Political News – Page 676

WIPP: Safe Havens Increases Underground Safety

Submitted by Chris Clark on December 1, 2015

Safe havens provide life-saving shelter for underground workers in the event of an emergency. Courtesy photo

WIPP News:

The WIPP site has made significant safety improvements. Recently, eight underground safe havens (or refuge chambers) were delivered to the site and will be downloaded into the WIPP underground prior to the restart of waste disposal operations.

The safe havens are about 28 feet long, 8 feet wide and 7.25 feet high and weigh approximately 19,000 pounds.

Each unit is equipped to house 20 people for at

Udall Statement On New Mexico Unit Agreement

Submitted by Chris Clark on December 1, 2015

U.S. Sen. Tom Udall

SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement Monday, Nov. 23, on the Secretary of the Interior’s decision to further evaluate the impacts and costs of any potential New Mexico Unit Agreement to the Central Arizona Project:

“Today’s decision means the Interior Department will move forward with a legally required process to establish a framework for federal participation to study the environmental cost of diverting water from

Attorney General Warns New Mexicans About ‘Making Home Affordable’ Program

Submitted by Chris Clark on November 30, 2015

STATE News:

ALBUQUERQUE ― Last week, Attorney General Hector Balderas issued a scam alert to warn New Mexicans about a dangerous new scam preying on New Mexicans who are having trouble paying their mortgages.

“Do not pay Ocwen mortgage payments by Moneygram in response to ‘Making Home Affordable’ offer letters or calls,” Balderas said. “This is a scam and if you receive one of these letters or calls please contact the Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Attorney General at 505.222.9100.”

Details about the scam:

The Attorney

Udall, Heinrich Welcome Passage Of New Law To Foster Innovation, Increase Competitiveness Of U.S. Space Industry

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on November 30, 2015

U.S. Sen. Tom Udall

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich praised passage of the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act to modernize commercial space regulations and encourage competitiveness in the industry.

Udall and Heinrich are longtime champions of modernizing U.S. policies governing commercial spaceflight. The bill, which President Obama signed last week, provides an essential legal framework that will enable New Mexico’s commercial spaceflight industry to grow in the years ahead.

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich

The new law will Read More

IBEW President On Push To Abolish Cadillac Tax

Submitted by Chris Clark on November 30, 2015

IBEW News:

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers President Lonnie R. Stephenson issued the following statement regarding bipartisan efforts to repeal the Cadillac Tax:

“I applaud the more than 300 members of Congress from both parties who added their names to legislation that would repeal the so-called Cadillac Tax, which is burdening employers and employees alike with increased health care costs.

“This tax unfairly punishes companies that did the right thing by offering comprehensive health plans, while squeezing the budgets of working families, many

Heinrich Continues Call For Wildfire Budget Fix

Submitted by Chris Clark on November 28, 2015

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich

SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― During a U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) underscored the need to increase wildfire suppression efforts and continued his call for wildfire funding reform.

The hearing focused on a review of previous wildfire seasons to inform and improve future federal wildland fire management strategies.

The committee heard testimony from U.S. Government Accountability Office Director for Natural Resources and Environment

Udall Responds To Senate Resolutions Opposing Steps To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Submitted by Chris Clark on November 28, 2015

SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Sen. Tom Udall voted against two resolutions expressing Congress’ opposition to steps the administration has taken to reduce global warming-causing greenhouse gas emissions.

Earlier in the day, he delivered a speech on the Senate floor about the pending resolutions, which express disapproval of the administration’s Clean Power Plan and its regulations of new and existing power plants.

Udall urged Congress to work together to develop a diverse energy portfolio and a comprehensive climate

Governor Unveils Series Of Powerful TV Ads To Fight Drunk Driving

Submitted by Chris Clark on November 26, 2015

STATE News:

ALBUQUERQUE — Gov. Susana Martinez unveiled a series of powerful TV ads to fight drunk driving on the state’s roads and highways.

These new ads feature New Mexico State Police officers sharing their personal stories of coming face-to-face with the real and horrible consequences of drunk driving, witnessing the devastating fatal crashes and having to inform families that their loved ones have been killed.

To view these new ads, visit here.

“Our police officers are often the first on the scene. They see firsthand — with their own two

Udall Introduces Updated Bill To Expand DOE Tech Transfer, Build NM’s Economy

Submitted by Chris Clark on November 26, 2015

SENATE News:

WASHINGTON ― U.S. Sen. Tom Udall unveiled his updated bill to streamline the process for moving cutting-edge research and development from our national labs into the marketplace.

Udall has championed technology transfer as a way to advance high-tech industries and create jobs in New Mexico.

While Udall has successfully pushed the Department of Energy (DOE) to improve tech transfer, there is still much work to do.

The Accelerating Technology Transfer to Advance Innovation for the Nation (ATTAIN) Act will cut bureaucracy and

Martinez Announces $1 Million Expansion Of CYFD’s Family Support Worker Program

Submitted by Chris Clark on November 26, 2015

STATE News:

LOS LUNAS — Gov. Susana Martinez has announced a $1 million expansion of the Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD) Family Support Worker program, which she initiated as a pilot program in Bernalillo County in April of 2014.

The program will now serve six New Mexico counties and provides specifically high-risk families with service and support aimed at preventing child maltreatment.

Martinez also urged legislators to enact stiffer penalties for those who assault child abuse caseworkers in New Mexico.

“Expanding the number

Heinrich Urges President To Work With Bipartisan Group To Protect Working Americans From Cadillac Tax

Submitted by Chris Clark on November 26, 2015

SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Sens. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and U.S. Reps. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) and Frank Guinta (R-N.H.) in sending a letter to President Barack Obama requesting a bipartisan, bicameral meeting to discuss a plan to eliminate the “Cadillac Tax,” a 40 percent excise tax on health insurance plans set to take effect in 2018.

Heinrich and Heller introduced bipartisan legislation last month to fully repeal the onerous tax.

“If

MADD, Senator Udall, Sheriff Gonzales Remind New Mexicans Drive To Sober Or Get Pulled Over

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on November 25, 2015

STATE News:

DWI-related deaths spike from Thanksgiving through New Year’s

ALBUQUERQUE – Mothers Against Drunk Driving New Mexico (MADD) have teamed up with U.S. Sen. Tom Udall and Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzales to kick off the 2015 holiday season anti-drunken driving campaign.

The holidays are a particularly deadly time of year on the roads, with DWI-related crashes and deaths spiking from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. MADD, Udall and Gonzales are reminding New Mexicans to plan ahead this holiday season and designate a non-drinking driver to get them home safely from holiday Read More

Udall, Heinrich Urge LWCF Reauthorization, Funding Before Year Ends

Submitted by Chris Clark on November 25, 2015

SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and a bipartisan coalition of 12 other senators sent a letter asking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kent.) and Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to include the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) along with full mandatory funding in one of the bills Congress must pass before adjourning for the year.

“The LWCF is funded with offshore oil royalties and was designed not to use taxpayer dollars. However, since the creation of

Political Cartoon By Petr Jandáček

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on November 22, 2015

By Petr Jandáček/Los Alamos Read More

Luján Discusses Need To Improve New Mexico’s Mental And Behavioral Health System

Submitted by Chris Clark on November 21, 2015

CONGRESSIONAL News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― In the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee markup earlier this month, U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District discussed the need to improve the mental and behavioral health systems in New Mexico and across the nation.

New Mexico’s behavioral health system is in a state of crisis following the freezing of payments to15 behavioral health providers and the eventual closure of a number of these organizations, as well as the exit of some of the Arizona providers that came into replace them.

REPORT: Governor’s REAL ID Proposal To ‘More Than Double’ Wait Times At MVD

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on November 20, 2015

Imagine your worst MVD experience … now double it. Courtesy/ProgressNow New Mexico

ProgressNow New Mexico News:

New Mexicans Petition Governor & Legislative Leaders To Pass Simpler Bi-partisan Fix

MVD lines are about to get a lot longer if a driver’s license proposal supported by Gov. Susana Martinez passes the state legislature this January, a national report of state legislatures says.

According to a report from the non-partisan, non-profit National Council of State Legislatures:

“To comply with the requirement that all DL/ID (Driver’s license or identification) card Read More

NEA-NM Applauds Game Commission Decision

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on November 20, 2015

NEA-NM News:

The New Mexico State Game Commission approved an easement agreement between the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and the New Mexico State Land Office for hunting access on State Trust Lands.

The easement is for next year’s hunting season, and the Game Department will pay $1 million for access. The previous easement was only $200,000, which equates to just two cents per acre.

The additional $800,000 will benefit New Mexico’s public education – which is the primary beneficiary, receiving approximately 95 percent of the money collected by the Land Read More

Los Alamos Technology Gains National Backing

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on November 19, 2015

Descartes Labs artificial intelligence can race through mountains of data and read a landscape in seconds. An early emphasis for this technology is in evaluating and predicting agricultural output, like these irrigated fields near Roswell. Courtesy/2015 NASA/LANDSAT

By ROGER SNODGRASS

Los Alamos Daily Post

Los Alamos pixels and Los Alamos dots were both riding high this week.

Descartes Labs, Inc., a one-year-old company specializing in satellite imagery recognition and analysis, announced Tuesday that it had raised $5 million in a venture capital round, thanks to a group of investors Read More

Regional Coalition Of LANL Communities Discusses Consent Order Negotiations With NMED And EM-LA

Submitted by Carol A. Clark on November 19, 2015

RCLC News:

HERNANDEZ — The Regional Coalition of LANL Communities (RCLC) hosted representatives from the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and the Los Alamos Environmental Management Field Office (EM-LA) to discuss the Consent Order agreement guiding the regulatory environment for cleanup of legacy nuclear waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

NMED Secretary Ryan Flynn gave an overview of the current consent order and expected changes to the upcoming version to be signed, and EM-LA Manager Doug Hintze presented the new campaign approach that will be utilized Read More

Luján Calls For Action On Immigration Reform

Submitted by Chris Clark on November 19, 2015

U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján

CONGRESSIONAL News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District spoke today at a press conference with House Democratic leaders calling for action on comprehensive immigration reform.

Below are Luján’s remarks as prepared:

“I join my colleagues in expressing my thoughts and prayers to the people of France. As we gather this morning to have a conversation on comprehensive immigration reform in the United States, we have to make sure that we work together. Democrats are willing to work with

LOS ALAMOS

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