![]() Plans have been announced for the construction of what are being called “venture studios” in Albuquerque and elsewhere in the state which are designed to serve as technology hubs bringing together in one place research and development, capital, and government incentives. The project belongs to America’s Frontier Fund, an investment platform launched in 2021 and designed to encourage innovation and the development of critical technologies. Support for the project is coming through the New Mexico State Investment Council, which is dedicated to growing the state’s endowment funds via sound investments and is committing $100 million to making what is being called the Roadrunner Studios a reality. In a statement, Gilman Louie, chief executive officer of America’s Frontier Fund, noted that the group’s mission is to “build new companies and technologies based on fundamental breakthroughs in science.” Louie added that such innovations are posed to “transform sectors like energy, healthcare, communications, and manufacturing, and will change the New Mexican, American, and global economy.” According to the Albuquerque Journal, the Roadrunner Studios will be built in several locations across the state and will primarily be located “next to key research centers,” while being headquartered in the Duke City. The Frontier Fund is dedicated to promoting and supporting industries in what are known as “Frontier Technologies,” which include everything from advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, microelectronics, and the quantum sciences. By Garry Boulard
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![]() The federal Treasury Department has released a long-awaited guidance detailing what companies must do in order to qualify for clean energy tax credits. Those credits are being made available via the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law late this summer by President Biden and is devoted to, among other things, domestic energy production and clean energy investment. Altogether, the legislation invests upwards of $369 billion on clean energy initiatives, with some $270 billion of that figure made up of tax incentives. In a statement, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the guidance is designed to give to companies “greater clarity on how to meet the labor standards embedded” in the Inflation Reduction Act in order to “maximize the available tax credits.” The legislation, which is said to represent the largest investment in climate change issues in U.S. history, allows for a tax credit to be applied to projects that have been launched on or after next January 29. In order to qualify for a credit, companies are required to pay their workers a prevailing wage as defined by their job classification and geographical area. In a press release, the Treasury Department said that if there is no prevailing wage standard as defined by the classification of the job or geographical area, companies should contact the Wage and Hour Division of the Labor Department for instructions. The Treasury Department’s guidance has been criticized as being somewhat murky by some members of the construction industry. Ben Brubeck, vice president of regulatory, labor and state affairs for the Associated Builders and Contractors, said the lack of a clear guidance may “prevent stakeholders from taking full advantage of the tax credits and will slowdown clean energy infrastructure development.” Yellen, however, has said that the new guidance does indeed provide “initial high-level clarity around these important labor standards.” The Treasury Department is expected to issue additional guidance regarding clean energy tax credits in the months to come. By Garry Boulard ![]() A plan to build a new climate research center in north Fort Collins has taken a big step forward with a vote by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission approving the project. The project will be a part of Colorado State University’s Powerhouse campus and will be devoted to researching energy efficiency, with a special emphasis on solar. Earlier versions of the plan have additionally called for the construction of solar arrays on the roof of the building. The structure, to be built from such sustainable sources as mass timber, will go up at the northeast corner of East Vine Drive and North College Avenue. Launched in 2014, the Powerhouse Energy Campus was originally centered on a single building: the repurposed Fort Collins Municipal Plant used by the university for a program seeing advanced work on electric grids, biofuels, and energy policy, among other disciplines. The new five-story research center will measure around 150,000 square feet, on a larger site with walking and biking paths. Work on the much-anticipated facility is expected to begin in early 2023, with a rough late 2025 completion date. By Garry Boulard ![]() After several years of discussions and planning, work on a new nature center in Colorado’s El Paso County is moving forward. Designs for the new facility, which will most likely go up in the Fox Run Regional Park, located at 2110 Stella Drive in Colorado Springs, are expected to be completed next year. As envisioned, the new facility will house a lobby and meeting rooms but will also be used as center promoting the ecology, woods, and natural wonders of the northern part of El Paso County. The project has been the subject of one feasibility study completed in late 2019 by the Denver-based Altitude Land Consultants and the Tremmel Design Group of Colorado Springs. Funds have not yet been secured for what is expected to be a $3.5 million project. Members of the El Paso County Commission could approve at least $1 million for the center’s construction later this month. County officials have said they are particularly interested in seeing the new center built, given that two other similar facilities, the Bear Creek Nature Center in Colorado Springs and the Fountain Creek Nature Center in the town of Fountain, have been regularly overwhelmed with visitors. If built, the center would be a part of the larger El Paso County Parks system. By Garry Boulard ![]() Up to $5 million in federal funds has been awarded to the Havasupai Tribe of Arizona for a unique program designed to relocate tribal communities adversely impacted by climate change. In announcing the funding, which is coming through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Department of Interior said what is being called the Voluntary Community-Driven Relocation program is part of a larger effort to both protect and revitalize Tribal communities. In a statement, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland remarked: “Helping these communities move to safety is one of the most important climate-related investments we could make in Indian country.” Altogether, the Interior Department is committing some $115 million to eleven Tribes. Besides the funding for the Havasupai Tribe, planning grants of $5 million are being awarded to Tribes in Alaska, California, Louisiana, and Maine. In a press release sent out by the Interior Department it is noted that Tribal communities across the country are increasingly subject to a rise in sea levels, coastal erosion, flooding, drought, and wildland fire. A study conducted in 2020 by the Bureau of Indian Affairs estimated that up to $5 billion in funding may be needed in coming decades to address climate change-Tribal relocation needs. The Interior Department grants are generally being regarded as a new and innovative approach to a historic problem. The program, says the New York Times, is an acknowledgment that a “growing number of places around the United States can no longer be protected against changes brought by a warming planet.” Last month, the Bureau of Indian Affairs announced funding to the tune of $45 million in Tribal Climate Resilience awards designed to help Tribal communities address the challenges of climate change. By Garry Boulard ![]() Long-time realtor Santa Fe Properties is listing for sale a nearly 4,600 square foot, two-story building that for years served as a popular Spanish food restaurant. Located at 213 Washington Avenue in downtown Santa Fe, in an area of mostly one-story historic structures, the building includes a large dining and bar space, modern kitchen, performance stage, and custom-built wine storage room. The structure also includes office space on its second floor. For well over two decades, the building housed El Meson Restaurant, which specialized in a wide selection of cold and hot tapas, paella, and entrees. The restaurant closed its doors in the fall of 2021. In earlier decades the structure, which was built in 1960 and renovated in 1998, was the home to the Delores Fast Food Restaurant. As an illustration of how much property values in downtown Santa Fe have increased in recent years, the same building that was listed for sale in 1996 for $845,000, today has an asking price of $2.2 million. Santa Fe Properties was launched in the mid-1980s, with offices located in a more than century-old former home at 1000 Paseo de Peralta in downtown Santa Fe. By Garry Boulard |
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