Free Republic

Three American Presidents got to know Dr. Fine, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and Joe Biden. Through interviews, tours of MIT, and campaign stops. He knew President Reagan in briefings and many of his administrative offices.

And, for nearly two decades, Fine devoted his attention to New Mexico through the Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro, first as head of the university’s Center for Energy Policy, and then as a research associate who led conferences, projects and initiatives across the state.

Fine, 88, died in Miami on Sept. 26, following complications from surgery.

To those who knew him, Fine was a brilliant, outgoing scholar who dedicated his life to public service, readily sharing his knowledge and experience with everyone. But above all, he was always a true “gentleman,” said former New Mexico Tech President Dan Lopez.

That was one of many projects Fine signed onto during the years he was active in New Mexico’s state government as an energy policy coordinator for former Gov. Susana Martinez, and, later, assisting in other projects.

He lectured in Farmington most recently this summer, discussing developments in the energy markets and Russia's war with Ukraine before an audience in the Henderson Fine Arts Center at San Juan College organized by the nonprofit organization Four Corners Economic Development.

Energy Markets Outlook : The Geopolitics of the war with Russia and China With T. Greg Merrion Dr. Dan Fine John Byrom Dr. Dan Fine, distinguished energy scholar, Harvard University Fellow and MIT graduate, T. Greg Merrion, Chairman of Merrion Oil and Gas and John Byrom, PESCO Business Development Manager, will be presenters at an Energy Markets Briefing on Tuesday, June 21 at the Henderson Fine Arts Center on the campus of San Juan College. The briefing will run from 10:00 to noon. Panelists will be moderated by Arvin Trujillo, 4CED CEO. It’s not news to anyone recently filling up their truck or car that something’s up in the energy market and (hint) it’s not supply. Natural gas prices are up substantially as well from recent record lows and it’s not even winter. Dr. Fine will share his thoughts about the war in the Ukraine and how it may affect the U.S. and possibly the San Juan Basin as European countries, especially Germany, look for natural gas and oil resources for their energy needs. Although the war in Ukraine is a regional conflict, Dr. Fine believes it could escalate to a more global war if not careful. Dr. Fine will also share his concerns about the conflict beginning to materialize in Southeast Asia between taiwan and China. John Byrom will share insights into the emerging hydrogen markets and about PESCO’s manufacturing capabilities. T. Greg Merrion will offer insights into San Juan Basin natural gas and oil reserves and what we should do to prepare.

Russia and Ukraine. If this fails as the “mode” of the conflict, then what has been a regional war opens into a global war.

Leaders and former board members of the federation acknowledge it's a time of duress. The president of the board, David Blacher of Albuquerque, recently sent an email to some involved, referring to the bylaws' section on "dissolution."

But Blacher recently said he in no way meant to suggest the organization dissolve.

"I shared only with my board of directors that they should be aware of that element of the bylaws,"

What happened next set off a crisis in Jewish communal life in New Mexico that many say could unravel the philanthropic structure supporting synagogues, elder care for Holocaust survivors, youth programs and cultural initiatives. The situation is also causing uncertainty for thousands of people who were depending on the federation to help them gain Spanish citizenship under a reparations program for descendants of Jews expelled during the Inquisition. Before she received Lennick’s errant message, Albrycht didn’t know that the board would be voting on Lennick’s request at the board’s upcoming meeting. But she did know that several employees had recently complained to her about Lennick, court records show. They reported inappropriate behavior such as harassment, intimidation and gender discrimination. Writing in the final letters of the restored Torah in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2014 (credit: YOU TUBE) Writing in the final letters of the restored Torah in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2014 (credit: YOU TUBE) After getting the misdirected text message, Albrycht decided it was important to inform the board’s president, Sabra Minkus, about the complaints before the vote on Feb. 17, 2021. Minkus seemed concerned about what Albrycht told her, and she even hired a mediator to begin investigating.

Only Moscow is shutting down over sanctions. Outside in the countryside nothing is softening via disruptions to trade and international banking or Moscow in the world. Russia lost 23 million in the Second War and still celebrates its victory over Nazism every year.

The ruling Ukraine Communist Party vanished as a remnant of the Soviet Union.

A young missile commander at my side, over vodka on the roof of a state skyscraper (the tallest building), pointed to the West and told me no Russian would ever look in that direction and see NATO.

Is the Biden administration prepared for China’s response in support of Russia?

China has the capacity in world currency and reserves to provide Russia with a new “SWIFT.” China, as an ally, will import Russian oil and gas if its exports are sanctioned or “boycotted,” as Britain proposed in the case of Iran in the 1950s.

It will be China keeping Russian oil contracts to Asian markets open.

What is the risk to the United States currency, the universal dollar in trade? China and Russia can counter sanctions in world trading markets.

She has "unequivocally" denied the allegations

What an admission. An ailing country is trying to recover from a pandemic, but Luján’s camp says the senator needs more of your money, or he might ignore the job he was elected to do.

Imagine the backlash if Republican Congresswoman Yvette Herrell announced she might spend her days soliciting campaign contributions instead of doing her job.

Dr. Fine shared a comprehensive update on the state of carbon energy with a particular emphasis on the San Juan Basin as well as sharing the national and international outlook under President Biden.

As my AEI colleague Kyle Pomerleau pointed out, though, many business costs can be deducted immediately: 100 percent, not just 70 percent. A manufacturer who puts a machine into service can deduct the cost faster than oil and gas companies can deduct their intangible costs.

Egolf is the main sponsor of House Bill 4, which would create a New Mexico Civil Rights Act. The legislation would allow residents to sue state governmental entities if they feel their civil rights have been violated. It also would do away with qualified immunity, a legal doctrine that can shield government officials, including police, from being held personally liable for actions that violate a person’s constitutional rights.

In addition to creating a new civil rights cause of action in state court, House Bill 4 would prohibit the use of “qualified immunity” as a defense in those cases – a defense that is available to government employees in civil rights cases filed in federal court cases and considered by plaintiffs’ attorneys to be a major impediment to prevailing.

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The proposal has become one of the most intensely debated in this year’s legislative session, drawing support from lawyers and progressives along with opposition and questions from police groups and agencies that insure state and local governments and public schools.

Reactions on both sides ranged from disappointment to outrage.

Dick Mason of the League of Women Voters of New Mexico said Egolf’s comments are “pitting progressive issues versus redistricting reform.”

Redistricting is required in every state once a decade, following the national census. The 2020 U.S. Census Bureau data is not expected to be released until at least September, due to delays largely caused by the pandemic.

“There is confusion in the field regarding which approvals fall within these categories,” Cottrell Propst said in the letter, adding that companies had reported “many examples of approvals not moving forward.”

“If the goal is to combat climate change by reducing emissions, you’ve just frustrated that goal with this action,” Flynn said.

Dawn Iglesias, the chief economist for the Legislative Finance Committee, told lawmakers during a committee hearing Thursday the state’s most recent revenue estimates do not account for the change in federal policy.

“If there are limitations on federal drilling … that could significantly impact production,” Iglesias said, adding about half of the state’s oil production currently occurs on federal land.

A spokesman for the governor blasted the churches for the “illegal and selfish gatherings,” saying they “will directly contribute to more suffering and illness in our state.”

But the churches are pushing back.

Legacy Church, in a statement, accused state officials of trampling on their rights.

“We have taken the pandemic seriously from the start, and have prudent measures in place. But when governments exceed their constitutional authority and contradict what we are called on by God to do, we answer first to His authority.”

Calvary’s chief Pastoral Officer, Neil Oritz, explained that the church “experienced a significant attendance on one of the most celebrated and sacred days of our Christian faith.” In response to the large turnout, the church “chose not to break fellowship with any worshiper by requiring them to leave the gathering of their church family.”