Las Cruces, NM (May 26, 2011) Today, the National Border Patrol Museum in El Paso, Texas held a memorial observance to honor Border Patrol agents killed in the line of duty.  The voting schedule in Congress prevented Rep. Pearce from attending, but he issued the following statement in recognition of the event:

“I join those at the National Border Patrol Museum today in remembering our Border Patrol Agents who have lost their lives in the line of duty.  The one hundred and eleven names on this honor roll will never be forgotten.  Each of these lives was given as a sacrifice to keep our nation safe, and to protect our freedoms and way of life.  I offer my gratitude to these public servants, and all the men and women in our Border Patrol.”

CONGRESSMAN PEARCE CONTACTS FARM SERVICE AGENCY ON BEHALF OF LOCAL RANCHERS

Requests Emergency Haying and Grazing on CRP Lands

Washington, DC (May 24, 2011) Yesterday, Congressman Steve Pearce sent a letter to Mr. Val Dolcini, Acting Administrator of the U.S. Farm Service Agency, requesting emergency drought assistance for New Mexico livestock producers.

“New Mexico and many other western states are suffering from a severe drought,” Pearce said in the letter.  “Fire has consumed millions of acres in New Mexico and Texas alone.  For these reasons, I am requesting that New Mexico be granted Emergency Haying and Grazing of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands in order to provide assistance to producers during these difficult times.”

Congressman Pearce has been contacted by constituents in the ranching communities throughout southern New Mexico who are struggling as a result of the virtually nonexistent growing conditions for livestock feed.  Continuing drought and constant wildfires spread by unusually high winds are rapidly destroying grazing lands.

“Producers have already started liquidating their herds,” said Pearce.  “CRP Emergency Grazing would help prevent complete herd liquidation that could have a devastating impact on a good livestock market in eastern New Mexico and west Texas.”

The Conservation Reserve Program was established through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide “technical and financial assistance to eligible farmers and ranchers to address soil, water, and related natural resource concerns on their lands in an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner.”

Time for a Realistic Middle East Policy

Netanyahu’s Address to Congress Emphasizes Importance of our Ally in the Middle East

By Rep. Steve Pearce

On Tuesday, I participated in a joint meeting of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to receive Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This should have been a positive meeting with America’s strongest ally in the Middle East. Instead, the tension in the room was palpable, because everyone there was conscious of President Obama’s speech on Israel last week. I was shocked to hear the President make the unprecedented suggestion that Israel should revert to its 1967 borders. Israel is not only our best friend in this volatile region, but the freest nation. In fact, Freedom House, an independent organization which rates countries based on their protection of political and civil rights, rated Israel as the only “free” country in the Middle East last year. That the President outlined such a troubling policy with regard to our friends in Israel defies imagination. It goes against our belief in freedom to ask this tiny beacon of human liberty, alone in an area known for violence and chaos, to retreat. It goes against our responsibility to the world to ask our strongest ally in the region, a nation that has fought for its right to exist from its very creation, to withdraw to indefensible borders. As Mr. Netanyahu said in his speech, “Imagine that right now we all had less than 60 seconds to find shelter from an incoming rocket. Would you live that way? Would anyone live that way? Well, we aren’t going to live that way either.” Under the 1967 borders, the Israelis would be shut out of East Jerusalem, which contains some of the holiest sites for Christians, Jews and Muslims—including the Temple Mount, Western Wall, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This is unacceptable. The Prime Minister pointed out that only in Israel have Jews, Christians and Muslims been free to worship as they please. Jerusalem must never again be divided! The 1967 borders are significant because that year saw hundreds of thousands of Egyptian, Syrian, Jordanian, and Iraqi troops massed along those borders, intent on invading and destroying Israel. It is disturbing that the President would even speak of forcing our ally back into such a position. The President refers to a non-militarized Palestinian state, but only mildly condemns the Palestinians for accepting Hamas, a recognized terrorist group that openly supports the destruction of Israel, as a governing partner. The 1967 borders would place Hamas within an 11-mile march of Tel Aviv, one of Israel’s major economic and cultural hubs. The President expects Israel to reduce its security while Iran is building a nuclear weapon and has made clear that Israel is its preferred target. Iran ships missiles and weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon, supporting a heavily armed hostile force on Israel’s northern border. Iran supports Hamas in the Gaza strip, from which rockets and missiles are launched into Israel daily. Israeli children wait in bomb shelters for the school bus. Rocket and missile attacks are a constant and reliable terror. Recently, as Mr. Netanyahu told the President, one such rocket hit a school bus and killed a 16-year old boy. We would not tolerate such a thing in our country, and it is unthinkable for us to ask our ally to do so. Now is not the time for political fantasy, it is the time for policies that will bring about peace and stability. The President spoke of the advancement of democracy in Egypt, but failed to recognize concerns that the Muslim Brotherhood could seize power. This group poses a serious threat to global security and especially to the safety of our ally Israel. The President continues to talk about our intervention in Libya, but the fact is that President Obama risked American lives there needlessly and without congressional authorization. Gaddhafi remains alive, and the situation has become a stalemate. The President’s own Secretary of Defense admits that we had no pressing political or security interests in Libya. The President stated that his outline on Israel’s border is a starting point for negotiations. But I would prefer that negotiations start not with massive and dangerous concessions, but with each side recognizing the other’s right to exist in peace. Israel has done this. But Hamas, Hezbollah, and others have not. As Mr. Netanyahu pointed out, when Arab states expelled their Jewish populations in 1948-49, Israel gladly took them in. Meanwhile, over six decades later, many Arab countries still leave their Palestinian populations in refugee camps. It is completely unacceptable that the President expects massive sacrifices from the only nation who has acted responsibly in the matter. During his meeting with President Obama last week at the White House, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that “a peace based on illusions will crash eventually on the rocks of Middle Eastern reality.” He’s right. It is time for the White House to shape a policy based in reality. Americans and our allies deserve a policy that will protect us from the very real dangers and threats in the Middle East.

http://youtu.be/NXDGRiJVwXg

Contact your senators and tell them to vote NO.   Look at this video

Come Join Us For A Memorial Day Buffet

All proceeds go towards the Wounded Warrior Project

Honor Our Fallen Veterans

Palma’s Italian Grill

Saturday, May 28, 2011

3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

$12 per person or $20 per couple

Tickets can be purchased at GOP Headquarters Thur. – Sat. 9 am -1 pm

And also at Palma’s Italian Grill during regular business hours.

Door Prizes!

Sponsored by the Republican Party of Luna County

May 15, 2011

Dear Friend,

Here’s the latest update on my work for New Mexico:

Last Week I spent most of last week in Washington, working on legislation important to New Mexico.  Here’s what happened last week:

Energy Jobs

On Wednesday, the House passed another bill for domestic energy jobs, H.R. 1229, the Putting the Gulf Back to Work Act.  On Thursday, it passed H.R. 1231, the Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act.  These bill would end the President’s moratorium on offshore drilling.  I have been a consistent voice in favor of putting these Americans back to work.  The moratorium has killed 12,000 jobs, and threatens to eliminate over 60,000 more in the near future.  In this time of economic crisis, America cannot afford such reckless policies.

Flood Insurance

I have heard from many constituents in New Mexico who are concerned about the federal government requiring them to buy flood insurance.  On Thursday, I introduced an amendment designed to address those concerns.  During this difficult economic time, New Mexicans cannot afford to pay for federally-mandated flood insurance that they don’t need, and I will continue to watch this issue closely.

WWII Veteran to be Recognized

This week, I learned from the Navy that one of my constituents, Lt. Nicholas T. Redeye, will receive the Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery in an event that occurred nearly fifty years ago.  A fellow veteran reached out to me to tell me Lt. Redeye’s story, and I contacted the Navy on his behalf to request that he receive recognition for his actions.  This week, it will be my honor to present the medal to this American hero.

The Week Ahead

This week, I will be back home in New Mexico to spend time with constituents like you.  Please click here to see some of my events. On Tuesday, I will be holding two meetings for veterans in southeastern New Mexico. These meetings will give veterans an opportunity to talk with VA staff members, who will be in attendance.  The meetings will be held at 2:00pm in Carlsbad, and 6:00pm in Roswell. On Thursday, I will be hosting the first job fair at the new Convention Center in Las Cruces.  Fifty employers from across the state have agreed to attend, with hundreds of jobs available for a variety of skill levels and backgrounds.  Jobs have been my top priority in Congress, and I encourage all those looking for work to attend. Please check my website for updates on other events in your area.  I look forward to talking with you next time I’m in your hometown.

Remember, I always look forward to hearing your thoughts on how to help job growth, veterans, and other issues important to New Mexicans.  If you have any ideas, suggestions, or concerns, you can contact my office through Facebook, Twitter, email, my website, or by calling 855-4-PEARCE. God Bless you, and God Bless America. Until next week,

In the News

Saving the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard Could Endanger Oil Production, Lawmakers Say By Patrick Manning Fox News May 10, 2011 The push for federal protection of the dunes sagebrush lizard — a tiny 3-inch reptile — is causing big headaches for oil drillers and ranchers who say doing so will kill their livelihood.

Oil company owners say they support conservation, but fear what will happen to the economy if the brakes are put on local oil production.

“This could cripple what is now a very healthy job environment,” said Douglass Robison, president of ExL Petroleum in Midland, Texas.

…Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) said if the lizard ends up on the list, it would shut down any industry that interrupts the land, including oil drilling and ranching. “Almost every job [in the counties] is at risk,” Pearce told FoxNews.com. “Workers will have to go someplace else.”

Enviros, GOP Lawmakers Square Off Over Plan to Block Southwest Endangered Species Listings

By Phil Taylor

For the New York Times

May 6, 2011

…In a statement to the media last week, Pearce said FWS informed him that the agency does not have to consider jobs or economic impacts when deciding endangered species listings. While the agency has said no jobs will be lost by the listing, it has ignored repeated requests for economic data, Pearce said. “Fish and Wildlife is making economic claims without facts,” Pearce said. “My office has asked for data from Fish and Wildlife on how jobs will be impacted, and they claim they don’t have the information.”

…In a letter to House appropriators last month, Pearce and Texas Republican Reps. Michael Conaway, Randy Neugebauer and Francisco Canseco said FWS officials in Washington, D.C., are ignoring voluntary partnerships known as Candidate Conservation Agreements (CCA) and Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances (CCAA) that allow private parties and landowners to commit to voluntary conservation measures. “CCAs and CCAAs hold the promise to help us conserve our wildlife in partnership with our local businesses and communities, instead of at their expense,” the lawmakers wrote. “Yet, before these projects have even begun to bear fruit, FWS is removing them as an option.”

Pic of the Week

While in Las Cruces last weekend, Congressman Pearce had a chance to sit down with a group of veterans at Veterans’ Park.  The group shared with the Congressman that they meet in the park regularly, and played a central role in the creation of the park.  Veterans’ issues continue to be a top priority for Congressman Pearce.

Current National Debt:

$14,322,057,756,517.13

Last Friday we sent out an email by Linda Pecotte on her concerns with the Arizona Water Settlements Act and its implementation. Here is a response from our webmaster which you will find VERY interesting.

We stakeholders are indeed well advised to become involved in local water issues like the Arizona Water Settlements Act which will provide the local 4-county area (Grant,Luna, Hidalgo, Catron) with $66 million in Federal funds (this much is a done deal) for any water utilization project, and up to $62 million more if a New Mexico Unit is built. This “Unit” would be a large scale diversion dam on the Gila River with an off-stream storage reservoir. Of course, damming up the last main-stem river in New Mexico that currently flows free is bound to be controversial but however you view the river, a fiscal conservative is concerned about dollars, common sense, and tax implications.

From past studies by the Bureau of Reclamation, The Unit is estimated to require approximately $300 million in capital (construction) costs; $5 million/year in operation/maintenance costs; and $1..5 million/year in “exchange costs” (water users in NM would have to pay Arizona users the “exchange” as they lose 14,000 af from the Gila and get in exchange a like amount of water from the Colorado River). The original Federal subsidy ($128 million) wouldn’t cover half of these costs; where would the needed funding come from?

Common sense and known hydrology tell us the Unit is not needed. According to the State Engineer, the Mimbres underground basin holds an estimated 74 million acre feet of groundwater to a depth of 1000 feet. A single corporation owns over 40,000 af of Mimbres basin water rights and is using less than half that allotment. West of the Continental Divide in the Gila/San Francisco basin, 31,000 af/year has been allocated to a region of about 5,000 people (about 6 af/person/year). And again, several thousand af of this allotment of water rights is corporate owned and not being used. For perspective, a typical family of four uses about one-third of a single acre foot per year; Silver City serves some 19,000 people (over half of Grant County’s population) with about 3,000 af/year. There is a surfeit of wet water and a surplus of water rights in the local area.

Tax implications? Since the subsidy wouldn’t cover haIf the costs, additional subsidy would be required of local, state, or nationwide taxpayers. Construction costs exceeding $100 million over current subsidy (plus operation and exchange costs) would bankrupt 4-county governments and taxpayers. The bulk of additional subsidy (tax dollars) would therefore fall in the lap of State or Federal government, (and the taxpayers they continue to soak). Both, as we know, are deeply in debt, in large measure because of accumulations of pork barrel (unnecessary) spending that neither major party has had the discipline to curtail.

In regards to the integrated and troubling issues of taxes, spending and debt, The TEA Party should be part of the solution, not part of the problem!

Artesia Chamber Hosting Discussion Among Regional Experts

Artesia, NM (May 16, 2011) A group of scientific experts will convene in Artesia on Tuesday, May 17th, to discuss concerns over the proposed endangered species listing of the dunes sagebrush lizard.  Congressman Steve Pearce will attend the meeting and speak to the scientists at 8:00 am.  Congressman Pearce believes that preserving the species is an important goal, but wants to ensure that the issue is handled with the most appropriate means available.

The lizard is already protected under Candidate Conservation Agreements (CCAs) authored by Fish and Wildlife in concert with local stakeholders, and a Resource Management Plan Amendment (RMPA) implemented by BLM “in close coordination with FWS.”  The members of this panel will discuss the scientific evidence on whether an endangered species listing is the best vehicle through which to protect the species, or whether existing agreements are more appropriate.

The independent group of scientists represents the fields of geology, biology, archeology, geosciences, and wildlife management.  The group includes representatives from New Mexico State University, New Mexico Tech, Eastern New Mexico University, New Mexico Junior College and the Range Improvement Task Force.  It will be led by New Mexico State Representative Dennis Kintigh.

The need for a listing has come under increased scrutiny.  In recent weeks, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has officially voiced its opposition to the proposed listing, saying that existing agreements address “all major threats to the species,” and that “the listing of the dunes sagebrush lizard is not warranted, because of the various conservation tools in place to ameliorate threats to the species.”

“I am encouraged that an independent group of scientific minds is gathering in Artesia,” said Kintigh.  “This group will begin an organized review of the assertions and claims made in the Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing of the Sand Dune Lizard as an endangered species. Decisions that can have significant impact on our economic well-being demand careful and critical examination.  I am confident this team will do that review.”

Governor Susana Martinez will be making the commencement address TONIGHT at 6:00 P.M. on the WNMU Campus, Old James Stadium, on E Street, which connects College and 12th.

There may be demonstrators protesting her appearance. Jim Zawacki, 534 9425, has some Martinez signs for anyone who would like to show support for her.

This is very short notice, but if you can possibly attend her speech, please do.

When : July 14. 2011

Where : La Fonda Restaurant

Time : 5:oo PM board meeting,

6:00 PM General  Meeting

For Information call : 575-694-2549