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Project Ranger
Tensions rise at Project Ranger community meeting
RIO RANCHO — A community meeting on Project Ranger was nearly shut down by police Dec. 10 as the question-and-answer portion of the evening got heated.
Following a presentation by Castelion Corporation CFO and cofounder Andrew Kreitz — very similar to the one given the day before at the HUB at Enchanted Hills and earlier in the day at the Star Heights Community Center and to NAIOP members — tensions in the overflowing space at the Mariposa Community Center began to rise.
As some members of the crowd began to express their displeasure with Project Ranger and the approval process it went through — to the applause and cheers of others — those supporting the project began to jeer and boo them.
At one point, Rio Rancho Police Capt. Jacquelynn Reedy, who had been monitoring all the community meetings Castelion held throughout the week, stood up and told everyone they needed to calm down or she would shut the meeting down before they could ask further questions.
Councilman Bob Tyler, who represents Mariposa, also asked the crowd to keep calm. “There’s a lot of misinformation out there. Be respectful. Let them answer questions.”
One resident questioned a claim during the presentation that the community has been supportive of the hypersonic missile factory coming to Sandoval County about three miles west of Rio Rancho. She also asked if the site has been being planned since April why the community just heard about it in October.
“There’s been a lot of work from the safety standpoint,” Kreitz said, noting the site selection process was going on through the spring and summer with a lot of studies being done. “We didn’t get down to the brass tax of the specific site until recently. If we were to do it over again, we would have engaged the city and community sooner.”
Another attendee asked if there was any way the community could dissent on the facility or if there was a way to bring it to a community vote.
“I would say it’s been a democratic process” that has been processed and voted on via the community’s elected representatives, Kreitz said.
“I’m not going to sit here and bull—— you about this. The project’s happening,” Tyler said. “We’re partnering with them to make sure it’s done properly and safely.”
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Kretiz also noted his company’s commitment to operating the site in a safe manner. “We’re not a giant, faceless multinational company. This is going to be our main production site. We want to be here for decades. We want to be good neighbors and do the right thing,” he said, noting that Castelion officials will live, work in and be neighbors with the people of Rio Rancho and Sandoval County.
The response, however, did not sit well with some in the crowd with one woman telling Tyler he has an “obligation to stand up to the state and represent the people who don’t want to take a chance on this facility.”
Another called the process “incredibly sketchy” in that most people in the room didn’t know about Project Ranger until just days before the meeting, when it was already a done deal.
Another question attendees brought up was concern for the tribes in the area and their inclusion in the process.
Sandoval County Deputy Manager Eric Masterson said that all the tribal entities throughout the region were invited to tour the site and invited to provide feedback. “Concerns from the tribal leadership was absolutely taken into consideration, and it’s an ongoing process,” he said.
Residents, like at previous meetings, also brought up questions about safety concerns.
In addition to highlighting the numerous codes and regulations Castelion would have to follow at Project Ranger — as well as the various departments that would be responsible for ensuring regulations are followed — Kretiz also mentioned that the site has already undergone several studies, including a flora and fauna test, and noted that a plume study is currently underway with Sandia National Labs that will examine the impact of potential incidents and that plans for the construction of the facility will be adjusted pending the outcome of the study. Additionally, he said, the New Mexico Environmental Department will be overseeing operations and emissions to make sure there’s not an impact on the community.
Kretiz noted that if a fire were to break out, “the best thing to do to protect the environment and people is to let a potential fire burn,” and that the plume study would determine the impact of a potential fire. He also said that ammonium perchlorate doesn’t explode — “It burns and it burns fast.” Additionally, as he noted in the presentation, the site is designed in a way to prevent an incident from spreading from one building to another.
Another community member asked if there have been any ammonium perchlorate or other contaminations at the company’s existing facility in Midland, Texas.
“No, and it’s something we’re very diligent about,” Kreitz said. “We’ve done everything from a regulatory standpoint that we’re supposed to be doing.”
He also said if there’s a fire or contamination at the site, “Castelion is responsible for making it right.”
The potential economic impact of Project Ranger was a part of the discussion, with questions about the impact on property values. While stressing that he’s not an economic expert, Kretiz said that, in his opinion, what drives property value is industry and commerce.
He said the Project Ranger will bring jobs to the community — 300 being the firm commitment number to the state, though the “internal number” is looking like it will exceed that. The 800-1,000 jobs number community members referenced, he said, are more of a 10-year projection. Kreitz said that they are expecting to have 60-70 employees hired by the end of 2026 with hiring accelerating into 2027.
“We are here because we’ve been very, very impressed with the local workforce. It’s a promising pool to draw from,” he said “We are here because we want to be hiring locally as much as we can.”
Not all of the attendees were there to express concerns, however. Some stood up and offered support.
One man noted that Project Ranger will bring “high-wage, future-focused manufacturing jobs” as well as an expansion of the tax base and stronger national security. Plus, he said, the company will be under the best compliance and environmental regulators there is as it’s the same agencies that oversee Los Alamos and Sandia National Labs.
Another offered his welcome to the company.
“I’m very thankful and grateful that you’ve chosen Rio Rancho and Sandoval County to expand your company,” he said. “I ask that you invest in the community and do what’s right as far as the protections and be a good neighbor. And, welcome to Rio Rancho.”
