"We understand Indian sovereignty. All the pueblos surrounding the city of Española and populating the land stretching south along US Hwy 84/285 to Santa Fe are their own little countries. As a stand alone country they can make laws for themselves and may ignore those of the state.

Your state highway department has taken advantage of that and just hit a new high in lows. To provide “hot mix” for the enormous highway project on the city’s south side, the highway department’s contractor Northern Mountain Constructors has set up an asphalt plant on Santa Clara Pueblo property. You can’t miss it. It’s that monolithic monstrosity by the golf course in Arroyo Seco. You know, the one belching 14 tons of carbon monoxide, 62 tons of nitrogen dioxide and unspecified amounts of other contaminants each year into the air, according to the Pueblo.

When contacted and asked what sort of permits the highway department had pulled and were they complying spokeswoman Karyn Lujan shuffled all responsibility to the contractor. Not so fast. Who works for whom?

Like many things in the highway department: Legal? Barely. Right? Not by a long shot."

Get the Story:
Editorial: No Stinking Permits (The Rio Grande Sun 8/27)