U.S. Senate: For energy money, a 'run uphill'
By ANDY LENDERMAN | The New MexicanJune 2, 2007
Senior senator getting money for energy will be 'run uphill'
New Mexico’s senior senator had a big reminder for the state on Friday: He no longer chairs the Senate subcommittee that writes the U.S. Department of Energy’s budget and sends billions here from Washington.
“That little committee, which spends only $32 billion in the whole country, ... it’s the one that spends all the money on New Mexico — all the laboratory, all the Department of Energy, including ... defense energy,” U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., said in an interview Friday with The New Mexican.
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development helped send $4.4 billion to New Mexico in fiscal 2006. In contrast, the state’s entire budget was about $4.7 billion that year.
U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., took over the subcommittee after Democrats won control of Congress in the 2006 midterm election. Domenici explained the subcommittee appropriates money, and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which he formerly chaired, writes policy.
“Anytime you have anything done for New Mexico that comes out of (this committee) is not out of the Domenici-Bingaman bill; it’s out of the, what now is going to be — what’s our new chairman’s name? Yeah. Dorgan.”
Domenici said Dorgan has visited the national laboratories in New Mexico with him.
“He’s chairman; it just means he has one vote more,” Domenici said. “That’s what elections do. People wonder ... whether elections count. You can cite this one — that we now don’t have Pete in a chairman’s role there. We’ve got to run uphill.”
Domenici has cited his concern in the past about the lab budgets, much of which comes from the National Nuclear Security Administration. “The NNSA budgets are not growing, and I’m hoping to avoid deep cuts to the security mission by Congress,” he said in an interview last month.
On Friday, Domenici was in Santa Fe wrapping up an active week of statewide appearances that also included visits to Albuquerque, Española, Taos and Las Vegas.
Domenici has been in the Senate for six terms, since 1972, and says he will be running for a seventh term in 2008. “I am doing this all over again,” he said. “I am going to run.”
Domenici’s job approval rating, as tracked by Survey USA, was at 52 percent from May 11-13, down from 68 percent in November. However, his spokesman has said the senator is not concerned about the poll, and professional pollsters don’t take it seriously.
Domenici added: “I do have some exciting things to do, and the reason I’m running is because it’s fun. ... If I can stay ... on the right issues, ... it will be a fun last six years.”
Contact Andy Lenderman at 995-3827 or alenderman@sfnewmexican.com.
Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Career politicians are like drug addicts, except they're addicts of power. After awhile they begin to feel like they're bullet proof and invisible--accountable to no one, and then they begin to lose site of the bigger picture. Special interests become the lenses through which every issue and every piece of legislation comes into focus. Special interests may benefit, but on the whole we as a nation suffer. Senator Domenici should retire. It’s time.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry. Terry Wallace says the budget crisis at LANL is now over and everything will be dandy in FY08. Mike says "no RIFs, and no plans for a RIF" and he says it over and over and over.
ReplyDeleteYou can trust the words of the new LANS management, as they were carefully selected by NNSA to run LANL. Domenici may be worried about Congressional budgets, but LANS management obviously knows more than St. Pete, right?
And if the evil LANS management told you that things were going down the tubes and Pete told you it was all fine, you'd be critical of both. If Pete concurred with LANS management on the budget view you would cry conspiracy.
ReplyDeleteThere's no winning with this crowd.
You mean that the gravy train may end? ....When Sen Domenici starts getting worried, you had better consider another approch to your livelihood,...like working for a living, in the "Real World"....I think may of us are just a little worried, regarding the funding of LANL in the very near future...even if some of you..(Ah they can't shut down the lab types) if your not worried then your asleep at the wheel and we don't need you anyway....
ReplyDeleteNo more Ear marks to help save the lab, no more fun money? to employ the many people on "overhead" just to keep them on the payroll...no more CMRR, No more RRW, no more funny money...what will we do? But as Mikey has said , read my lips, no RIF's , no money no new inisitives, but (gasp) pray tell how can this be...how will we pay our staff the 400K that is required to maintain thier standard of living at LAN'S...Mikey has a secret plan...it will be called "Re-Organization" another term for downsizing, not RIF'S mind yoy re-organization....
ReplyDelete12:34 PM - maybe obvious, also with respect to high salaries of lab-employees: but the $400k is the cost of a lab-employee to programs, the actually salary is about 30% of it.
ReplyDeleteAll the dooms-day senerio's, the lab is healthly, wealthy, and wise, we must trust our leaders ..for they know whats good for us and will take casre of their employees...Just listen to Mikey...No RIF'S, ...Just massive re-organizations that will make RIF's look good......
ReplyDelete6/5/07 11:56 AM said, "Don't worry. Terry Wallace says the budget crisis at LANL is now over and everything will be dandy in FY08."
ReplyDeleteWallace is a two-faced lying sack of sh!t. He lies everytime he opens his mouth. When one person is in the room he says one thing and denies he said it to the next visitor. No accountability and he has surrounded himself (see the PADSTE org chart) with numerous failed managers who should be over in the contract assurance office. But, Wallace is insecure and feels better when surrounded by failures. "A" students hire "A+" students, "B" students hire "C" students.
I realize that this is kind of off the topic but since we are talking about things going away, does anyone know what has happened to the science council? The link to CSO does not work and I have heard nothing about the representation for science under LANS. Terry does nothing for science and I thought the CSO position was the voice for scientists. It is supposed to be under PADSTE but nothing has really been said about CSO and the SC since June 1 of last year. Thanks for any information.
ReplyDelete"Wallace...he has surrounded himself (see the PADSTE org chart) with numerous failed managers who should be over in the contract assurance office."
ReplyDeleteThat is not true. There are a few excellent people over in the PADSTE org.