Latest news with #MartinHeinrich
Economic Times
4 days ago
- Climate
- Economic Times
Flash flood devastates Ruidoso, New Mexico: Homes swept away, river rises 20 feet in 30 minutes
A severe thunderstorm hit central Florence County in Wisconsin. The National Weather Service issued a warning. The storm brought strong winds and hail. Wind speeds reached 60 mph. Hail was about one inch in diameter. Residents were advised to take shelter. They were asked to stay away from windows. Outdoor activities were postponed. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Flash flood emergency & river rising Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Refuge Centers for Evacuees in Ruidoso Ruidoso Community Center, 501 Sudderth. ENMU-Ruidoso, 709 Mechem, near Albertson's. Angus Church of the Nazarene, 103 Bonita Park, Capitan. Texas (Over 100 deaths) over Fourth of July weekend. North Carolina (Monday). New Mexico (Tuesday). FAQs A flash flood hit the village of Ruidoso, New Mexico on Tuesday afternoon ,July 2, water currents were seen washing away several homes in videos shared Martin Heinrich of New Mexico warned people to evacuate to higher ground for safety, as per the reports. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Albuquerque said a "DANGEROUS situation is unfolding" in the area, as per the issued a flash flood emergency alert telling people to avoid driving through flood waters as the current could carry away vehicles. The Rio Ruidoso River, which runs through the village, rose 20 feet in just 30 minutes during the flood, as per the Hindustan Times report.A map released by NWS showed the areas placed under flash flood emergency. Multiple videos showed the rapid water rise and destruction in the village. It was not immediately clear if anyone was hurt or missing, as per the Village of Ruidoso posted on Facebook about refuge centers being set up for those affected. List of Refuge Centers are as follows:Not just Ruidoso, but also Lincoln County and Hollywood in New Mexico were hit. Multiple people were reportedly trapped during the flooding. This is the third major flash flood in the U.S. in under 7 days:Some social media users are blaming cloud seeding for the back-to-back floods. New Mexico did start a cloud seeding pilot project in early 2024. But there's no scientific evidence linking it to the floods. Rio Ruidoso is 150 miles southeast of Albuquerque, and rose 20 feet in 30 minutes around 4 p.m. Tuesday, as per the report by Hindustan rainfall caused the Rio Ruidoso River to rise 20 feet in 30 minutes, leading to sudden flash floods across the centers were opened at Ruidoso Community Center, ENMU-Ruidoso, and Angus Church to help affected residents.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Flash flood devastates Ruidoso, New Mexico: Homes swept away, river rises 20 feet in 30 minutes
A flash flood hit the village of Ruidoso, New Mexico on Tuesday afternoon ,July 2, water currents were seen washing away several homes in videos shared online. Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico warned people to evacuate to higher ground for safety, as per the reports. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Albuquerque said a "DANGEROUS situation is unfolding" in the area, as per the reports. ALSO READ: Olympic champion Mary Lou Retton arrested for DUI in West Virginia — fails Sobriety Test and refuses breathalyzer by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Many Are Watching Tariffs - Few Are Watching What Nvidia Just Launched Seeking Alpha Read More Undo Flash flood emergency & river rising NWS issued a flash flood emergency alert telling people to avoid driving through flood waters as the current could carry away vehicles. The Rio Ruidoso River, which runs through the village, rose 20 feet in just 30 minutes during the flood, as per the Hindustan Times report. A map released by NWS showed the areas placed under flash flood emergency. Multiple videos showed the rapid water rise and destruction in the village. It was not immediately clear if anyone was hurt or missing, as per the reports. Live Events Refuge Centers for Evacuees in Ruidoso The Village of Ruidoso posted on Facebook about refuge centers being set up for those affected. List of Refuge Centers are as follows: Ruidoso Community Center, 501 Sudderth. ENMU-Ruidoso, 709 Mechem, near Albertson's. Angus Church of the Nazarene, 103 Bonita Park, Capitan. ALSO READ: US arrests Chinese hacker Xu Zewei for stealing COVID-19 research and hacking Microsoft servers FAQs Q1. What caused the flash flood in Ruidoso, New Mexico? Heavy rainfall caused the Rio Ruidoso River to rise 20 feet in 30 minutes, leading to sudden flash floods across the village. Q2. Where can people go for shelter during the Ruidoso flash flood ? Refuge centers were opened at Ruidoso Community Center, ENMU-Ruidoso, and Angus Church to help affected residents.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Plan to sell public lands withdrawn, New Mexico leaders react
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – After weeks of pushback from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and national protests, plans for the U.S. to sell public land have been axed, for now. Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee withdrew his proposal Saturday night. Which, if passed, would have sold hundreds of thousands of acres of public land in 11 western states, including New Mexico. 'Lands like these are supposed to belong to every single American,' said Senator Martin Heinrich, (D), New Mexico. New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich is celebrating what he's calling a big win for public lands. 'Obviously, they took it out of the bill without even having an amendment because it was clear we were gonna win this one,' said Heinrich in a video on social media. Provision that would sell off public lands removed from Senate megabill Utah Senator Mike Lee announced Saturday night, he would be dropping plans to sell public land from President Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill.' In a post on X, Lee blames strict constraints of the budget process and a lack of clear, enforceable safeguards to guarantee that these lands would be sold only to American families. The Republican Party of New Mexico thinks this was the right choice: 'I know that the intent of the land sale was to be able to develop urban areas that are pretty much landlocked for economic development and housing opportunities,' said Chairwoman Amy Barela, RPNM. But RPNM agrees, they don't think there were enough restrictions placed in the bill to protect the public lands. 'I think it'd be a great opportunity for private investors to go in to be able to buy for housing opportunities and all of that because we know New Mexico is short on housing,' said Barela. Former Santa Fe public schools superintendent files lawsuit against district New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich said in a press conference earlier this week that this isn't about housing, it's about making money. 'We will not let them sell our American birthright to build luxury condos or second homes or to pay for tax cuts,' said Heinrich. Heinrich also said in a statement, 'To those already plotting to go after our public lands another way: don't. Unless you like losing.' 'Public lands along the Pecos are among my favorite in New Mexico and the West. They're a reminder of how lucky we are to have places to fish and explore and pass down experiences to future generations,' said Heinrich. A land conservation non-profit, called the Wilderness Society, is thanking the lawmakers who fought to kill the plan, saying quote, 'Future generations are counting on members of congress to remain vigilant against any more attempts to sell off our public lands—including the threats that we know are coming from the administration.' RPNM told News 13, they are looking forward to the tax relief Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' will bring. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Problem With Mike Lee's Public Lands Proposal Is That It Doesn't Sell Off Enough Land
Sen. Mike Lee's (R–Utah) proposal to require the sale of a de minimis amount of Western public lands was dealt a potentially fatal blow yesterday when the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the provision could not be included in the reconciliation bill moving through Congress. The ruling follows a relentless opposition campaign to Lee's proposal from Democrats, conservation groups, and even some conservatives who've painted doomsday scenarios about Americans' "birthright" being sold off for luxury condo developments. Lee said yesterday that he's in talks with the parliamentarian to include a scaled-back version of his initial proposal in the budget bill. Whether that will be enough to win over the parliamentarian remains to be seen. It will almost certainly not be enough to mollify opponents, who've leveled a relentless stream of often inaccurate, contradictory criticisms of the idea that any federal lands might ever be privatized. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D–N.M.) told the Associated Press that Lee's bill would produce not enough development and too much development at the same time. "I don't think it's clear that we would even get substantial housing as a result of this. What I know would happen is people would lose access to places they know and care about and that drive our Western economies," he said. The American Conservation Coalition has taken to posting pictures of national parks (which could not be sold off under Lee's bill) to criticize the sale of far less beautiful Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. In fact, Lee's proposal is an exceptionally modest version of a generally good idea: that the federal government's vast, unused land holdings could be sold to ease the Western United States' severe housing shortage. In an essay at his Construction Physics Substack, Brian Potter notes that housing costs in the rural Western United States are exceptionally high compared to rural areas elsewhere in the country. A new heat map of America's estimated housing shortage produced by the American Enterprise Institute's Housing Center likewise shows Western states as having the largest housing deficits. Only select coastal metros and, particularly, coastal California, are worse off. Potter attributes the rural West's high housing costs to a mix of more attractive natural amenities, higher housing demand, modestly higher construction costs, and (once California is excluded) modestly tighter housing regulation. The federal government's vast holdings of undeveloped land on the edge of existing communities are certainly a significant contributing factor. The BLM owns close to 70 percent of the land in Nevada, over 40 percent of the land in Utah, and roughly a quarter of the land in Idaho, Oregon, Alaska, and Wyoming. Some of this is in the middle of nowhere and unlikely to be developed. A lot of it rings existing communities or is even interspersed among already developed, privately owned parcels. A report produced by the Joint Economic Committee Republicans in 2022 estimated that a prior, more ambitious Lee proposal to sell off Western BLM land for housing development could lead to the construction of 2.7 million more homes and completely end the housing shortage in states such as Arizona, Nevada, and Wyoming. For all the criticism, Lee's current proposal is rather unambitious. Per The Hill's reporting on the latest draft, it would require the sale of between 0.25 percent and 0.5 percent of BLM land. The land could only be used for housing, and it would have to be within five miles of an existing community. National parks, conservation areas, national monuments, historic sites, battlefields, and every other type of public land that people actually like are explicitly protected from being sold off in Lee's bill. If anything, the problem with Lee's bill is that it puts far too many restrictions on the sale of federal lands and thus won't meaningfully alleviate the West's housing affordability problems. Still, any new (privately developed) housing is good housing. If Lee's bill gets a few more units built, all the better. The post The Problem With Mike Lee's Public Lands Proposal Is That It Doesn't Sell Off Enough Land appeared first on
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Conservatives Turn On GOP Senator Over Plan To Sell Off Millions Of Acres Of Public Land
People across the political spectrum hope Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) makes like a tree and leaves national forests — and other federally owned land — alone. Last week, the Lee-led Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee released a draft proposal, intended for inclusion in the so-called 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' that would mandate the sale of between 2.2 million and 3.3 million acres of public land owned by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service in the American West. Lee has framed the proposal as a means to increase affordable housing, and emphasized that it excludes national parks, national monuments, and designated wilderness areas from being sold. Critics have expressed skepticism that the bill would do much to mitigate the housing crisis, contending that it would only result in the public being barred from land they now enjoy. 'I don't think it's clear that we would even get substantial housing as a result of this,' Sen. Martin Heinrich (N.M.), the energy committee's ranking Democrat, told the Associated Press. 'What I know would happen is people would lose access to places they know and care about and that drive our Western economies.' Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke (Mont.) has also spoken out against the plan. 'I have said from day one I would not support a bill that sells public lands,' he wrote Wednesday on X. 'I am still a no on the senate reconciliation bill that sells public lands.' Public backlash really began to grow this week, after The Wilderness Society, a conservation organization, published a map it said showed the areas that could potentially be up for grabs. The proposal only allows for the sale of 3.3 million acres, but it's not clear exactly where that land will come from. The nonprofit identified more than 250 million acres of land it said make up the pool from which the land to be sold could be drawn. The group said it used public data to determine which federal lands would be susceptible to sale, based on the legislation's text as of Monday. Lee called the map 'misleading' and said it included some areas that would be excluded from his bill. Julia Stuble, Wilderness Society Wyoming state director, has defended the map's accuracy, telling Cowboy State Daily that the provision's wording indeed left everything on the group's map open to potential sale. The proposal has drawn condemnation from lawmakers, environmental groups and outdoor enthusiasts of a range of political stripes. Lee drew strong condemnation from many of his fellow conservatives in particular, who have slammed the proposed sell-off as a betrayal of the American people. Lee defended himself in a Saturday episode of Glenn Beck's podcast, blaming the backlash on 'falsehoods being circulated by the left.' The New GOP Platform Has An Alarming Agenda Item Trump's Second-Term Blueprint Would Take A Wrecking Ball To Public Lands JD Vance Made An Eye-Popping Suggestion During The Debate
