1) What’s the purpose of the lawsuit? I requested in December that the RPNM retract its false claim that I or my family members authored anonymous emails that disparaged RPNM officials. I also told the RPNM that I had no choice but to file a lawsuit to recover my reputation if they failed to act. I granted several RPNM time extensions to “review” the matter, and finally filed the lawsuit when no progress was made. My sole objectives are to ensure the RPNM will retract and apologize for its false claims, and make public the results of an investigation on me and my family that the RPNM used to make its claims. The lawsuit can end tomorrow if the RPNM will take these very simple actions.
2) What’s the current status of the lawsuit? Despite my hope that the matter would be resolved quickly, that hasn’t happened. The good news is that I’ve met twice very recently with RPNM leaders to discuss the issue. While those discussions could lead to settlement, the legal proceedings will move forward as an alternative route to resolution.
3) Will you use my dues/contributions to pay for the lawsuit? Not one penny of your investment in New Mexico Business Coalition will be used to cover any expenses related to this lawsuit. We are blessed to have an angel funder who is covering all costs associated with the legal proceedings, including the best available legal team.
4) Is the lawsuit affecting your ability to focus on the legislative session and other important issues? No, thanks to the amazing legal team, I have been able to leave this issue in their capable hands and focus on our work.
You can see all of the bills we are tracking on our website at: NMBC Bill Tracker.
In addition, we are continuing to work on numerous Constitutional Review Act (CRA) measures before Congress. The Stream Protection Rule that penalized mining operations has been successfully repealed and signed by President Trump. NMBC is still working on the repeal of the Methane Venting and Flaring Rule that adds costly and unnecessary regulation to the oil and gas industry. We hope that this issue will be heard by the Senate soon. Both of the issues were addressed by a nationwide media call in which I was one of four panelists on with U.S. Congressman Bishop, Chair, Natural Resources Committee.
Thank you for your continued support of the New Mexico Business Coalition. We are proud to have your confidence as we work every day to make New Mexico a better place to live and operate a business.
With less than 30 days in this legislative session, we are working to stop some harsh legislative proposals and promote issues that will help New Mexicans prosper. We’re in Santa Fe daily and invite you to join us anytime!