against in-state tuition for immigrants

 

at 10/7/26 4:09pm

The A. Ray Olpin Student Union building on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City is pictured on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. Utah is one of the states the Trump administration is suing for offering in-state tuition regardless of immigration status. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)WASHINGTON — Leading immigration advocates and experts sounded the alarm Wednesday on the Trump administration’s sweeping efforts to undo state laws allowing some immigrants to pay in-state college tuition in the states where they reside.  The U.S. Department of Justice has sued 24 states, Washington, D.C., and the University of Delaware since President Donald Trump retook office over laws or policies that allow noncitizen students who meet certain requirements access to in-state tuition, regardless of their immigration status.   The lawsuits are part of a larger push from the administration to curb any benefits that could extend to immigrants more broadly. Leaders of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration and TheDream.US defended the state laws during a virtual press conference, while warning of the setbacks noncitizen students face to accessing affordable higher education when these policies are struck down.  The groups also released a joint report Wednesday charting the landscape of such laws and the DOJ’s legal challenges against the policies.  The administration’s challenges “limit opportunities for thousands of students and undermine the social and economic well-being of communities across the country,” said Miriam Feldblum, president and CEO of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization.  “When access to in-state tuition is taken away, many undocumented students cannot bridge the gap between in-state and out-of-state rates,” Feldblum added.  Gaby Pacheco, president and CEO of TheDream.US, called the Trump administration’s efforts “coordinated assaults on tuition equity.” They are “just one part of a larger pattern of legal and policy barriers and restrictions being put in place that threatens Dreamers and immigrants’ educational opportunities, their stability, their safety and their futures,” she said.  TheDream.US grants scholarships to immigrant youth, including individuals under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, who are also known as Dreamers.  DACA is intended to help people brought into the country without legal documentation as children. The program, created in 2012, protects participants from deportation and allows them to receive work permits and obtain driver’s licenses. Six state laws blocked In six of the lawsuits the DOJ filed — targeting Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas — courts have already struck down the laws.  But in a blow to the administration’s efforts against Virginia’s in-state tuition policies, a federal judge earlier this week scrapped the DOJ’s challenge, upholding the Virginia law. Lawsuits are also pending in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Washington state. Debate over 1996 law The DOJ’s challenges center on the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, which bars a state from offering in-state tuition benefits to people not lawfully present in the country if that same benefit is not granted to U.S. citizens from another state.  Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the DOJ’s Civil Division has noted that “colleges cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens” and that the agency “will not tolerate American students being treated like second-class citizens in their own country.” Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF, which has sought to intervene on behalf of affected students in cases targeting the laws, described “extraordinary” aspects of the DOJ’s “litigation campaign,” including that “the administration uses very sharp tactics to attempt to prevent anyone from coming in to defend the state tuition-equity laws.”  Saenz also pointed out that all of the state tuition-equity policies across the country were enacted after the 1996 law was enacted.  “What that means is that they are using a provision that was on the books when all of these legislators acted to create laws like the Texas Dream Act,” Saenz said, pointing to the Lone Star State’s 2001 law — the first of its kind in the country — that has since been blocked. He added that “no administration prior to this one has ever gone to court contending that that 1996 law somehow renders these tuition-equity laws passed beginning in 2001 unconstitutional or preempted.” 

[Category: DC Bureau, Gov & Politics, Immigration]

— Doña Ana County seeks state disaster declaration as officials begin flood recovery

 

at 10/7/26 3:19pm

Officials in Doña Ana County have estimated that recent flooding has caused at least $15 million in damages to public dams, roads or bridges. Above: A washed-out road in the county pictured Sept. 23, 2026. (Courtesy Doña Ana County) Officials overseeing New Mexico’s second largest county are urging Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to declare an emergency due to recent floods they estimate have caused at least $15 million in damages to public infrastructure. Such a declaration would unlock additional state money to help with recovery. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE Two large rain events in late September — from late-season monsoons and the remnants of Hurricane Polo  — dumped more than 5 inches of rain in Las Cruces and surrounding Doña Ana County in southern New Mexico The Doña Ana County Commission, in a resolution it passed Tuesday, listed Las Cruces and 11 other towns as suffering damage to homes, businesses, roads, utilities and flood-control infrastructure.  In total, Amanda Bowen, the county’s emergency manager, has calculated at least $15 million in damage, according to data that county officials provided Source NM on Wednesday. That includes at least $9 million in damages reported by the Elephant Butte Irrigation District, which oversees the network of dams, drains and other infrastructure along the southern stretch of the Rio Grande.  Bowen told commissioners Tuesday that $15 million is almost certainly a low estimate of damages, as she continues to reach out to other public entities to collect more information.  “Well continue, as water subsides and theyre able to better assess all of their infrastructure,” Bowen said.  Bowen’s office also calculated at least $2.2 in damages within the City of Las Cruces, as well as at least $1.8 million in costs to the county, ranging from more than $1 million to infrastructure the county’s Flood Commission oversees and $561,000 in road damages to $2,000 in overtime for the county animal control officers, according to data county officials provided Source NM on Wednesday. The governor’s office last week approved up to $3.75 million in emergency funding statewide for flooding-related costs. It’s not clear from the orders how much of that funding went to Doña Ana County.  Leah March, a spokesperson for the governors office, told Source NM that the state is working with county officials as they assess the damage and noted that the county has access to the emergency funding the governor approved last week. The state will keep standing with families and communities in southern New Mexico for as long as the recovery takes, she said in a statement. The flooding last month marks the second year in a row of damaging floods in the county. Last July, flash floods in Vado and Del Cerro flooded at least 110 homes and caused additional damage.  In that case, the Doña Ana County Commission approved $500,000 in an emergency housing fund for indigent families who lost homes they rent or own. County officials described the fund as the first of its kind in New Mexico.  Commissioners said Tuesday that roughly $166,000 remained from that funding. The disaster declaration they signed enables the remaining balance to go toward families whose homes suffered damage in the flooding last month.  October 8, 20269:25 amThis story has been updated to include comment from the governor's office.

[Category: Environment & Climate Change, 2026 Doña Ana flooding, 2026 New Mexico flooding, Doña Ana County, flooding, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham]

— Trump auto-enrolls 10s of millions in child investment accounts

 

at 10/7/26 3:12pm

President Donald Trump speaks at Wheeler High School near Marietta, Georgia, on July 22, 2026. Trump spoke about Trump accounts for children and railed against his political opponents. (Photo by Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)WASHINGTON — Every child in the United States with a valid Social Security number is now enrolled in a tax-advantaged investment account, titled a “Trump Account,” President Donald Trump announced Wednesday. Parents must claim the accounts by downloading a Trump Account mobile app. Children born from 2025 through 2028 will automatically receive a one-time deposit of $1,000 from the U.S. government, once parents or guardians officially claim it.  Children born before the eligibility window, up to age 10, can receive a $250 deposit donated by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, of Dell Technologies fortune. Surrounded in the Oval Office by U.S. Treasury Department officials, business moguls and a half dozen children holding a banner reading, “Thank You for Trump Accounts,” the president said parents and guardians have voluntarily created accounts for 8 million children since the July 4 launch. “With todays announcement, were building on that success by 70 million accounts of children across America,” Trump said. “Put very simply, this money is your childs future.” A letter sent to parents about Trump Accounts for their children. (States Newsroom photo) The White House estimates over 60 million accounts have been added via auto-enrollment, but did not provide a specific figure. The president signaled to the children standing by the Resolute Desk and said, “These beautiful young children are extremely rich — they are now, and they will be in the future, extremely rich. So they have something to look forward to.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the accounts mark the “beginning of the ownership society.”  “I was talking to these great young people earlier,” he said. “They already know about compounding. They understand how the stock market works. … I think this is going to be a real-time financial literacy project.” Investments from government, philanthropy More than $4.5 billion has been deposited into the accounts since July 4, according to the White House. Trump said Wednesday “much of that” has come from large donors, including the Dells, and Altimeter tech investment firm founder Brad Gerstner, who attended the announcement. Parents and guardians have claimed roughly $2.6 billion in philanthropic contributions to date, with more available, according to the White House. The U.S. Treasury has so far seeded the accounts with $1.3 billion. Another $638 million has been deposited into the accounts from friends and family of the individual accountholders, according to the administration. Family and friends can contribute up to $5,000 annually to the accounts. Parents and guardians can elect to divert pre-tax contributions from their paychecks directly into their child’s account. Employers can match up to $2,500. Over 70 companies have signed on to contribute to accounts of employees’ children, according to the White House. Certain contributions, like the government’s one-time $1,000 deposit and contributions from state and local governments and nonprofits, do not count toward the $5,000 cap. Susan Dell said she has received letters from parents and grandparents who have claimed the contribution from her foundation. “Its not just the money that matters — that does matter — but knowing that someone believes in you and your future that matters just as much,” she said. “These accounts are ready. Theyre waiting for you, and they have money in them. So claim your childs accounts and start adding money to their accounts and preserving a wonderful future for them.” The Dell Foundation targeted the contributions to 25 million children from ZIP codes with median family incomes of up to $118,000. The Trump administration is directing families to the website trumpaccounts.gov to find how to download the app and manage the account. The White House estimates the government’s $1,000 seed money could grow to approximately $6,000 by age 18, if the family never contributed another dollar, assuming historical return data. A child’s account that receives the maximum family and employer contributions of $5,000 at the start of each year could grow to nearly $200,000 by age 18, assuming a 7% annual rate of return, according to a Fidelity Investment hypothetical example, not adjusted for inflation.  Used for retirement, education or down payment The Trump Accounts, as named in the 2025 law dubbed “the big beautiful bill,” are structured like a traditional individual retirement account, but with different investment features and restrictions. Money in the account can be invested in mutual funds or exchange traded funds that track the returns of large American companies, for example the S&P 500 index. Investments will legally belong to a minor, but can only be managed by a parent or guardian until a child’s 18th birthday.  The accounts are bound by certain restrictions, including a prohibition on withdrawals until age 18, when the account essentially becomes an individual retirement account subject to tax penalties for early withdrawal before age 59.5. Some penalty-free exceptions include accessing the cash for a first-home purchase of up to $10,000, birth or child adoption fees up to $5,000 and qualifying medical expenses.

[Category: DC Bureau, Gov & Politics]

— Documents show DHS probed nonprofits, obtained millions of records in hunt for noncitizen voters

 

at 10/7/26 3:00pm

Security stands outside ICE headquarters during a Congressional Hispanic Caucus rally on Feb. 3, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)The Department of Homeland Security obtained tens of millions of unspecified records as part of a sweeping nationwide effort to find voter fraud, according to internal DHS reports, and weighed using undercover agents to investigate voter registration efforts by nonprofit groups. The reports from May and June by Homeland Security Investigations, a sub-agency of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, provide updates on its “election integrity” investigations. They are included in a trove of documents obtained by the pro-democracy group Democracy Forward through a records request and released Wednesday. The HSI reports detail an expansive review of nonprofit organizations involved in voter registration. A June 1 report says 82 “NGOs” — nongovernmental organizations — had been reviewed in Pennsylvania alone. Groups in Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey and Ohio also came under scrutiny. The June 1 report describes the potential for undercover operations, and refers to efforts across Homeland Security to identify organizations that “may be predatory in nature, particularly those suspected of illegal alien registration and voter encouragement. Organizations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania remained areas of focus, the report says. “The objective is to determine potential opportunities to leverage UC (undercover) resources, including the possible deployment of undercover agents (UCAs), to support investigative efforts in the field,” the report says. Overall, the records offer a window into the Trump administration’s push to root out voter fraud, and especially noncitizen voting, ahead of the midterm elections. While a few months old, they suggest that finding noncitizen voters was an active focus within Homeland Security Investigations, along with identifying any organizations suspected of registering noncitizens to vote. Noncitizen voting Noncitizen voting is a rare occurrence, studies have consistently found.  The Justice Department has brought a few dozen cases this year, and U.S Attorney General Todd Blanche in late September announced indictments against 10 noncitizens over allegations of unlawfully voting. But the census reports 154 million people voted in the 2024 election. With early voting beginning across many states, Trump’s bid to assert authority over voting has largely failed. The U.S. Supreme Court blocked his plans to use the U.S. Postal Service to restrict mail ballots and the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to show proof of citizenship, stalled in Congress. But Democrats, voting rights groups and some election officials are concerned Trump may take more extreme action in the coming weeks. They have braced for possible federal interference, including the prospect of ICE or other federal agents deploying to the polls (Homeland Security denies any plans to target polling places). “This trove of ICE documents provides chilling new insights into the breadth and depth of the Trump-Vance administration’s efforts to pursue baseless claims of widespread election fraud and assert greater federal control over elections ahead of the 2026 midterms,” Hart Wood, senior oversight counsel at Democracy Forward, said in a statement. Asked for comment, Homeland Security didn’t address specific questions from States Newsroom. In an unsigned statement, DHS said the agency is “laser focused” on identifying and removing noncitizens who vote.  “HSI investigates allegations of criminal activity, including unlawful voter registration or voting by noncitizens in federal elections,” the DHS statement says. “While we do not comment on active investigations, investigative methods, or internal deliberations, HSI is actively rooting out and investigating election fraud wherever it can be found.  “We have repeatedly demonstrated that aliens can and do vote in our elections,” the statement says. “Under President Trump, HSI is committed to restoring integrity to our election systems and ensuring that only American citizens are electing American leaders.” At a news conference last week to announce indictments against alleged noncitizen voters in Minnesota, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the Trump administration would never allow the votes of noncitizens to cancel out the votes of American citizens. He said that only citizens should be electing the country’s leaders. “Our message to aliens who vote in American elections is clear: We will find you, arrest you, and you will face the consequences, including criminal charges and deportation,” Mullin said. Nonprofits reviewed, researched  The reports in the records obtained by Democracy Forward describe efforts by HSI to research and review an array of nonprofit groups. In some instances, HSI appeared satisfied after its examination.  The June 1 report notes that research was completed on approximately 41 non-governmental organizations in New Jersey, with “no derogatory information” found. Research on 20 nonprofit funds linked to a Washington, D.C.-based charitable foundation also turned up nothing, the report notes. But the report also says the Pennsylvania chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations was “flagged for further investigation.” CAIR is one of the country’s leading Muslim civil rights groups. Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu, CAIR Pennsylvania executive director, in a statement said the organization’s civic engagement programs have expanded over the years and include voter registration efforts that seek to ensure Muslim Americans are empowered to vote and fully engaged in the civic process. Our voter registration program follows all applicable voter registration rules and requirements,” Tekelioglu said. Education Minnesota, an educators union, is named in the June 1 report as one of 22 organizations that HSI was beginning to research at the time. Monica Byron, Education Minnesota’s president, said the organization learned of the investigation on Tuesday because of Democracy Forward. Byron said the group shares Democracy Forward’s concerns about potential government surveillance of lawful voter registration activities.  “We do not know the details of any investigation into our union, but we will not be deterred in encouraging all eligible members to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming election,” Byron said in a statement. Tens of millions of records The HSI reports show that Heather Honey, a DHS official who came to prominence denying President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, obtained 48.4 million records through “independent sources of information.” Additionally, HSI drew upon some 50.6 million records from the Department of Justice. The exact nature of the records isn’t described, but the DOJ has sued dozens of states for voter records, including sensitive personal information such as driver’s license and Social Security numbers. The department hasn’t won any of the lawsuits, but at least 16 states have voluntarily provided the data. The Supreme Court ruled in September that states can use a powerful Homeland Security program called SAVE to help identify possible noncitizen voters after voting rights groups sued to block its use, alleging that it often relies on inaccurate data and has a track record of wrongly flagging U.S. citizens. The decision’s impact on the midterms is expected to be minimal because most states are already too close to a federal election to conduct mass purges of voters. But the HSI reports suggest that while the legal fight over SAVE was playing out in the courts, Homeland Security was nevertheless analyzing a vast collection of records for signs of voter fraud. HSI’s June 1 report says 26,563 records derived from ICE had been prioritized for “downstream vetting,” with a focus on Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania.  Priority states for HSI’s review of Justice Department records included those states, as well as Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia and Texas. The report notes that records were sent to iLab — an apparent reference to HSI’s Innovation Lab — for “secondary enrichment and identification of high-value targets.” Jacob Fischler contributed to this report. October 8, 20268:52 amUpdated to include response from Department of Homeland Security.

[Category: DC Bureau, Gov & Politics]

— Public advocacy staff for New Mexico utility regulator seek probe into PNM over high power bills

 

at 10/7/26 1:33pm

Staff for the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission are seeking an investigation into the state’s largest electric provider following resident complaints of expensive bills that sometimes exceeded $1,000. (Photo by Danielle Prokop for Source NM)Staff for the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission are asking commissioners to authorize a formal investigation into the state’s largest electric provider after widespread customer complaints of exceedingly expensive bills. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE In a five-page filing to the commission Tuesday, staffers on the entity’s Public Interest Advocacy team wrote that electric provider PNM in July began estimating residential customer bills, rather than obtaining readings from meters, in the Alamogordo and Ruidoso areas because of a meter reader shortage. The practice quickly spread statewide, they wrote. The commission subsequently held a September town hall meeting in Alamogordo, where some residents complained that their monthly bills had gone as high as $1,700. Last month, the New Mexico Department of Justice announced it had received several complaints from residents across the state who saw their monthly bills skyrocket from their usual range of $150 to $200. Staffers wrote in the Tuesday filing that they intend to investigate what caused the issue, whether PNM complied with applicable laws and regulatory requirements and whether there are regulatory measures available to prevent a situation like this from happening again. They wrote that they would test meters in Alamogordo and Ruidoso, review PNM’s billing data and write monthly updates and a public report with their findings and recommended next steps. In a statement to Source NM, PNM spokesperson Eric Chavez said the company stands ready to provide information to utility regulators. “PNM understands the concerns surrounding this summer’s meter reading and billing issues and remains committed to supporting affected customers,” Chavez said. “We welcome the opportunity to provide the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission with information about what occurred, how customers were affected and the actions PNM has taken in response.” The announcement comes nearly a month after New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez sent a letter to Don Tarry, the CEO of PNM and its parent company, informing him that residents across the state had filed complaints with the New Mexico Department of Justice over shockingly high PNM bills. In his Sept. 9 letter, Torrez included complaints several residents had sent to his office, including one who wrote that a relative’s bill had suddenly jumped from $150 to $766 in one month. Another, written by an Otero County married couple, said that PNM didn’t read their meter in July. “Though we completely understand staffing issues, an electric bill of over $1,000, when we have not had one over $200 in the last year, is absurd,” they wrote. “We cannot get any answers from PNM, even after asking to see usage patterns and asking about meter modifications. This is highly irregular, and we should not have to pay over a thousand dollars when PNM will not provide facts.”

[Category: Economy, Gov & Politics, new mexico attorney general raúl torrez, New Mexico Department of Justice, New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, PNM, PRC]

— Abortion foes plan to push pill restrictions in the states

 

at 10/7/26 1:08pm

Under its current guidelines, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not require in-person visits, waiting periods or ultrasounds for women seeking abortion pills. Nevertheless, 10 states without total abortion bans still require them. (Photo by Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)As they await a federal decision on a potential nationwide ban on telehealth abortions, anti-abortion activists plan to push more states to require women to visit a doctor’s office, get an ultrasound or wait before they can get abortion pills. Under its current guidelines, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not require in-person visits, ultrasounds or waiting periods for women seeking abortion pills. Nevertheless, 10 states without total abortion bans still require them. One of those states is Florida. The state only allows abortion up to six weeks — which is before many women discover they are pregnant. Under state law, women must first get an ultrasound and then wait at least 24 hours before receiving pills or a procedure. By that time, they might be beyond the six weeks threshold. “Floridians are already under a time clock,” said Lana’e Hernandez, a case manager for the Florida Access Network, an abortion fund that helps women pay for their abortions and travel to other states if they fall outside Florida’s narrow window. “I see a lot of clients having to then travel out of state and take even more time off of work, adding another barrier to accessing care because of those laws combined.” Medication abortion typically involves two drugs: mifepristone and misoprostol. The FDA approved the two-drug regimen in 2000 and gradually loosened restrictions as safety reviews showed a low risk of serious and life-threatening conditions. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the Biden administration suspended enforcement of the rule that patients had to take the medication in person, and the FDA officially removed that requirement in 2023. But anti-abortion organizations and attorneys general have challenged these changes in ongoing federal lawsuits. And in 2025, activist groups successfully pressured the Trump administration’s FDA to review the safety data again. On Wednesday, the FDA is expected to update the public on the progress of this review, though the agency is not expected to issue a final ruling on telehealth access to the pills. The Washington Sun recently reported that the Trump administration wants to delay any potentially controversial actions around abortion until after the midterm elections. The administration has also delayed multiple ongoing federal lawsuits until after the review. Abortion rights advocates say reversing telehealth access to medication abortion would have a huge impact across the country. Medication abortions now account for about 65% of all abortions, and roughly 28% of all abortions are through telehealth, according to KFF, a health research group. Critical elections In statehouses, the midterm elections could determine whether more states will seek to restrict medication abortion. Meanwhile, Democratic control of Congress could doom President Donald Trump’s nominee for FDA commissioner. During her confirmation hearing last month, nominee Heidi Overton would not say whether she would recommend changes to mifepristone regulation, but in the past she has expressed anti-abortion views and written that the medication is dangerous. National anti-abortion leaders told Stateline they will not be satisfied if the FDA determines that mifepristone is safe and can be administered via telehealth. “There are comorbidities that come with mifepristone, like ectopic pregnancies that need to be diagnosed prior to the actual provision of mifepristone, and right now under the FDA system, that’s not working,” said Bradley Kehr, vice president of legal affairs of Americans United for Life. “So states are stepping in to say that they have serious concerns, and they’re taking action for the safety of their citizens.” Peer-reviewed studies overwhelmingly show a low risk of serious adverse events for medication abortions up to 10 weeks’ gestation, including via telehealth. But national anti-abortion groups have pointed to examples of coercion and non-peer-reviewed white papers to argue the risks are more significant than what the FDA has reported, and that ultrasounds should be required before the pills are administered. Hernandez of the Florida Access Network said ultrasounds might be appropriate for women who have irregular periods or are at risk for an ectopic pregnancy, but that they should not be universally mandated by lawmakers. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, for patients with regular menstrual cycles and no risk factors for ectopic pregnancy, a clinical examination or ultrasound is not necessary before taking abortion pills. “These are conversations that you should be having with your medical professional and not the government mandating you to do one thing or another,” Hernandez said. “You should be able to trust your physician to tell you whether you need an ultrasound or not to have an abortion.” Abortion rights advocates say abortion is being singled out even as more medical care is being delivered via telehealth. “When it comes to telehealth for abortion care specifically, a lot of those concerns, I think are coming from a place that’s really informed by abortion stigma,” said Kimya Forouzan, the principal state policy advisor of the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization that supports abortion rights. “Receiving medication abortion via telehealth is not different than any other form of telehealth care.” Existing restrictions In addition to Florida, Alaska, Georgia, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin require ultrasounds or other in-person requirements before medication abortions. In-person requirements can include an initial in-person exam, in-person counseling, a requirement that the pills be dispensed in person or a requirement that the first dose be taken in person. Thirteen other states (Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia) ban all abortions. In Alaska, Missouri and Wisconsin, plaintiffs have challenged the laws on state constitutional grounds. Wyoming last year enacted a law requiring ultrasounds and a 48-hour waiting period before medication abortions. But a state district judge overturned the law in June, ruling that it violated a constitutional amendment protecting healthcare decisions, and that the state “offered no cogent evidence illustrating that a waiting period is necessary for any purpose.” At the federal level, plaintiffs have argued that state regulations on abortion pills should not supersede the federal guidelines. “The FDA sets the bar, and states don’t get to impede access to an FDA-approved medication,” said Kirsten Moore, director of the Expanding Medication Abortion Access (EMMA) Project, which tracks litigation related to medication abortion. In an ongoing federal lawsuit over North Carolina’s restrictions, the plaintiffs argue that the state law conflicts with the FDA’s regulatory authority. A federal judge in 2024 ruled that the state could not ban the mailing of abortion pills, since federal rules allow it. But the judge upheld the state’s ultrasound requirement and its waiting period. The case is pending appeal, with oral arguments scheduled for later this month at the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which last year upheld medication abortion restrictions in West Virginia, which bans all abortions and explicitly telehealth abortions. In that case, plaintiff generic mifepristone manufacturer GenBioPro argued the state’s ban violated the federal regulation of abortion pills, but the appeals court affirmed the lower court’s decision that FDA regulations did not preempt the state’s abortion ban. Earlier this year, Iowa also enacted a law requiring abortion-inducing medication to be prescribed in person and dispensed in a medical setting. Beaufield Berry, executive director of the Iowa Abortion Access Fund, said that since the law went into effect, her group has gotten more calls from people asking for financial help to travel out of state. She said there are two abortion clinics left in the state, both in central Iowa, making it especially difficult on people in rural areas. “It’s really hard for some people to be able to make an appointment to go get an ultrasound, and then if they do that, then they’re running up against that six-week clock,” Berry said. “For an in-person visit, that’s transportation, missing work, finding childcare. And in many cases, the act of having an abortion, you may not have support,” she said. “They may be underage, and so that creates even more barriers to getting an in-person meeting.” Different strategies Kehr of Americans United for Life said anti-abortion state lawmakers are still figuring out their individual strategies for restricting access to abortion medication. He cited the 10th Amendment, which gives states the authority through their police power to protect their citizens, as a legal justification for mandating ultrasounds or in-clinic visits before abortion pills are dispensed. “Other states are taking different approaches, whether it’s the ultrasound provision to check for ectopic pregnancies and things like that, or the actual consideration of abuse that’s occurring,” Kehr said. “We’ve had multiple stories of men forcing their pregnant girlfriends or wives to take mifepristone. So looking at it from an abusive perspective or a coercive perspective, states are really looking at the gamut of options under the 10th Amendment powers.” Model legislation developed by the National Right to Life Committee, known as the Abortion Pill Provider Liability Education (APPLE) Act, and introduced this year in New Jersey and Ohio, would require abortion-pill prescribers to inform patients about the risks of the drugs, as well as her right to sue the provider if she faces complications. The National Right to Life Committee also supports in-person visits and mandatory ultrasounds. “Requiring a healthcare provider to confirm, locate, and date a pregnancy before prescribing a dangerous mixture of abortion-inducing drugs is a bare-minimum safety standard, and we believe it should apply in every state,” Ingrid Duran, director of state legislation for the National Right to Life Committee, wrote in an email. Also looming in the background are interstate fights over so-called shield law providers prescribing medication virtually. Attorneys general in Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana filed lawsuits last week targeting shield laws and in California, Massachusetts and New York, and individual doctors prescribing abortion pills to women in states with abortion bans. “A woman can’t possibly receive fully informed consent specific to her when the dispensing provider doesn’t even know how far along she is in her pregnancy because the risk is different depending on how far along she is,” said Dr. Christina Francis, an OB-GYN based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who is CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which has opposed abortion pills since they were first approved in 2000. “We believe that women deserve fully informed consent, and that necessarily involves an ultrasound when were talking about pregnancy.” Stateline reporter Sofia Resnick can be reached at sresnick@stateline.org. This story was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Source New Mexico, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

[Category: Health]

— State engineer denounces ‘outrageous’ federal waiver of New Mexico water laws to build border wall

 

at 10/7/26 6:00am

The New Mexico Office of the State Engineer’s general counsel on Oct. 6, 2026, said New Mexico border water wells that the federal government is using, including the one pictured above, are illegal and are potentially hazardous. (Photo courtesy OSE)The chief lawyer for New Mexico’s Office of the State Engineer told legislators this week that the state is pushing back against  the Trump administration’s announcement of a “waiver” of all the state’s laws and regulations regarding the use of groundwater to aid construction of a border wall.  U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced Friday in the Federal Register, an official repository of federal announcements, that he had unilaterally decided to waive all New Mexico laws and regulations bearing on water wells being used to build the border wall. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE The waiver announcement potentially upended all ongoing lawsuits and challenges the state has mounted in recent months aiming to apply state laws and regulations to at least eight water wells that the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agency and its contractors have drilled to help suppress dust and build roads as part of the border wall effort.  The Office of the State Engineer in early August threatened to revoke the licenses of two Arizona-based contractors who drilled the wells. The office later that month also sued the federal border agency over the wells.  But Mullin in the Friday announcement wrote that suspending all state laws and regulations is legal and necessary due to an “acute and immediate need to construct additional physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries into the United States.” Nathaniel Nat Chakeres, the Office of the State Engineer’s general counsel, told lawmakers on the interim Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee on Tuesday that Mullin’s announcement is “outrageous” and “unconstitutional.”  He said the move violates New Mexico residents’ property rights and also the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which enshrines states’ rights to regulate publicly owned water.  “Weve always regulated the use of water on federal lands,” he said, offering examples of national laboratories or military installations being subject to state law.  New Mexico sues feds, contractors over water wells drilled to aid border wall construction “There is not a lot of groundwater to be had, and the New Mexicans who rely on that water for their livelihood…they’re worried,” Chakeres said. The Office of the State Engineer has already drafted paperwork asking a federal judge to order the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency to immediately cease using the water, Chakeres said. The office estimates the federal agency has already drawn millions of gallons from the aquifer.  In addition to being unauthorized, Chakeres said the wells were poorly constructed. He shared an image of an open well casing that sat roughly six inches above pooled surface water. The next rain storm could send oil, gas or construction chemicals into the groundwater, he said.  “That is bad. That is a direct conduit down into the aquifer. Anything can fall down in there,” he said. “Its appalling. We were shocked when we came out and saw this. No New Mexico drillers drill wells like this.”

[Category: Environment & Climate Change, Immigration, Border wall, New Mexico Office of the State Engineer]

— New Mexico AG challenges federal commission’s review of proposed Project Jupiter gas pipeline

 

at 10/6/26 4:05pm

A map of the proposed pipeline Energy Transfer submitted in its early 2026 application to the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (Photo courtesy of FERC)New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez is pushing back against the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s review of a proposed gas pipeline intended to power the Project Jupiter data center, calling it “inadequate.” GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE Texas-based Energy Transfer early this year asked federal regulatory officials to approve construction of a gas pipeline, known as the “Green Chile Project,” to serve the Oracle and OpenAI Project Jupiter data center under construction in Doña Ana County. In a Monday filing with the commission, Torrez argued that federal regulatory officials have not adequately assessed the proposed pipeline’s environmental impact because their assessment did not include the environmental impacts of Project Jupiter itself. Source NM previously reported that the data center’s power system could emit more greenhouse gases annually than New Mexico’s largest cities combined. “The commission is asking us essentially to consider the fuel line from a car’s gas tank to its engine wholly separate from the rest of the vehicle and to completely ignore the emissions coming out of the tailpipe,” Torrez wrote. “Project Jupiter in its current form cannot function without the pipeline, and this pipeline has no reason to exist other than to provide fuel for Project Jupiter.”  Torrez also wrote that regulatory officials aren’t meeting their responsibilities as described in the National Environmental Policy Act, which says that officials can only conduct an environmental assessment of a proposal like this — rather than a more exhaustive environmental impact statement — if the proposal does not have “a reasonably foreseeable significant effect” on the environment. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Plans for the pipeline initially described it as a $60 million project that would carry gas from El Paso to Project Jupiter. It fits into Energy Transfer’s broader Desert Southwest Pipeline Expansion Project, though, which aims to build a data center-serving pipeline that stretches from Texas to Phoenix. The plan has hit several roadblocks in the months since then. New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard, who is running as the Democratic nominee to be lieutenant governor, twice rejected Energy Transfer’s requests to build a portion of the pipeline on state trust land. In August, Energy Transfer’s federal regulatory filings showed that company officials expected the pipeline to be delayed to 2027.

[Category: Data Centers in New Mexico, Environment & Climate Change, Gov & Politics, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Green Chile Project, new mexico attorney general raúl torrez, Project Jupiter, Project Jupiter data center, Trend – Data Centers]

— New Mexico solar grants reduce energy costs for public buildings in rural areas, state officials say

 

at 10/6/26 3:47pm

Rural areas reduced energy costs due to state solar energy project grants, state officials told lawmakers in the interim New Mexico Finance Authority Oversight Committee on Oct. 6, 2026. A lion’s share of grants went to rural areas, far exceeding the legal requirement, officials added. (Photo by Anna Padilla/Source NM)Rural governments in New Mexico are reducing energy costs due to a state grant to build community solar projects, state officials told lawmakers on Tuesday. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE Solar projects at public buildings funded by the Local Solar Access Fund generated a 53% reduction in energy costs on average for predominately rural communities in the state since the program began accepting applications in January, New Mexico Finance Authority program chief John Brooks told lawmakers. Brooks spoke at a meeting of the interim Finance Authority Oversight Committee in Santa Teresa. The Local Solar Access Fund sets aside $20 million for grants meant for solar energy and battery storage projects in rural and underserved communities. Counties, municipalities, school districts and tribal governments are eligible to apply for the grant, Brooks said.  The goal of the fund is to reduce the burden of energy costs in low-income communities; support the local renewable energy workforce in New Mexico; and enhance community resilience during environmental emergencies, according to Brooks’ presentation to the committee.  The law requires 60% of the total funding to go to rural communities. Of the current 34 approved grants, Brooks noted, 31 serve rural areas across New Mexico. Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero (D-Albuquerque) was a sponsor of the 2025 legislative bill that created the fund. She called the results so far “heartwarming” and that it lives up to the original concept of the bill. “We didn’t envision the funds going to big land developers or private equity firms,” Caballero said. The purpose was to allow rural and low-income communities to “enter into the renewable energy world in a manner that would not cost them outrageous amounts.”  The money pays for both project and technical assistance grants. Project grants, up to a maximum of $1 million, help applicants plan, construct and install solar energy systems. In September, 21 project grants — totaling $18 million — were awarded after meeting all eligibility criteria and undergoing New Mexico Finance Authority staff review, Brooks said. An estimated 91% of the allocated project grant funds went to rural communities. Technical grants, up to a maximum of $50,000, help applicants with professional grant writing services for future federal or Local Solar Access Fund project grant applications. In June, 13 technical assistance grants were awarded, totaling $650,000. Of that total, 92% went to rural community applicants, Brooks said.  Roybal Caballero underscored that the grants also help dispel fear or misunderstandings about renewable energy in New Mexico. Whatever socioeconomic background a New Mexican comes from, Roybal Caballero said, “we want those residents to understand that renewable energy is accessible to them and it’s affordable.”

[Category: Environment & Climate Change, Gov & Politics, Finance Authority Oversight Committee, John Brooks, Local Solar Access Fund, New Mexico Finance Authority, Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero]

— New Mexico Corrections head says settlement likely in suit over sending people on probation to ICE

 

at 10/6/26 3:38pm

New Mexico Corrections Department Secretary Alisha Tafoya Lucero told lawmakers Oct. 6, 2026, that the department is working toward a settlement in a lawsuit alleging probation officers referred New Mexico residents to ICE for deportation. (Courtesy U.S Department of Homeland Security)New Mexico Corrections Department Secretary Alisha Tafoya Lucero said Tuesday that her department is moving toward settling a lawsuit over state officers’ practice of referring people on probation to federal immigration agents for arrest and deportation.  Movement toward a settlement  – with terms that were not immediately clear – with the New Mexico State Ethics Commission marks the potential end of an unusual legal battle waged in state and federal court for more than a year involving a state agency using taxpayer funds to avoid complying with a law the Legislature passed in 2025.  GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE The Nondisclosure of Sensitive Personal Information Act prohibits state employees from disclosing New Mexico residents’ personal information – including immigration status – to federal agencies, except in limited circumstances.  The State Ethics Commission last September sued Tafoya Lucero, saying the agency had repeatedly violated the privacy law, which went into effect in July 2025.  The lawsuit said New Mexico probation officers lured at least three people with probation appointments to state offices, where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were waiting to arrest them. Subsequently released materials, including emails and other correspondence that Source NM reviewed, showed that the probation department referred at least 20 additional people on probation to ICE between October 2024 and May 2026, and regularly tipped off ICE agents when a probationer was scheduled for a probation appointment. At least five of those referrals came after the state privacy law went into effect.  The Corrections Department, which hired an outside lawyer for this lawsuit, has previously argued that federal law trumps the state privacy act and that the case is more appropriate for federal court than state court. Tafoya Lucero appeared before the interim legislative Courts and Criminal Justice Committee on Tuesday. She said the concerns her department’s lawyers initially had about the state privacy law were “remedied,” and the department is now “definitely working to come to settlement.”  The secretary did not weigh in on the specific allegations in the lawsuit regarding probation officers she oversees, though she said all staff are now trained on how to comply with the law. She also defended the Corrections Department’s choice to fight back against the law in court as a result of confusion over how to implement it.  New emails allege New Mexico probation officer ICE referrals more widespread than previously known “We were never in disagreement with what the policy of the law was,” she said. “It was just a matter of, we needed clarification to make sure that how we implemented it was accurate.”  Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez (D-Albuquerque), who sponsored the 2025 privacy law, told Tafoya Lucero she found it “shocking” that the Corrections Department did not immediately comply with the law.  “I’m glad youre going to settle it,” Sedillo Lopez said. “I lament the thousands and thousands of dollars that have been wasted in fighting this.” Tafoya Lucero did not specify what the terms might be of a settlement, or how soon it might arrive. The State Ethics Commission’s lawsuit seeks court orders requiring the Corrections Department to implement department-wide training regarding the law, as well as technological changes to prevent probation officers from being able to access a database to learn a probationer’s citizenship status. 

[Category: Gov & Politics, Immigration, New Mexico Corrections Department, New Mexico Corrections Secretary Alisha Tafoya Lucero, new mexico probation and parole, Nondisclosure of Sensitive Personal Information Act]

— With election pressure mounting, states move to suspend fuel taxes

 

at 10/6/26 2:54pm

A sticker affixed to a gas pump in North Carolina blames President Donald Trump for the high prices. Lawmakers in several states are suspending gas taxes or rolling back regulations on diesel fuel as voters grow increasingly frustrated with rising fuel costs. (Photo by Clayton Henkel/NC Newsline)With Election Day less than a month away, lawmakers in several states are suspending gas taxes or rolling back regulations on diesel fuel as voters grow increasingly frustrated with rising fuel costs amid President Donald Trump’s war with Iran. On Tuesday, Trump issued an executive order to expand access to tax-free diesel fuel nationwide, following the lead of several governors who have taken the same step. Trump signed the order at a Nebraska rally, promising U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts and Gov. Jim Pillen, both Republicans, that “this should absolutely ensure your election, I guarantee you that,” the Associated Press reported. In at least four states — Georgia, Indiana, Ohio and Utah — leaders have moved to temporarily suspend or reduce the state tax on gasoline. Ohio lawmakers voted last month to approve a 90-day gas tax holiday, a move called for by both the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor. While many Democrats joined with Republicans to pass the bill, some Democratic leaders called the measure a last-ditch effort to salvage the GOP’s electoral prospects, the Ohio Capital Journal reported. “If this had been so important, we would have acted (earlier this year), but we didn’t,” said Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, a Democrat. “They said we have nothing more to take up until after the election, and then suddenly they got polling numbers, and the polling numbers told them they were behind.” Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp suspended the state’s gas tax with an executive order, as did Indiana Republican Gov. Mike Braun. And Utah lawmakers voted earlier this year to temporarily reduce the gas tax by 15%. Tennessee governor lets farmers use untaxed diesel on roads after Trump defers federal enforcement Meanwhile, 10 states had reduced restrictions on the use of tax-exempt diesel fuel prior to Trump’s order that loosened those restrictions nationwide. That fuel, known as red-dyed diesel, is normally only allowed for off-highway agricultural, industrial and railroad use, according to the North Dakota Monitor. Some governors have issued executive orders expanding the use of red-dyed diesel, which is not taxed like regular diesel,  in a bid to help farmers and truckers with transportation costs. North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, North Carolina and Indiana have all issued similar orders, according to the Associated Press. “Texas agriculture and freight run on diesel,” Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement, according to the Texas Tribune. “Record prices put both industries at risk and raise costs for every Texas family.” Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee also issued an order Tuesday allowing farmers and loggers to use red-dyed diesel on public roads, at the urging of state lawmakers. In other states, leaders are facing pressure to take similar action. Legislative leaders in North Carolina have called for a special session on fuel prices. Some lawmakers there have suggested that the state could use surplus revenue from state reserves to pay for road projects while temporarily suspending the gas tax. The Iowa Corn Growers Association is urging lawmakers there to follow suit, while asking them to push the Trump administration to release oil from the U.S. Strategic Oil Reserve. In Kentucky, Republican Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell has asked Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear to also roll back restrictions on untaxed diesel. And Connecticut Republicans have proposed a three-month holiday on fuel taxes, while Democrats have countered that they should focus on ending Trump’s war with Iran. Stateline reporter Alex Brown can be reached at abrown@stateline.org. This story was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Source New Mexico, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

[Category: Economy]

— Americans’ water bills are growing faster than groceries, overall inflation

 

at 10/6/26 2:12pm

Household water bills are increasing faster than inflation and income, according to a new analysis by the nonprofit Food and Water Watch. (Photo by Sarah Ladd/Kentucky Lantern)Household water bills are increasing faster than inflation and income, according to a new analysis. The environmental advocacy nonprofit Food and Water Watch analyzed water bill data among the nation’s 500 largest community water providers. Those systems serve a collective 155 million people — nearly half the nation’s population. Between 2015 and 2025, water bills increased by 62% on average across those water providers. That was faster than the overall inflation rate and more than two times the rate of grocery price increases over the same period. Food and Water Watch found that water bills increased 19% faster than household incomes, meaning people are spending a greater share of their earnings on water. In Louisiana, Maryland, New Hampshire and West Virginia, water bills grew about twice as fast as household incomes, the analysis found. Costs varied widely across the country: In Idaho, the average household spent $286 on water bills last year. In West Virginia, the average cost was $1,383. The analysis found for-profit water companies charge more than publicly owned water providers (Food and Water Watch advocates against private ownership of water systems). The analysis projects that costs will rise further as climate-change driven drought and natural disasters threaten water supplies. It also pointed to growing infrastructure needs that are estimated to cost hundreds of billions of dollars across the country. “Industrial pollution, aging infrastructure, and federal disinvestment are fueling a crisis for the nation’s water systems,” the report said. The American Water Works Association, which includes more than 4,300 North American water utilities, estimates American drinking water systems will need as much as $2.4 trillion over the next 25 years to sustain and modernize infrastructure. If those costs are covered solely by users, bills could more than double by 2050, the association projected. Aside from abandoning water system privatization, Food and Water Watch recommends that state and local governments support local control of water systems, hold polluters accountable for contamination and prevent the tech, fossil fuel and agriculture sectors from passing on costs to residential water users. The organization also calls on Congress to fund water improvement projects that can help communities meet federal water standards. The report comes as more Americans struggle with the high costs of electricity, gas, groceries and housing. Electric bills continued to soar and millions of families that heat their homes with oil are facing a much more expensive winter. The National Energy Assistance Directors Association, which represents state employees administering federal energy assistance programs, estimates that heating oil costs will be about 50% higher than last winter. Though federal forecasters predict a warmer winter, wars in Iran and Ukraine have greatly disrupted petroleum markets, leading to quick price hikes. Households in the Northeast, which use more than 80% of the nation’s heating oil, will be most affected. But the association projects American home heating costs will rise an average of 8.7% this winter — more than twice the rate of inflation. Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy can be reached at khardy@stateline.org.  This story was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Source New Mexico, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

— New Mexico think tank proposes legislative ethics reforms

 

at 9/27/26 7:36am

Think New Mexico on Sept. 27, 2026, released a new report and a list of proposed ethics reforms for state legislators, lobbyists and advocacy groups ahead of the 2027 legislative session. (Patrick Lohmann/Source NM)A new report from Think New Mexico proposes nearly a dozen reforms for state legislators, lobbyists and advocacy groups as elements of modernizing the state Legislature. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE The report, issued Sunday, follows two years of research, according to a news release from Think New Mexico, bolstered by support from BSP Polling, which found that 81% of New Mexico voters support holding legislators to a higher ethical standard, and 64% support paying salaries to legislators if legislators also have to comply with mandatory ethics reform. New Mexico voters will have the opportunity to amend the state Constitution on the Nov. 3 general ballot and allow state legislators to collect a salary for the first time in the states history. New Mexico Election 2026: Constitutional Amendment 4 The think tank news release said the organization will be advocating for the reforms in next years 60-day legislative session, which begins Jan. 19, 2027. Reforms for state lawmakers include • requiring them to disclose direct, financial conflicts of interest with legislation and recuse themselves from votes on those bills; • enhance financial disclosure forms for state legislators, statewide elected officials and heads of state agencies to include more specific information in order to more effectively identify potential conflicts of interest; and • bring New Mexico in line with most other states by creating a two-year period before which state legislators can become paid lobbyists. Ethics reforms for lobbyists include: • requiring more detailed information on their expenditure reports that identify which legislators benefited from expenditures; which bills are being lobbied for; and which clients support such expenditures. Efforts to create expanded lobbyist disclosure requirements failed in the last legislative session. • Require financial reports from lobbyists at the legislative mid-point and shortly after its conclusion versus the current schedule that requires them in May. • Require lobbyists to disclose which bills they are lobbying for and their positions on such bills. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham vetoed comparable lobbyist disclosure legislation last year. 60 days later, Cicero Institute’s reason for NM lobbying still hidden from public Finally, Think New Mexico also proposes reforms for advocacy groups aimed at addressing various dark money loopholes in state law, including: • requiring disclosure of the true source of funding used for political or issue ads; • closing a loophole in state law and requiring out-of-state political action committees to file the same reports as those that operate within the state. New Mexicos June 2 primary election featured political involvement by both out-of-state PACs and so-called dark money groups. • Finally, Think New Mexico proposes outlawing the growing practice of using constituents names and emails to send fake emails to elected officials. Source New Mexico originally reported the appearance of such emails in connection with advocacy for an air-quality permit for the data center Project Jupiter.

[Category: 2027 New Mexico Legislature, Gov & Politics, ethics, lobbyist disclosure, New Mexico Legislature, Think New Mexico]

As of 10/13/26 10:34am. Last new 10/8/26 6:27pm.