EDITORIAL: Out-of-control air board's insubordination is evidence of its extremism (ABQ NM)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | December 6, 2023 | Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board

[CedarDave]

For those who don’t believe in a bureaucratic deep state, look no further than the outrageous conduct this week of the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board. Just who do these people think they are?

Despite the majority of the air board being publicly fired Monday night by the Albuquerque City Council, the unelected air board is merrily moving along this week with a proposed regulation that advocates consider the “holy grail of environmental justice organizing,” but which business leaders consider a job-killer, military folks consider a national security threat and many others simply consider environmental extremism.

The so-called Health, Environment and Equity Impacts rule would require air permit applicants to gather adult and child asthma rates in the areas they seek to build, as well as the percentage of adults over 65 and children under 18, admission rates to emergency rooms, rates of cancer, cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases, and the overall mortality rate. Applicants then would be required to produce a health, environment and equity impact report.

Environmentalists and big-government folks consider it the holy grail because it would allow unelected bureaucrats like the Air Quality Control Board to deny air permit applications if pollution could increase health risks above typical rates. The regulation is so toxic and vague that it could shut down a backyard barbecue.

Attorneys for groups that include Kirtland Air Force Base, Sandia National Laboratories and the University of New Mexico say the rule would be “effectively fatal” to anyone seeking a new or modified air quality permit.

The chief government relations officer at UNM says the regulation could impact the school on several fronts that require air quality permits. Out with the boilers and emergency generators that power classrooms and labs, or that keep respirators and heart rate monitors working at hospitals.

[CedarDave]

Paraphrasing from the article: In testimony Monday night, an attorney for the National Nuclear Security Administration told the City Council the unfunded mandate could increase permitting time for research from one year to four years. So, for example, instead of being able to intercept a North Korean missile, we would be waiting for a local air permit to be issued by a bunch of overzealous environmental extremists.

[CedarDave]

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[blackdog]

The affliction has found just about every government agency. It’s not the people’s house anymore. Bureaucracy Fiat. Get asked about it by congress and just puke out word salad and self platitudes and smile.

[sauropod]

.

[DugwayDuke]

“So, for example, instead of being able to intercept a North Korean missile, we would be waiting for a local air permit to be issued by a bunch of overzealous environmental extremists.”

Not so absurd. Many years ago during the development of some anti-ballistic missile defense systems, some ‘overzealous environmental extremists’ insisted on delaying the missile development since the exhaust from those missiles might adversely affect the ozone layer during intercept missions. There was no mention of the adverse effects of the detonation of the thermo-nuclear bomb carried by the incoming ballistic missiles.

[econjack]

Another example of bureaucratic overreach and lack of enforcement of higher rulings. When are people going to say “Enough!”

[tiki]

Just yesterday and my little corner of New Mexico I gave us wannabe unveiled a plan to tie up hundreds of thousands of acres in a national monument.

Not one of the landowners in the area was notified and they were having some kind of meeting where they were patting themselves on the back but we found out about it.

It was an invitation only event and we weren’t invited but they were having it at a state park so about 40 of us went and they only had about 15 people except for their dignitaries.

They called the sheriff Anna and there were like six deputy vehicles. It was just intimidation but we’re not afraid. They could do nothing because we were breaking the laws but they were breaking the open meeting law.

I have asked for an appointment to speak with the sheriff and he hasn’t gotten back to me yet but he better because I’ll be back tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next day until he does.

[tiki]

I messed that up bad. It should say, Gabe Vasquez wannabe.

[tiki]

I hate phones it was supposed to say that we were not breaking the law.

[gunnut]

Hysterical when one massive bureaucracy gets screwed by a different bureaucracy.