Yesterday It Was Bats; Today It's Mule Deer; Tomorrow Grasshoppers -- December 28, 2016

From PennEnergy: Study underway to examine effects of oil exploration on deer.

• seven-year study; $500,000
• New Mexico
• funding: funded by WPX Energy, and in addition to the Farmington (NM) BLM office, it’s being conducted in partnership with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
• why this area of northern NM: 1,700 wells and a gazillion mule deer 

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The Political Page

Trumpers have trouble selecting Secretary of Agriculture? Add to the list: Abel Maldonado. From my post where I track this stuff:

December 22, 2016: Department of Agriculture. Only two more cabinet members need to be appointed: Veterans Affairs and Agriculture. Unless she messes up her interview, Elsa Murano is likely to be his top choice for Agriculture. [December 28, 2016, LA Times is reporting that Trump is now adding former California lieutenant governor to the list]. Trump cannot afford to be first president since Reagan -- 28 years -- to have no Latino in his cabinet. In addition, she was born in Cuba. She preceded Bob Gates at A&M. Bob Gates is emerging as Trump's #1 advisor. So, with Elsa, Trump does better than a two-fer; the nominee would be a three-fer: female; Latino (or more accurately, Latina); and, Cuban immigrant. How would that play in Florida looking toward 2020? 

Four on the list:

President-elect Donald Trump is considering nominating former California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado to lead the Department of Agriculture.

Trump and Maldonado will meet Wednesday at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, where Trump is spending the holidays, according to transition spokesman Sean Spicer.

He also is considering a trio of Texans for agriculture secretary: the state’s agriculture commissioner Sid Miller, former Texas agriculture commissioner Susan Combs and former Texas A&M president Elsa Murano. Murano also will meet with Trump Wednesday.

Maldonado, a Santa Maria native who is the son of Mexican-American farm workers, was lieutenant governor from 2010 to 2011. He was a state legislator representing a swing district and is considered a moderate.

Wow, that raises the ante: from a female, Latina, from Cuba, in a red state to a male, Latino, son of a Mexican-American farm worker, in a blue state. Puts California in play in 2020. 😀

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article123317799.html#storylink=cpy