Roswell Daily Record
Vol. 123, No. 144 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
June 15, 2014
www.rdrnews.com
SUNDAY
Some high-priority wells uninspected in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) — The number of high-priority oil and natural gas wells on federal and tribal land in New Mexico has nearly doubled over the past two years, and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is racing to keep up with inspections.
BLM officials in New Mexico say they have nearly 650 wells that are classified as high priorities due to their production levels, risks for contamination, the safety records of their operators and other reasons.
They insist they’re on track to have them all inspected by the end of September thanks to the creation this year of a special strike team. Similar efforts will likely be needed next year. “There’s no end in sight,” Sheila Mallory, the BLM’s deputy state director for minerals in New Mexico, said of the oil boom that has been driving the need for more inspections in the Carlsbad and Hobbs area. Southeastern New Mexico is now one of the most pro-
ductive regions of the oilrich Permian Basin. New teams of BLM technicians are being brought in every two weeks from other parts of the state to deal with the 428 high-priority wells in Carlsbad. So far, more than 80 percent of those wells have been inspected.
There are 161 high-priority wells in nearby Hobbs and another 55 on federal and tribal land in northwestern New Mexico. Mallory said inspectors are caught up in most areas of the state but still have work
to do in Carlsbad and Hobbs. Nationally, an Associated Press review of government data of drilling inspections for fiscal years 2009 to 2012 shows about 40 percent of the nearly 3,500 new wells near national forests, watersheds or otherwise identified as higher pollution risks were not inspected by the BLM. While roughly half or more of wells on federal and Indian lands in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming went unchecked, nearly two-
development,” said John Horning, executive director Santa Fe-based of WildEarth Guardians.
thirds of the wells identified as high priorities on federal land in New Mexico were inspected during the fouryear period. Like BLM officials in other parts of the country, Mallory blamed a lack of manpower and budget cuts. Environmentalists say the agency is ill-equipped to deal with the oil and gas boom in the West. “It’s a bad situation that will only get worse as (President Barack) Obama puts the final screws to coal and looks the other way on gas
BLM officials in New Mexico are hopeful Congress will approve a budget request that would give the agency authority to assess inspection and enforcement fees as it does with offshore drilling. The request has been made by the Obama administration for the last four years, said agency spokeswoman Donna Hummel.
Horseback ride to cantina is a family tradition BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Jeff Tucker Photo
Luis Morales, atop his horse aptly named “Tequila,” leads a group of horseback riders into El Gomez Cantina south of Hagerman Saturday. About 30 riders from the Dexter and Hagerman areas rode horses to the cantina Saturday as part of a family celebration.
It’s not every day one sees a big thirsty horse in a bar — depending on how much one has to drink, of course. Visions of horsemen enjoying a cool drink atop a large-hoofed domestic animal during a triple-temperature-digit day Saturday after noon were no mirage, however. About 30 horsemen from the Dexter and Hagerman areas rode to El Gomez Cantina south of Hagerman Saturday as part of Hagerman’s Old T imers’
Day. The riders said the event is a family tradition. “We’re all friends and family,” said Beto Regalado. “We’re all from the same neck of the woods. We get together on Old Timers’ Day and just ride. We’d like to see more riders.” Some of the riders ducked their heads to get under the entrance door and rode their horses into the cantina Saturday. The horses didn’t seem to mind all the attention and flashing cameras, and
Flamenco art makes Motor Supply gets stay of execution return to AMoCA SUBMITTED
Maria Benitez Institute of Spanish Arts returns to the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Arts as part of the Xcellent Music at AMoCA series. The performance is on June 21 at 7 p.m. at the museum, which is located at 409 E. College Blvd. The doors open at 6:30 p.m., and admission is free. The ISA is a Santa Fe based organization that gives flamenco classes and workshops to children and adults year -round. The per for mance was wellreceived last year, and both the museum and the ISA are anticipating a colorful and engaging performance this year as well. Maria Benitez established the Maria Benitez Spanish Dance Company in the early 1970s. This company, which later changed its name to the Institute for
Spanish Arts, has focused on teaching an performing a Flamenco style that is uniquely New Mexican.
According to Art Tucker, operations manager for the ISA, the performances are a fabulous representation of the state, as it showcases the heritage of New Mexico. The performance will be done by a group of ISA dancers called Flamenco’s Next Generation, which is a group of dancers that have been training with Benitez for the last decade. Flamenco’s Next Generation is the group that Benitez has passed to torch onto, and they have had several summer seasons in Santa Fe, where they present both classical and new world flamenco. For more information on the ISA, visit institutespanisharts.org.
BY REY BERRONES VISION EDITOR
The Roswell Motor Supply was scheduled to be demolished this morning, with a plan of leveling the structure and reclaiming the wood and metal in the building for use in furniture. That is, until a group of concerned citizens, led by T rey Nesselrodt and Miranda Howe, stepped in, asking, what would it take to prevent this piece of Roswell history from being destroyed. The answer came in the for m of a cash figure of $50,000. They were told that they have 12 hours to raise $50,000 for downpayment on the lot and buildings, after which they could negotiate terms of the sale. So, a plan came together to find 500 Roswell citizens to donate $100 in order to save the historic site.
Rey Berrones Photo
Miranda Howe and Trey Nesselrodt address a group of community members that have come together with a plan to save the Roswell Motor Supply lot from demolition.
At halfway to the deadline, enough community members had pitched in to reach more than $10,000, but the group was still short of its goal. However, this was enough to warrant a postponement of the demolition, but it is
unclear if this means a few days, or a few hours.
In a meeting organized by Nesselrodt and Howe on Saturday, they discussed the initial plan with those that had already put up their money, as well as several other stakeholders
downtown and Mayor Dennis Kintigh.
Although this ad-hoc group is less than a day old, the plan is to form a nonprofit civic organization that would take ownSee DEMOLITION, Page A3
Grizzle wants Institute to be a community partner
BY MARY MORGAN RECORD SUMMER INTERN
Grizzle
See TRADITION, Page A3
Gen. Jerry Grizzle welcomes everyone he meets with a handshake and a smile. Grizzle is finishing his fifth year as the superintendent of New Mexico Military Institute. He served for 34 years in the National Guard and active duty, but never attended NMMI. Grizzle said he wanted to be a
HIGH 98 LOW 68
TODAY’S FORECAST
teacher after retiring from the military in March 2005. By visiting with his daughter and son-in-law, he met NMMI higher-ups and was told of the position when it opened up in 2008. While in service, he was in charge of responding to weapons of mass destruction attacks in the U.S. Prior to the attacks on 9/11, Grizzle was the commander of the 45th
• CHRISTAL CLARICE ADAMS- URQUIDES • ALBERTO SAVEDRA
Infantry Brigade of the Oklahoma National Guard. As deputy commander of the brigade, he was involved in the security ef fort that followed the 1995 bombing of Oklahoma City’s Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. He also assisted with operations when the F5 tornado devastated Moore, Okla., in May 2012. Because of these experiences, he was the first commander of the Joint
• JIM MARKL
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE B6
Force-Civil Support. Headquartered at Fort Eustis in Virginia, JTF-CS was created in 1999 to meet a congressional mandate to enhance the government’s ability to prevent and respond to terrorist attacks.
“Our job was to answer the call after the attack,” he said.
Grizzle said his father, a Korean War veteran, was an important influence in his life.
CLASSIFIEDS ..........D1
COMICS .................C4
ENTERTAINMENT .....C3
“Growing up with a man that lived in a fox hole during the Korean winter made me want to be with my troops.” Both he and his father were infantry commanders. “I enjoyed working with the troops. As an officer, you are required to do some of fice work, but I tried to avoid it if I could. I spent much of my time See GRIZZLE, Page A2
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
HOROSCOPES .........C3 LOTTERIES .............A2
OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8