Drop zone battles continue with proposed Special Use Airspace
The public's right to know?
New Mexico Tech and EMRTC administrators have fought tooth and nail to prevent the public from learning of their plans regarding a possible drop zone and/or Special Use Airspace in and around Socorro. Socorro News has repeatedly been denied access to public records on the topic - records that New Mexico's Inspection of Public Records Act requires NM Tech to release upon request.
Despite laws requiring such disclosure, NM Tech and EMRTC appear to be playing a game of "who has deeper pockets" in which they assume that most citizens and small citizen-run news sites such as Socorro News will not call their bluff and challenge them in court. This is the same approach that Tech took with Kokopelli Ranch, last year, and it backfired dramatically when Judge Kevin Swazea slapped them into line and demanded that Tech hand over the documents.
Interestingly, despite Tech's claims that they have no records related to the possible establishment of a Special Use Airspace, the Albuquerque Journal has just published notice of three upcoming meetings on the topic. Apparently NM Tech and EMRTC have been planning to push for a Special Use Airspace, yet do not possess a single record on the matter - go figure!
For details on the upcoming meetings, check out the public notice in the Albuquerque Journal
Draft of Environmental "Assessment"
In the public notice from the Albuquerque Journal, NM Tech claims that the draft environmental assessment document is available at EMRTC's web site. This is false. This is the same approach Tech chose for the draft EA for the drop zone - claiming that the public could download it from EMRTC's web site, yet not actually posting it on the web. In any event, the document is a fairly "fluffy" attempt at an EA, and can be found at Socorro's public library. We also are hosting a low-quality scanned copy here - it's perfectly legible except the maps are bad because they should be color.
The fact that EMRTC is
The fact that EMRTC is moving forward should surprise no one. EMRTC has, and continues to benefit Socorro in numerous ways. I for one am thankful that the whiners have as little political clout as they do.
Have you seen all the new hotels? Restaurants? Increased revenue? A lot of that is directly attributable to EMRTC and the fact that it brings in first responders and others from across the country.
By the way, the draft environmental assessment *was* on the EMRTC Web site, for a year or so. It is no longer there presumably because the need for it to be accessible has passed. You (whoever you are -- no one on this Web site except for Dave Wheelock seems professional enough to sign their name) are a little late to the game.
Fact check
Some folks claim that any action proposed by EMRTC is inherently justified because "it's good for the economy" - an argument that, on its surface, has a certain appeal to it. However, this is a flawed argument on several grounds, the most important of which is - it's simply wrong as far as it relates to the proposed drop zone and special use airspace (SUA).
To be specific, it's apparent that the commenter has simply not read the various documents that EMRTC has produced related to the proposed drop zone and special use airspace. If the commenter had read the documents, then he/she would be well aware that EMRTC itself explicitly states that the economic impacts of the proposed drop zone and special use airspace would be negligible.
It's stated in the documents that these activities would not bring in any significant new visitors or jobs. Actually, what's likely to happen is that military planes would fly overhead (with lots of noise) and, possibly, drop something or fire some weapons, before returning to Kirtland Air Force Base. Or something along those lines. So, while first responder training may, in fact, bring visitors to Socorro, the proposed drop zone and special use airspace would not. Or, at least that's what the documents claim.
And, incidentally, the commenter doesn't distinguish between the draft environmental assessments - which EMRTC claimed were posted to EMRTC's web site (but were not), and the final environmental assessments, which - at least for the drop zone EA - was posted. This may seem like a minor distinction, but it actually is not minor at all - the public has a right to comment on the draft before it becomes final; after it's finalized, no public input is allowed. Thus, by not posting the draft documents, EMRTC conveniently avoids (or at least reduces) public input.
It's simply a matter of public record that EMRTC has been avoiding the release of information; after all, Judge Kevin Swazea's court order was the only thing that forced them to release anything at all. They've fought tooth and nail to prevent the public from knowing how our tax dollars are being spent, and how EMRTC's future activities may impact Socorro's quality of life and/or property values.
Meeting?
These notices don't contain anything about any meetings.
Correction
The commenter is right in stating that the notices didn't mention the meetings. The meetings were publicized via other avenues, such as El Defensor Chieftain. They have already taken place; we will post additional information on what transpired at them, soon.