Special Edition, September 12, 2000 Southwest Desert Sustainability Project, Deming, New Mexico
Duke Energy North America, global energy company in 50 countries with more than 26 billion in assets, is in Luna County, NM.
Sustainability and Luna County
Many years ago few were worried or concerned about sustainability. Sustainability means that what ever we do to our water, our air, and our soil, is good for now and the future. Sustainability means that we do nothing to harm our air, water or soil that may cause harm now or in the future. Duke Energy has no need to take these considerations into account but we do. Organizations as The Environmental Protection Agency and Environmental Defense Fund have been instrumental in protecting communities and their future. We must be concerned because we have children and they need to thrive. We hope this information allows you to look at both sides of the picture.
Duke Energy is a very large organization nationally and internationally and they already own pipelines in New Mexico. They have partnered with El Paso Energy and other intercontinental exchange partners to trade some 1 billion megawatt-hours of electricity and 42 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day in North America.
Duke Energy supports deregulation and New Mexico is deregulated. Deregulation is the primary reason Duke wishes to build a plant in Luna County. Deregulation was slated to provide and support environmentally friendly energy and create lower prices through competition. The test state, California, has not proven that theory. (San Diego in particular, where Duke operates.) In fact, according to the Duke Energy Employee Advocate, deregulation in California has downsized Duke's employee benefits and pensions and increased rates in California by twice in some cases. According to the Employee Advocate, "Duke is using deregulation to price gouge." Actually, deregulation has caused a 30% increase across the board overall in deregulated states and green energy distribution, transaction and distribution has been the culprit according to anti-green energy experts. Energy providers are not required to offer more than 10% green energy in their energy mix nor do they have to publicize the source.
Infractions, concerns and other problems with Duke Energy, Intl.
According to Natural Resources Defense Council, Duke's involvement with a dam in Belieze threatens wildlife, some extinct, and contaminates fishing, bathing and drinking in a downstream community. Duke uses the dam to increase water storage capacity and offers no economic benefit to Belizeans according to a study by the Conservation Strategy Fund. The endangered jaguar and Scarlet Macaw are just two of the hundreds of species threatened by this massive dam project that would flood and destroy one of South America's most important tropical wildlife habitats.
. According to Market News Nemesis World Infrastructure, Florida utilities battle Duke Energy in a series of legal appeals to keep North Carolina based Duke Energy out of south Daytona Beach.
Duke Energy was required to pay 7million dollars after the California Energy Commission, reviewed Duke's upgrade from 1500 megawatts to 2700 megawatts, calling for structural standards of protection on wildlife and wetlands.
There are a hand full of political opportunists in Luna County and 25,000 rugged individuals who have had no opportunity to say yea or nay, question or vote on this matter locally. This project will be the most serious mistake this last vestige of pure air and water can make. They are here because we still have water. Power plants pollute; they use water; with little or no air regulation in Deming, and Deming internationally famous for it's clean air. If we let this happen there will be no Deming left.
