Issue Position: The Listing of the "Endangered Dunes Sagebrush Lizard"

Issue Position

If there is something we have learned through past listings of quote "Endangered Species" it is that there is always a negative impact on industry and the Economy where the species lives. Oil and Gas is a vital staple to the economy of NM. It would be quite foolish to allow a federal agency to make rules and policies that will directly negatively affect NM. As a state we have the sovereign power to prevent job killing powers handed down from federal agencies.

Many people remember the Spotted Owl listing that affected the logging industry mostly in the Northwest. As a nation we are rich in natural resources, but because of animal rights activists and environmentalists we have seen the logging industry in NM and the Western half of the US slowly diminish into a thing of the past. Natural cut timber makes a far superior building material compared to farm raised pine. The National Forests of NM have become a large fire hazard over the past 50 years due to poor management by the US forest service. We will create many good paying jobs in NM overnight by lifting restrictions and unnecessary regulations that have killed the logging industry in NM. Water is a big issue for NM and the number of trees using water in the Sacramento Mountains directly affects the aquifer that supplies Pecos Valley Farmers with irrigation water. Just by thinning the forest we will be able to improve our current water shortage with Texas and help sustain the farming lifestyle and agriculture industry which are vital to our area.

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