STOP THE WATER GRAB "Since water is vital to life, shortages can foster severe crises including the following four categories of water wars: [1, 3, and 4 do not apply here but 2 DOES!]
2. The wars for entrepreneurial control: These wars are evidenced by transnational corporations purchasing water companies and resources around the world. Since these companies are in business for profit, once they have a monopoly on a system the price of water usually escalates. For example, in the years following the privatization of water services in Britain, the price for water increased an average of 67 percent and in some areas up to 450 percent. People who couldn’t afford to pay their bills had their water shut off. This resulted in a sixfold increase of dysentery." William Marks in The Holy Order of Water
LAW #7 of the ELEVEN LAWS OF WATER Fight to free our water. Fight to keep our water pure, and fight to keep water reserves free and open to all. Never allow natural arsenals of water to be privatized. Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem
The Augustin Plains Ranch water project has been included in a list of the top infrastructure proposals in North America. CG/LA Infrastructure Inc., a Washington-based consulting firm,
included the project in its Top 100 list of projects. The Augustin
Plains Ranch project was one of eight water or wastewater projects, and
the only one from New Mexico, included on the list. “We are pleased to hear that APR has made the Strategic Top 100 list for 2014,” said Michel Jichlinski,
the project director, in a statement. “This project is a very big step
in developing a new and sustainable source of water for New Mexicans for
generations to come, and I am glad that it has been recognized in North
America for its innovation, feasibility, and legitimate purpose.”
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. The owners of the Augustin Plains Ranch LLC near Datil are proposing wells and a pipeline that would transfer 54,000 acre-feet of water annually to the Albuquerque and Rio Rancho area. APR says it already has spent about $3 million investigating the
possibility of the project and has now submitted an application with the
Office of the State Engineer to see if an official hearing process can
be established. .
There's just one problem here:
Michel Jichlinski is the Project Director for the
Augustin Plains Ranch LLC,
but also works for CG/LA Infrastructure,
the outfit that's behind this "award" of sorts.
He's on their Advisory Board, which you can be sure advises the firm on
WHAT PROJECTS to recognize
on some BULLSHIT Top 100 list. The infrastructure and engineering crowd has a lot of buddy-buddy stuff when it comes to kissing each others' asses, shop-talking money, and worse. On the big-time level, it's extremely incestuous. A lot of these boys have been in bed together on contracts. They are, one might say, connected, and they advance each others' agendas faithfully.
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Does any of this crap mean anything?
Of course not. But it gets them ink in the press,
and it all sounds sooooo professional.
It's all just more manufactured hype. It's no different than a Professional Thieves organization putting out a Top 100 Best Con/Swindle list. These guys would make that list for damn sure.
A
ranching family is asking the state Supreme Court to weigh in on a
fight over a $600 million proposal that calls for piping billions of
gallons of water from rural western New Mexico to more populated areas
of the drought-stricken state. Attorneys for Ray and Carol Pittman filed a motion Monday asking the
court to order the state’s top water official to reject the latest
application by Augustin Plains Ranch to pump and pipe water to
supplement dwindling supplies in the Rio Grande Valley. The commercial venture’s previous application was rejected two years
ago. It was one of the most contested filings in the history of the
state engineer’s office, and critics also have raised concerns about the
latest application. The court filing argues the application seeks to appropriate about
17.6 billion gallons of water a year but fails to indicate how or where
the water will be used. “By keeping the intended use vague, the ranch hopes to speculate in
future water markets and ultimately sell to whoever the highest bidders
may be in seven counties,” said Bruce Frederick, an attorney with the
New Mexico Environmental Law Center, which is representing the Pittmans. Frederick said that under state law, the state engineer has a duty to
dismiss applications that fail to state a purpose for the water or an
end user. The state engineer’s office is reviewing the latest application but has yet to make any decision. Officials with Augustin Plains Ranch said the court filing is an
attempt by opponents and special interests to block what would be a
public process if the state engineer grants a hearing on the
application. “Their desire to use the court to circumvent the state engineer
before that office has had a chance to do its job puts the cart before
the horse and wastes time and money,” said Whitney Waite, a spokeswoman
for the ranch. She said the latest application is more specific than the last one
and includes information about the feasibility of the project, technical
details and demand for drinking water.
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And here's a more detailed account from the
New Mexico Environmental Law Center:
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Residents ask state Supreme Court to rule in Augustin Plains water grab case
Santa Fe, NM — Today, a retired couple from western New
Mexico asked the state Supreme Court to order the State Engineer to
dismiss a massive speculative water appropriation application from
Augustin Plains Ranch, LLC (“APR”).
In their petition for a writ of mandamus, filed by attorney Bruce
Frederick of the non-profit New Mexico Environmental Law Center, Ray and
Carol Pittman state that a second application filed by APR this summer
is “identical in all material respects” to the application that APR
filed in 2007. The 2007 application was denied by State Engineer Scott
Verhines and a District Court after five years of litigation. Just like
the 2007 application, the 2014 application seeks to appropriate 54,000
acre-feet of water per year (afy), but fails to indicate exactly how or
where the water will be used, as required by the state Constitution. “By
keeping the intended use vague,” said Frederick, “the Ranch hopes to
speculate in future water markets and ultimately sell to whoever the
highest bidders may be in seven counties.”
Under state law, the State Engineer has a non-discretionary duty to
dismiss applications that that fail to specify any particular purpose or
place of use of water or end user. Courts use writs of mandamus to
compel recalcitrant government agencies to perform clear duties required
of them by law. In this case, the Pittmans petitioned the state Supreme
Court to “order the State Engineer to promptly reject [APR’s] 2014
application.” “The State Engineer must reject the 2014 application for
the same legal reasons that he denied the 2007 application,” said
Frederick.
The Pittman’s efforts come in response to legal maneuvering undertaken
by APR and the State Engineer this summer. The Pittmans along with 80
neighbors eventually persuaded the State Engineer and a District Court
to deny APR’s 2007 application because it was ‘vague, over broad, lacked
specificity, and the effects of granting it cannot reasonably be
evaluated.’[1] APR then appealed to the Court of Appeals, where the case was fully briefed.
INTERVIEWS, IMAGES and EXHIBITS ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST Contact:
Bruce Frederick
Staff Attorney
New Mexico Environmental Law Center
505-989-9022, ext. 21 bfrederick@nmelc.or nmelc.org
The battle between the forces of light and those of darkness
is a subject/theme that's been explored by artists of all types - painters, musicians, writers, and now even television and film creators -
for as long as man's mortal mind has been aware of
spiritual realties that exist here on earth.
The battle is ancient, real, and ever-changing. And of course, the most well known soldier in the war against the forces of darkness, at least as far as Judeo/Christian mortals are concerned, is Saint Michael the Archangel.
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How fitting that today (9/29) we celebrate the feast day
of Saint Michael the Archangel, the protector and patron of the people of Socorro and the local region -
(San Miguel, Spanish for St. Michael).
The Socorro County Commission has
come out AGAINST the WATER GRAB.
"The fearlessness and fidelity of this mighty champion
roused
the faithful Angels, who rallied to his standard, repeating with
one accord: "Who is like unto God?" Then followed that
tremendous
battle between the good and the bad Angels which
St. John describes in
Revelation: "And there was a battle in
Heaven: Michael and his Angels
battled with the dragon, and
the dragon fought and his Angels. And they
did not prevail,
neither was their place found any more in Heaven. And
that
great dragon was cast down, the ancient serpent, he who is
called
the devil and Satan, who led astray the whole world" Revelations 12: 7-9
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San Miguel Mission in Socorro. Below, a whimsical wood carving of the saint from northern New Mexico.
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St. Michael the Archangel, illustrious leader of the heavenly army,
defend us in the battle against principalities and powers, against the
rulers
of the world of darkness and the spirit of wickedness in high
places.
Come to the rescue of mankind, whom God has made in His own
image
and likeness, and purchased from Satan's tyranny at so great a
price.
Holy Church venerates you as her patron and guardian.
The Lord
has entrusted to you the task of leading the souls
of the redeemed to
heavenly blessedness. Entreat the Lord of peace to cast
Satan down under
our feet, so as to keep him from further holding man
captive and doing
harm to the Church. Carry our prayers up to God's throne,
that the mercy
of the Lord may quickly come and lay hold of the beast,
the serpent of
old, Satan and his demons, casting him in chains into
the abyss, so that
he can no longer seduce the nations.
Corporation believes new application will get them all the water. Um, not so fast...
The Augustin Plains Ranch LLC water
grab case began because the Ranch, which is owned by an Italian billionaire, seeks to monopolize 54,000 acre-feet of water (enough to supply half the needs of Albuquerque) to sell to the highest bidder. Thanks to you, we were able to fight them. "We led the effort to demonstrate that the application was unconstitutional," said Staff Attorney, Bruce Frederick. Based on our arguments, the State Engineer and a District Court Judge denied the Ranch's application. The Ranch appealed.
However, it appears the State Engineer is now working with the Ranch to deprive our clients of their day before the Court of Appeals. The State Engineer has accepted a second application from the Ranch. Although this second application is substantially identical to the first, the Ranch and the State Engineer convinced the Court that the Ranch's appeal was moot. The Court dismissed the appeal, sending us back to square one. With your support, we will fight the Ranch's second application. We'll keep you apprised of the next steps. Stay tuned.
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Editor's Note: The Court apparently said nothing about how their decision was reached, and gave no indication about where they stand here. Not unusual. But get ready for a whole new fight on the new application from the Modena lawyers. This batch of Eurotrash has deep pockets, and surely they've been spreading cash around Santa Fe. Scum draws scum. Evil feeds on evil. The next round will probably get a lot nastier that the first go-round. A den of thieves. Robbers. Santa Fe - Holy Faith. Faith in what?
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Michel Jichlinski, Project Director for
Augustin Plains Ranch LLC
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People are going to need some fortitude, tenacity,
imagination, guts, and especially wisdom
if they're going to stand any chance here. Say a prayer, then go put on your game face boys and girls.
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