As this year’s legislative session ends, we would first like to thank all of the hardworking men and women who fought hard for Carlsbad and the surrounding area over the past few months.
Of course, this includes our SENM legislative delegation: Reps. Brown, Townsend, Pettigrew, Scott, and Ezzell, and Senators Kernan, Gallegos and Griggs. However, many other individuals have spent most of the past two months working hard. Special thanks to Missi Currier and everyone with Strategies 360, who have kept us informed of ongoing legislative efforts throughout the session. Special thanks to Sen. Munoz for his ongoing support. We also had many individuals with the Carlsbad Department of Development and Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce make multiple trips to Santa Fe to speak for or against bills important to our community. Former Representative John Heaton has, as always, been of tremendous help.
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There were several outcomes from this year’s legislative session that will have a major impact on Carlsbad. One of the positive outcomes is that a bill that will provide a temporary solution to the destination sourcing issue has cleared the House and Senate and is now awaiting the Governor’s signature.
Changes to the tax code in 2019 meant that a large percentage of gross receipts that previously went to communities such as Carlsbad and Hobbs are instead going to the state and county. Throughout this year, we have learned that many other municipalities are being impacted as well, so we believe all of our state officials understand this issue and want to find a path forward.
Of course, one of the biggest disappointments was the successful passage of SB53, which creates a setback to the HOLTEC project. Many Carlsbad and Eddy County residents have devoted thousands of hours supporting this project over the past decade. The belief was (and still is) that the project would be an outstanding investment for our area and for the entire state.
We strongly believe that there are avenues allowing the HOLTEC project to move forward, but the passage of this bill will certainly delay the process.
Perhaps just as frustrating as the specific passage of SB53 is the broader issue that there seem to be individuals in other parts of the state who still seem to be automatically opposed to anything with the word “nuclear” in it, without considering the specifics. It is very clear that there is still a lot of work left to do in terms of nuclear education. There are many nuclear projects that offer safe and responsible opportunities for our state, and HOLTEC is one of them.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway