Simon Rosenberg, President of NDN, Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice and Ruben Gallego, State Representative, Arizona District 16  held a discussion:"A Changed Landscape: How Recent Events Have Changed The Debates Over Immigration, the Border and The Political Attitudes of Latinos"

It was the premise of this briefing that the events of the past year – immigration action at the federal and state level, new data about dramatic improvements in safety along the US side of the Mexican border, new polling of Latino voters – has created a new landscape for these issues very different than in years past.  Our three presenters will attempt to explains these changes, assess the new landscape, and review the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Please view the full video event below:

Your Daily Border Bulletin is up! Stories featured in todays border bulletin include:

Kansas bill seeks to pair undocumented immigrants, jobs Kansas city seeks to create legislation that will allow undocumented immigrants to fill jobs where employers cannot find local workers.

Romney is vulnerable with Hispanics On the eve of the Nevada Republican caucus Ruben Navarrette takes a look at Mitt Romneys woes with the Hispanic Community.

Bilingual Border Cities Challenge Movement To Make English The Official Language Cristina Costantini takes a look at how Congressional legislation in the House which would make English the official language of the United States has created an uproar from border communities in the southwest. 

This week's energy news was dominated by Natural Gas and Chinese Tariffs and a New FERC Commissioner.  

The Energy Information Agency testified before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday that Natural Gas was going to more than double in the next year.  Given that there is now plentiful and cheap natural gas, other sources of energy are taking a big back step - especially coal and nuclear. But it the renewable industry - most especially solar and wind - that could feel this pressure the most, although Renewable Energy Standards in the states could make a difference.  

The Department of Commerce Committee is considering applying a tariff on solar PV imported to the United States from China.  Solar World in Oregon and other solar companies have led in this efforts.  But many other solar companies are not so excited about this tariff and believe it could seriously harm their ability to compete in today's market. 

Tony Clark, former head of National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners,has been appointed by President Obama as the new Commissioner for Federal Energy Regulatory Commmission.  Mr. Clark is formerlly the head of the North Dakota Public Utilities Commission.

Last week the so-called Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future released a report calling for a new approach to finding a site, based on local consent rather than Congressional dictate. The two chairmen,  Lee H. Hamilton, a former congressman from Indiana, and  Brent Scowcroft, a former national security adviser under Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush appeared before the Energy and Commerce committee’s subcommittee on environment and the economy,  But the committee chairman, John Shimkus of Illinois, did not mince words in complaining about the Obama administration, denouncing its “interference’ with an evaluation of the merits of the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain in the Nevada desert. Campaigning in 2008, President Obama promised to halt the project if elected, and the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, of Nevada, worked hard to cut off funds for it.

U.S. natural gas prices, are at an incredible low of about $2.50 per thousand cubic feet. Rapidly rising production of shale gas and a warm winter have created a glut and pushed supplies in storage to 21 percent above the average of the past five years.  Good news for consumers, whose gas and electric bills have declined slightly. And it is a hopeful sign for the chemical industry, which uses gas as a raw material, and for the makers of electric vehicles.

But cheap gas has also thrown energy markets into turmoil. It is impossible for almost any other source of electric power to compete, especially coal and nuclear. By trimming fuel bills, cheap gas has reduced incentives for energy conservation and efficiency thereby putting solar and wind, in spite of their own falling costs, heavily dependent on government mandates.

In fact, the EIA predicts that the United States will become a net exporter of liquefied natural gas by 2016.  But exports and gas-fueled trucks are bad news for utilities and chemical companies that prefer to keep natural gas supplies in the United States — and to keep domestic gas prices low.   Some utility executives remember back in 1992 when gas prices were at an all time low .  “We’re living through an era that we’d call the tyranny of natural gas,” said David Crane, chief executive of NRG, a major electric power company. “With all the enthusiasm for unconventional gas and low prices, the one group of people you don’t see rushing to embrace it . . . are the utility execs. We remember 1992, when everyone thought gas would be $2 forever.”

Your daily border bulletin is up! Stories featured in todays bulletin:

As Republicans shift west, attracting Latinos a challenge As the Republican Primaries head out west the GOP faces some resistance from Hispanics in important swing states.

Kansas Immigration Hardliner Fights Plan to Allow Undocumented Workers  Immigration hardliner and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, is taking aim at state passed legislation which would allow undocumented workers to do jobs that cannot be filled by citizens.

Holder: No cover-up in ‘Fast and Furious,’ no effort to hide details of the operation Attorney General Eric Holder takes the stand in the House re-iterating that there has been no cover up on the Fast and Furious program.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar is holding a news conference in Baltimore to roll out the next steps in the department’s efforts to spur construction of offshore wind farms along the Atlantic Coast.  The department isn’t saying much, other than promising a “major” step towards development off the coasts of Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Delaware.  The energy news service Platts reported that Interior will announce that an environmental study shows that wind development off the mid-Atlantic coast will have “no significant impact” on the environment.  Officials will announce completion of an assessment of plans by Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to begin issuing offshore wind leases later this year, Platts reported.

FEC Fourth Quarter fundraising reports show that Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee have raised substantial sums.  Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) was the fourth quarter's fundraising champ among members hoping to be reelected this year, according to Federal Election Commission filings. The Environment and Economy Subcommittee chairman raised a total of $368,218 with help from donors including BP, Koch Industries and Ohio-based coal company Murray Energy Corp., which.  Other members rounding out the E&C top five were: Lois Capps (D-Calif.), who raised $321,144 in the quarter; Greg Walden (R-Ore.), with $308,419; David McKinley (R-W.Va.), $294,998; and Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), $289,408. Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) ranked seventh, with $280,305.

Tony Clark, of North Dakota, who recently completed a one-year term as President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, has been nominated by the President to serve as a Commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).  Clark would take the position vacated by Marc Spitzer last year.  The President also nominated Adam Sieminski, the current chief energy economist at Deutsche Bank, to serve as Administrator of the Energy Information Administration (EIA).  This position is currently being filled by Howard Gruenspect as Acting Administrator.  

If you have some time tomorrow come join me for a live video web briefing/discussion about the current national political and policy landscape.  It is another test of a new and powerful web video platform, Spreecast, which allows much greater capacity to interact and participate in the briefings, including the ability to include live video of our audience participating and asking questions (similar to Google Hangout). 

So if you can make come join me at 215pm EST tomorrow.  Just go to this page on our Spreecast Channel and join the conversation.  While there be sure to check out some of the recent briefings/conversations we've conducted on a wide range of subjects.  

Comings,and goings, at any organization, particularly small ones, present both great challenges and great opportunities.  Challenges to keep continuity, operational strength, institutional coherence; opportunities to recharge, readjust, alter an institution’s course to new and changed circumstances.   Right now we are going through one of those periodic waves of both promise and challenge as some important staff depart and a new wave of folks begin to arrive.

I am sad to announce that our Vice President for Development and Strategic Partnerships, Jenna Narayanan, will be moving on.  Jenna has been with us for just a year, but in that short time brought a keen strategic vision and a joy to her work that we will all miss.   Also departing is our Senior Advisor, Alicia Menendez, a terrific colleague and thoughtful friend.  Both Jenna and Alicia have been essential parts of our team here of late, so they will be missed.  And I am personally grateful for how hard they worked while here, and for all that they got done.

Additionally, Seth Beer, who filled in for Jenna during her recent maternity leave, is returning to his consultancy and very full slate of projects.  Seth is a rising talent in center-left politics, and someone I hope to collaborate with again in the years ahead.

But as they go, a new team and new internal strategy here is beginning to take shape.  We have been interviewing for three open positions here, and hope to make announcements about them soon. In all likelihood we will be adding one or two more people to this new team this spring and making some other institutional announcements soon.  It is early in the process but I feel good about our new team, and new strategy, will help us keep ahead of a fast-changing and highly competitive environment here in DC.

Finally I would like to introduce you to my new assistant and very able get stuff done person in the office, Catherine Walsh.  She has been with us a short time but has already made a big difference.   You can contact her at cwalsh@ndn.org if you need her, and look for her more frequently right here on the blog.   

Thanks for everything.

Your Daily Border Bulletin is up! Stories from todays border bulleting include:

Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano Calls for Immigration Overhaul In Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano’s State of our Homeland Security Address she pushed for a comprehensive fix of our immigration system while also touting the need to pass the DREAM Act in Congress.

GOP candidates’ immigration fantasies A Los Angeles Times op-ed highlights the lack of real solutions from the Republican presidential candidates on immigration.

Studies, surveys examine immigration law’s economic impact  A report by the University of Alabama’s Center for Business of Economic Research has issues a report that shows that the state’s economy has suffered due to their harsh anti-immigration law.

The Brattle Group has issued an economic analysis on the impact of a 100 percent tariff on PV cells imported from China. The report looked at 50 percent and 100 percent tariff scenarios. The author of the report said a 50 percent tariff will effectively shut the majority of Chinese imports out of the U.S. and result in a job loss of 15,000 to 50,000 -- even accounting for production gains in the U.S. GTM Research's Shyam Mehta has said that only about 6 percent of the world's solar panels are made in the U.S., all in highly automated factories. In other words, solar panel manufacturing is not a labor- or jobs-rich industry in this country. The jobs are created in downstream solar industries such as installation and project development.  According to The Brattle Group’s analysis, the imposition of tariffs will “slow the growth in domestic demand for photovoltaic systems by homeowners, commercial establishments and power producers, resulting in substantial job losses.”

A recent NASA study concludes that greenhouse gases generated by human activities -- not changes in solar activity -- are the primary cause of global warming. The study goes on to say that despite unusually low solar activity from 2005 to 2010, the planet continued to absorb more energy (half a watt more per square meter) than it returned to space during that time period.  "This provides unequivocal evidence that the sun is not the dominant driver of global warming," said James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, who led the research released Monday.