Committee rules made uranium issue one-sided

Editor,

As a member of a community that has been adversely affected by uranium mill tailings and a citizen of New Mexico, I recently attended a meeting of the Legislative Finance Committee on July 10 in Chama, N.M. Along with members of Navajo, Laguna and Acoma communities, Post 71 committee members and others affected by uranium mining in New Mexico, we traveled long distances for a chance to say a few words to the committee.

I was happy to have some time off from work to do my civic duty, and I was hopeful that we could provide a balance of information for this important committee. Although a uranium industry representative spoke for about 30 minutes, followed by a New Mexico State University economist who admitted to State Sen. Cisco A. McSorley he was working with information provided by uranium industry representatives, we were not allowed to speak at all.

Committee chair John Arthur Smith informed us we had not followed the proper protocol. We thought the proper protocol was to contact the committee's director, David Abbey, which we did. Smith informed us we must go directly to committee chairs to be placed on committee agendas. Rep. John Salazar added important comments, but in spite of his questions and valiant efforts by Sens. Fernando Lopez and McSorley, who asked the industry representative and the supposedly "independent" economist questions they had a hard time answering, the whole thing felt like a staged event to indoctrinate the committee to the uranium industry's point of view.

It's frustrating when citizens try to participate and are blocked because they do not understand all the protocols. It's downright frightening when it seems the rules are being used to make sure New Mexico's legislators only hear one side of the nuclear energy/uranium mining story. It makes sense to invite representatives from both sides of an issue to speak, particularly when the issue is as controversial as nuclear energy/uranium mining.

Once again, I am ignorant of the protocols, but if you too are concerned about fair representation and balanced views, no matter which side of this issue you are on, one thing you could do is take a few minutes to call the House and Senate leadership. Ben Lujan's phone numbers and e-mail address are: 505-986-4782 or 505-455-3345, ben.lujan@nmlegis.gov. Timothy Jennings' phone numbers are: 505-986-4733, 575-623-8331 or 575-623-9378. Ask that legislative committees considering controversial topics be encouraged to get information from both sides, and I hope they will be more gracious to you than Smith was to us.

Candace Head-Dylla

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