Dear Patriot
- Paul Spencer, W.I.L.L. for Prosperity
- Dec 27, 2023
- 8 min read
Dear Patriot,
This is Paul Spencer from Bluewater Village New Mexico. I listened in on conspiracy brews towards the end of your time. I would like to share with you some examples of the effects of high emotions that tend to lead the vote by the life long career politician manipulators. 37% of New Mexico General fund goes to school programs. In comparison to N.M. School Programs, only .02% goes to the New Mexico Environmental Department(NMED). NMED works with water and wastewater programs and provides professional technical services with safe clean drinking water and wastewater compliance and training as one of their many departments of their agency. It is this that I have concerns with, when NMED chooses for decades not to receive or seek matching dollar for dollar matching federal funds but instead chooses the best possible avenue available that resulted in increasing rates by 300% to an impoverished low income set income community that like many other communities in New Mexico are in need of updating aging water and wastewater infrastructure.
Policies created by Emotions ( just for one example outside of water issues such as the Energy Transition Act “ETA”) derived and created for the mantle of power has heavily and effectively burdened fellow New Mexican citizens in that of and in part higher rates and Job losses for families NationWide but in particular for this small town of Bluewater Village. These policies have in effect caused families to move and consequently student attendance has decreased, resulting in Cibola county school district to reduce the size of the square footage of the new Elementary school that is currently in its planning phase, to be half the size it is now. With such high rates that make Bluewater Village water rates 50% higher in comparison to those around it. It would be no surprise as to why nobody would want to move into this community. With current policies/regulations in effect, families and students will not have any further interest to stay and will look and are currently looking for more productive/Industrious and affordable places to live and places to work.
I am aware of many families in other communities of the United States of America today, where the struggle caused by power hungry politicians and their policies make it difficult for families to locate desirable communities to live in places where policies are not so invasive and detrimental. These types of communities are becoming even more and more difficult to find. Many seek help and I hope the future will bring great success. Together we all can work on helping America move forward in a positive uplifting way and I hope that I can be of help as I strive with you to do our best for our communities.
One last thought I would like to share with you that is upsetting to me. I spoke with the legislators on a phone conference call "zoom" for capital outlay requests . On that phone call as well as in one of the legislators office last year, I was recommended to ask for funds from the school district to help address water and wastewater Issues in our community. This to me is a clear example of the lack of priority to Community Public Water Systems (CPWS’s) state programs to insure that government entities such as CPWS's “that are required to follow state and federal regulations” provide safe, clean, affordable water. Small CPWS’s are not able to do so under the current rules and regulations without heavily burdening those who are living or working in communities that are striving to comply.
It is in my understanding that the equal protection act goes unnoticed when it comes to Rural water systems, made up of volunteer board members struggling to make ends meet. In comparison to bigger cities that have a greater number of customers thus more revenue to afford full time paid administration staffers that are more capable of spending greater amounts of time looking, researching and finding funding, be it grants , loan programs, capital outlay or special programs or even covid relief funds .
Even with the help of state agencies like New Mexico Environmental Department (NMED), New Mexico Department of Finance Authority, (NMDFA) and elected state legislators, Bluewater Water and sanitation district (BWSD) has exhausted all resources of government programs funding fy2020 and has been found to be out of compliance for previous allotted grant/loan funding (12/19/2019 AUP Report) with NMED/NMDFA for spending beyond budget in the amount of $36,000.00, during infrastructure project improvements httpswww.epa.govsitesproductionfiles2017-09documents_epaoig_20170919-17-p-0397.pdf.png237 KB.
In that moment of time, BWSD was addressing aging infrastructure issues and infrastructure project updates, rising cost of electricity usage “additional pumps were added to maintain compliance and address permit issues” to maintain systems along with addressing aging infrastructure issues that caused the district to spend beyond the formulated agreed upon budget that was created at the beginning of the projects inception, causing BWSD to lose 1.2 million grant loan funding that was 90% grant (https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2019-11/documents/_epaoig_20191101-20-p-0015.pdf)
This resulted in leaving BWSD out of compliance with groundwater regulations located at the sewer plant where the sewer lagoon is located. When the Lagoon was built in the 70’S under different sets of regulations it was not lined with a plastic liner as required by law today. BWSD is currently and actively seeking funding of 2 million plus dollars to address out of compliance issues. NMED stated over the phone that they will not hold BWSD to being out of compliance but BWSD doesn't have those words written or stated on paper by NMED as of March 2020.
NMED in addressing all that its programs includes and consist of, is running at a 30% occupancy ( A Nation Wide problem and is said to be due to employee shortages and what the OIG identified workload analysis as a management challenge”https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-09/documents/_epaoig_20170919-17-p-0397.pdf”--”) without counting the emergency covid funds that employ additional people for just one year here in New Mexico fy2021. NMED is also reducing its (.05% of general fund) revenue from the N.M. State General Fund by 5% ($60,000 for NMED) as are all other N.M. state agencies that receive revenue from the state General fund FY 2021..
Other Agencies that help public water systems such as New Mexico Rural Water Association, that provides Professional technical support and training, to my understanding NMRWA receives no state funding but just USDA funding and due to lack of funds is only able to retain under 10 full time employees serving 1080 public water systems, 703 of these being community public water systems “CPWS’s” meaning it serves more than 15 connections/customers.
These few examples of inadequate funding Allotted to these agencies and programs shows the lack of priority for CPWS’s to provide safe clean affordable water to their communities who elected their state and federal elected officials to address these issues and concerns, all the while these essential/basic problematic issues continue to build and become even more burdensome amongst the very people who trust their elected officials to work for them in ensuring the public’s best interest are being met and addressed.
I would attempt to say at least 295 of the CPWS’s Located in Rural New Mexico are a minority group amongst the General population that is required to fulfill their elected duties as locally elected officials, serving as volunteers of the community as board member of a government entity to uphold and support federal and state laws under penalty of violation of the said state and federal governing agencies and bodies that enforce laws and regulations that are not properly funded or adequately operated.
Over Paid invoices for work unseen or underperformed is an issue for small CPWS’s like BWSD (https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2020-12/documents/_epaoig_20201201-21-e-0031.pdf) and there are examples statewide as well as nationwide,(https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2019-05/documents/_epaoig_20190531-19-p-0163.pdf). Nationwide problems within the EPA suggest that perhaps due to lack of FTE’s, mismanagement of funds (https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2020-11/documents/_epaoig_20201116-21-f-0014.pdf) (https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2019-05/documents/_epaoig_201904-epa-350-r-19-001.pdf) and neglecting to update and secure its Information Technology (IT) and invest in their workforce so as to better incentivize and be more capable of retaining full time employees to have better oversight of taxpayers money so engineers or contractors are not able to charge for unseen work. BWSD has experience with past engineers charging for unseen work and are still in need of 5 isolation valves after all funds were expended and overruns were incurred. It was at this time(few years after PER) NMED/NMFA along with BWSD discovered engineers were charging time and material rather than lump sum (as required by state). When Engineers had completed the project and informed BWSD board members of these overruns stating that “BWSD would need to apply for more funding (loans) to pay final invoice or the water well completion form would not be signed and new Well would not be considered operable and in compliance with the state”.
I have read a little about the EPA Enterprise Customer Service Solutions problems and there too you can see lack of sufficient management by the EPA (https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2019-08/documents/_epaoig_20190819-19-p-0278.pdf).
I know and understand that just like all other government Entities, those who are elected by the people (in this case local community members) to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the office they are elected to represent and perform the task and ultimately take responsibility for the actions that are made during their time served. I am in no way saying that the previous Board Members of which I was one, are innocent of not making mistakes and would argue that we were not properly informed(lack of training) to fully take on all the responsibilities that infrastructure improvement projects intel.
My point is CPWS’s are primarily made up of and by community volunteers and when an state/federal agency with authority to fine or penalize a CPWS’s for $1000.00 per day or any other citation that carries such weight and on the other hand offers government assistance/funding to correct the issues that are sited. When such an organization(NMED/NMFA)”the Parent” having such great responsibility and authority, the entities such as CPWS (the Child) are inclined to follow the recommendations and guidance of such organizations especially under threat of penalty to be in compliance and in good standing with state and federal laws and regulations.
The (300%) Burden brought on by these laws and regulations must be properly funded and have adequate sources of guidance/training and solutions (FUNDING). With organizations or agencies held to proper equal standards of operations so as to spare those they serve will insure the public whom they serve are not undeserved or misrepresented by Unnecessary increase of costs of living.https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2020-06/documents/_epaoig_20200622-20-p-0200.pdf
3/11/2021 Scott from Bergers and Passion Enginering firm just called this morning and said that the architect for the new elementary school asked him to look into cost of new Water well and storage tank along with developing their own sewer waste system within school grounds. Scott asked me about the water mains supplying the school but noted that the water mains that needed to be upgraded from 4” to 6or 8” to meet fire suppression is OFF SITE. Perhaps they are gathering detailed information so that the could show cost benefits through upgrading BWSD water mains and sewer lines. If the school decides to develop their own systems.
I would think that this would only strengthen my point as to who has the money$$$$ 37% vrs.02% and priority in just one example reporting by New Mexico Genral fund 2020. PWSS programs need adequate funding to be successful!
Additional notes:
New Mexico HB76
Here is another House Bill every business owner and employee should HB 76, sponsored by Rep. Christine Chandler. Allows a company to have its operating permit revoked by the New Mexico Environment Department if that company had a environmental permit revoked in another State for the last 10 years. Think of that, if your company had issues in California and never broke a law in New Mexico, they could shut down a New Mexico operation just because. That is a notice to all large companies....go elsewhere.....New Mexico doesn’t want your jobs.
What is good for the goose is good for the gander. If laws would be applied equally than the epa would have no business conducting buisness in all 50 states.
Comments