Ex-astronaut out as New Mexico Energy czar
Former astronaut and state legislator Harrison Schmitt has withdrawn his nomination to become New Mexico's head of the department of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, the latest setback as the state's new Republican governor tries to reverse her Democratic predecessor's environmental regulations.
Gov. Susana Martinez was handed her first setback late last month, when the state Supreme Court ruled that her attempts to reverse carbon-emission mandates set by a panel appointed by the previous governor, Bill Richardson, were illegal. Martinez also fired all the members of the Environmental Improvement Board that had written the rules.
Martinez had tapped Schmitt, a Harvard-educated geologist and skeptic of global warming who has compared the environmental movement to communism, to run the Energy department. He would have been the point man on loosening environmental regulations on the oil and gas industry imposed by Richardson that the industry contends have caused a sharp drop-off in exploration -- and jobs -- in New Mexico.
But Schmitt would not consent to a mandated background check, and withdrew Thursday afternoon.
"Sen. Schmitt was willing to allow a private investigator access to his personal
information, but he was not willing to waive that investigator’s liability for any improper
actions or use of that information," Martinez said in a statement. "While one can understand Senator Schmitt’s concerns, complying with the Legislature’s request is necessary to restore public confidence in state government. That’s why I am requiring all of my cabinet secretary designees to comply
with that request and this has led to Sen. Schmitt withdrawing his nomination."
Martinez promised, however, that she "will work swiftly to find a qualified replacement to lead New Mexico’s Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department."
RELATED:
New Mexico's environmental U-turn
-- Nicholas Riccardi
Photo: Astronaut Eugene Cernan walking on the moon in 1972, in a photo taken by Harrison Schmitt during the Appollo 17 mission. Schmitt recently withdrew nomination to become New Mexico's head of the department of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. Photo: NASA / Reuters
She's going to be a one-termer, just wait and see...
Posted by: affableman | February 14, 2011 at 10:41 AM
Gee, Scott, i'm glad you moved out of NM too. It doesn't need any more top-heavy exploiters of its beauty than it's unfortunately still got. Pls tell all your friends in your truly fascistic industry to get out and go back to Texas too, if you had any. (That's who Martinez works for, dirty money from Texas.)
fyi, fascism is defined as private business taking over government for private profit, which already fits the workings of the federal govt, as well as Martinez' own philosophy promoting corporate plunder, to a T. Fascism includes in its machinations a police state to suppress opposition, not, as in this case, a regulation DESIGNED to reveal personal investment ties so that the guy in it to expand his portfolio can't oversee the industry enriching him in secret. That's anti-fascism, and why you're against it.
One of the more egregious fascistic avenues exploiting public lands is the 1872 Miners act, still on the books, protected by all the rugged individualists who practice socialism for the greater profit of their corporate ponderosas. It allows any mining, including the foreign-owned, to file claims on the cheap, gut the land and leave the toxic filth necessary for gold extraction to seep into aquifers. The clean-up bill is left to the taxpayers, and not the pigs who left their styes with their riches. That's not just libertarian, that's multi-national fascism, aka corporate socialism, the true blight on the land.
Posted by: Native Angeleno | February 14, 2011 at 10:36 AM
What did Mr. Schmitt have to hide? The information would have been known to people in the government, because he would have to be okayed, before taking office. I think this was just an excuse to keep from having something in his life becoming public. Maybe he has some economic investment that would show he is not objective, like investments in oil companies. Bet he's dirty.
Posted by: MissMarple | February 12, 2011 at 07:25 PM
Ah Mr. Torres is the comment directed at me? Thanks so much, you are right, it was a good riddance to that state. I moved and took my company and the jobs with me. Thanks for your concern.
Posted by: Scott | February 12, 2011 at 01:07 PM
Mr. Schmitt "has compared the environmental movement to communism"
Welcome back Mr. McCarthy...
Posted by: Gill Bates | February 12, 2011 at 08:48 AM
Good Riddance.
Posted by: J. Daniel Torres | February 12, 2011 at 01:22 AM
Schmitt is a brilliant scientist. Dumb move by the state. He was well within his rights to refuse their fascist-scope demands that he give them an open ended liability release for improper or unauthorized use of his private records.
So glad I sold my house there and moved away from New Mexico.
Posted by: Scott | February 11, 2011 at 08:39 PM