Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Obama defends oil-drilling record
Vol. 121, No. 71 50¢ Daily / $1 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
BERNALILLO (AP) — New Mexicans have joined those in other states in their irritation over the rising cost of gasoline. With long drives required to get around this expansive state, drivers say the prices are starting to get painful and they want leaders in Washington to do something about it. A gallon of regular unleaded is averaging $3.71 in New Mexico ... - PAGE A3
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CUSHING, Okla. (AP) — President Barack Obama firmly defended his record on oil drilling Thursday, ordering the government to fast-track an Oklahoma pipeline while accusing Congress of playing politics with a larger Canada-toGulf Coast project.
PAIN AT THE GAS PUMPS
March 23, 2012
Deep in Republican oil country, Obama said lawmakers refused to give his administration enough time to review the controversial 1,170-mile Keystone XL pipeline in order to ensure that it wouldn’t compromise the health and safety of people living in surrounding areas. “Unfortunately, Congress decided they wanted their
Still at it
own timeline,” Obama said. “Not the company, not the experts, but members of Congress who decided this might be a fun political issue decided to try to intervene and make it impossible for us to make an informed decision.”
Facing fresh criticism from Republicans who blame him for gas prices near $4 a gallon, Obama announced Thursday that he was directing federal agencies to expedite the southern segment of the Keystone line. The 485-mile line will run from Cushing, Okla., to refineries on Texas’ Gulf Coast, removing a critical bottleneck in the country’s oil transportation
system. The directive would also apply to other pipelines that alleviate choke points. “Anyone who says that we’re somehow suppressing domestic oil production isn’t paying attention,” Obama said, speaking at the site of the new Oklahoma project. Howard, a Shawn spokesman for TransCanada, said the company welcomed Obama’s support for the Oklahoma-to-Texas portion of the pipeline but couldn’t say whether his involvement would impact the timeline for completing the project. See OBAMA, Page A6
AP Photo
City seeks funds for new spur
President Barack Obama arrives at the TransCanada Stillwater Pipe Yard in Cushing, Okla., Thursday.
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For The Past 24 Hours
• President visits SE NM • President outlines energy strategy • Anti-lizard group rallies far from Air Force One • Mother Nature makes waves • Dexter plates 26 ...
JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
INSIDE SPORTS
Mark Wilson Photo
Construction work continues at the west end of College Boulevard near the Relief Route, Thursday afternoon.
The possibility of the city of Roswell receiving $99,000 from the New Mexico Economic Development Department for economic assistance for the implementation of a new rail spur at the corner of Virginia Avenue and Fifth Street came closer to becoming a reality Thursday evening. The City Council approved the advertising for a public hearing for proposed ordinance No. 1202, regarding the execution of an intergovernmental agreement to accept the money from the NMEDD, during a special council
Bales to be charged with murder in Afghan killings
GHS DROPS 2 TO HOBBS
The Goddard softball team celebrated the opening of its new complex on Thursday, but it wasn’t a completely joyous occasion. The Rockets dropped both ends of a doubleheader to visiting Hobbs, falling 8-1 in Game 1 and 4-0 in Game 2. The backend of the doubleheader provided the most excitement of the afternoon, despite the fact that Goddard managed just one hit. Hobbs broke open a scoreless tie with three runs in the top of the fifth ... - PAGE B1
TODAY’S OBITUARIES
• Elizabeth Mothershead • Salvador Méndez • Jimmy Bullock - PAGE A7
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ar my Staf f Sgt. Robert Bales will be charged with 17 counts of murder as well as assault and a string of other of fenses in the massacre of Afghan villagers as they slept, a U.S. official said Thursday. The charges against Bales include 17 counts of murder, six counts of attempted murder and six counts of aggravated assault as well as dereliction of duty and other violations of military law, the official said on condition of anonymity because the charges had not been announced. The 38-year -old soldier and father of two, who lives in Lake Tapps, Wash., will be charged with a shooting rampage in two villages
near his souther n Afghanistan military post in the early hours of March 11, gunning down nine Afghan children and eight adults and burning some of the victims’ bodies. The charges are to be read to Bales on Friday at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas where he has been held since being flown from Afghanistan last week. He faces trial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, but it could be months before any public hearing. Military authorities had originally said Bales was suspected of killing 16 Afghan villagers, nine children and seven adults. They changed that Thursday to 17, raising the number of adults by one but
can troops in the war zone. The brutal shooting rampage also prompted renewed debate in the United States about health care for the troops, who have experienced record suicide rates and high rates of post-traumatic stress and brain injuries during repeated deployments over a decade of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bales was on his fourth tour of duty, having served three tours in Iraq, where he suffered a head injury and a foot injury. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, of the 2nd Infantry Division, which is
AP Photo
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales participates in an exercise at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., Aug. 13.
NWR plans restoration project Feds: Lizard-listing JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
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without explaining how the change came about. It’s possible some of the dead were buried before U.S. military officials arrived at the scene of the carnage. Six Afghans were wounded in the attack. Bales’ civilian attorney, John Henry Browne, said he wouldn’t comment on the charges because he has not been officially provided a copy of what they are. He said he spoke Thursday with prosecutors, who told him they will formally present the charges Friday. The killings were yet another blow to U.S-Afghan relations, following a series of missteps, including the mistaken bur ning of Qurans, which prompted violent protests and revenge killings of Ameri-
See SPUR, Page A6
INDEX
Jessica Palmer Photo
Jeff Sanchez, Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge biologist, stands in front of phragmites, or common reed, which has taken over the area surrounding Bitter Creek.
This year Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge is implementing a restoration project along Bitter Creek to remove an invasive plant species and replace it with native plants that grew historically in the area. Phragmites are listed as a wetlands reed on the USDA’s National Invasive Species. Biologist Jeff Sanchez referred to it as a tall grass. “Phragmites displaces other species. It interferes with water velocity and temperature. It chokes out the system,” he said. Bitter Creek is a spring-fed stream which brings water to Bitter Lake. Normally the refuge around Bitter Creek is closed to the public since the area has numerous sink holes. “You can see it on our the tours, though,” Sanchez said. The phragmites, also known as common reed, got a foothold in the stream following a 2000 fire.
See NWR, Page A6
See BALES, Page A6
fears not realistic
NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Tom Buckley told the Daily Record he is aware of public concerns regarding the agency’s determination of whether or not to classify the dunes sagebrush lizard as an endangered species, but said he does not believe industry would be dramatically impacted if the species is listed in June. “I can’t think of any industry that has been stopped, as some of the threats, or some of the things that I’ve been hearing about oil and gas,” Buckley said. “I can’t think of any species anywhere in
the country that has created that kind of impact on any business or any industry.
“I understand why people are concerned, I absolutely do, but I just don’t believe that is anywhere near what the reality is.”
Buckley said the dunes sagebrush lizard is considered a habitat specialist, living within specific dune complexes. He said most companies would have little trouble working around the species. “Let’s say a company wants to put a pad down to drill, or they want to run a road to an area where they want to put a pad down, or they want to See LIZARD, Page A6