CYFD Advisory Council, PNM-Avangrid Merger Update & Management Challenges at Valles Caldera National Preserve

This week on New Mexico in Focus, Gene Grant and The Line Opinion Panel take up three stories developing around the state. First, Gene asks the panelists if a new advisory council at the state’s Children Youth and Families Department has any chance to help solve the longstanding issues within the agency. Then, Gene updates the back-and-forth over the proposed PNM-Avangrid merger as the state Supreme Court weighs whether to end the case or send it back to the Public Regulation Commission. Plus, the panel addresses the latest on allegations of sexual harassment and assault in the ongoing scandal surrounding the New Mexico State University men’s basketball program. 

The Valles Caldera National Preserve in the Jemez Mountains is one of the most beautiful spots in the state, but its management has been complicated since the federal government bought the land in 2000 for $101 million. Our Land Senior Producer Laura Paskus sits down with Tom Ribe of the watchdog group Caldera Action for a conversation about illegal cattle grazing, public access and input and the preserve’s future challenges. 

Host: Gene Grant

The Line Opinion Panel:
Justine Fox-Young, Republican former NM state Representative 
Steve Terrell, retired reporter, Santa Fe New Mexican 
Dede Feldman, Democratic former NM state Senator 

Segments: 
Management Challenges at Valles Caldera National Preserve 
Correspondent: Laura Paskus 
Guest: Tom Ribe, executive director, Caldera Action  

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Approves Nuclear Waste License in NM 
Correspondent: Laura Paskus