Environment

Gessing: Time For New Mexico’s Democrats To Get Serious About Energy & Climate

By PAUL J. GESSING
President
Rio Grande Foundation

There are many things that make New Mexico unique, but one of the most noteworthy political nuances is the State’s deep and unusual relationship with energy.

New Mexico’s Democratic politicians love the money and jobs generated by the traditional energy industry, but also wish to be seen as pushing back against it to placate their environmentalist base. 

Nonetheless, New Mexico, a state blessed with all sorts of energy resources (both traditional as well as wind and solar) has continued to embrace Democrat politicians despite the Party’s Read More

Amateur Naturalist: How Smart Is A Bird Brain?

A Black Chinned Hummingbird. Photo by Bob Walker, PEEC Nature Center

By ROBERT DRYJA
Los Alamos

Spring is approaching and birds will be migrating in a month. 

This migration is not random flying but involves two considerations: 

  • Time; and 
  • Direction of a flight. 

The first consideration is presented in Chart 1 (below). Black chinned hummingbirds arrive routinely in the first week of April and are gone by the end of October.  

The second consideration relates to the the direction of migration. Hummingbirds know which way to fly as well as when to fly. They fly southward for the winter to Mexico Read More

Los Alamos-based UbiQD And Heliene Initiate Joint Development Of Agrivoltaic Modules For Greenhouses

UbiQD R&D Engineer inspects a quantum dot glass prototype under UV. Courtesy/ UbiQD, Inc.

UbiQD News:

The development will combine UbiGro® light optimizing technology to maximize crop yields with solar power generation for greenhouses.

UbiQD, Inc., a deep tech company specializing in nanomaterials innovation, and Canada-based Heliene Inc., a customer-first provider of North American made solar modules, today announced the initiation of a joint development agreement to embed UbiGro® sunlight optimizing technology in Heliene’s photovoltaic modules.

“As energy costs continue Read More

Environmental Protection Division Director Ely To Retire

EPD Director Sandra Ely

NMED News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) announces that Environmental Protection Division (EPD) Director Sandra Ely will retire at the end of March after three years leading the division.

Over the course of her 24-year career, Director Ely has been instrumental in initiatives that have and will continue to positively impact the environment and public health in New Mexico.

Director Ely has a long history with NMED. She started in the Occupational, Health, and Safety Bureau in 1994 as an industrial hygienist, moved up to Program Manager before Read More

Kiwanians Thankful For Aluminum Collection Success

Kiwanians stand in front of an impressive pile of aluminum cans collected March 19 near Sullivan Field. Courtesy/Kiwanis

KIWANIS News:

The Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos would like to thank the community for making its March 19 aluminum collection a great success!

Kiwanis collected more than 1,100 pounds of aluminum – a near record (and an impressive pile).

With the help of Key Club members and Kiwanis Lieutenant Governor Ana Murphy, the Club was able to both pay people who contributed aluminum cans and receive money from them that will go back to the community through Kiwanis service projects.

Thanks Read More

Daily Postcard: Worm Moon Shines Over White Rock

Daily Postcard: The final full moon of the winter season rose Thursday and Friday night. The Worm Moon reached peak illumination at 3:20 a.m. EDT Friday. The Worm Moon is captured here through tree branches 6 a.m. Saturday in White Rock. For many years, it was thought the name referred to the earthworms that appear as the soil warms in spring. This invites robins and other birds to feed. However, more research revealed another explanation. In the 1760s, Captain Jonathan Carver visited the Naudowessie` (Dakota) and other Native American tribes and wrote that the name Worm Moon refers to a different Read More

New Mexico, Western Inter-States Hydrogen Hub Responds To U.S. Department Of Energy Request For Information

Secretary James Kenney of New Mexico Environment Department

STATE News:

SANTA FE — The Western Inter-States Hydrogen Hub Memorandum of Understanding States and the “Collaboratory” submitted a joint response Friday to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Request for Information (RFI) on the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Implementation Strategy.

The response can be found here.

The submission was a collective effort between the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, led by the “Collaboratory”. The Collaboratory was formally chartered in 2007 as the Colorado Energy Research Read More

Posts From The Road: Bluebonnet Season In Texas

Roadside Blooms: Bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush cover the roadside in the Texas hill country west of Austin. Bluebonnets are seen around the state, but this area is a favorite to photograph. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

Afternoon Light: The late afternoon light skims across the landscape with a warm glow of color. The blooms are always beautiful but time of day and other factors such as this old gate add another dimension in the framing of this field of flowers. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos

You know its Spring when the bluebonnets Read More

SFNF Cancels Plans To Implement Las Dispensas Prescribed Burn On Pecos/Las Vegas District

SFNF News:

SANTA FE — Snow on the ground and forecasted weather have delayed the planned implementation of the previously announced Las Dispensas prescribed burn on the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District this weekend.

Fire managers look at multiple factors, including resource availability, fuel moisture levels, air quality, ventilation, and forecasted weather and wind, before making the final go/no go decision on every prescribed burn.

They canceled the Las Dispensas burn because fuel moisture levels in the project area are above prescription parameters in the burn plan. 

Fire updates, Read More

AFRL: Equipping Space Force Operators Through Innovation

Col. Stephen Landry, director of the Space Force Integration & Digital Transformation office, discusses the Space Force coders creation of innovative, cutting-edge software to enhance warfighter capabilities at the final day of the Delta Innovation Summit held in February at the NewSpace New Mexico’s Unite & Ignite Space LaunchPad, a co-innovation hub with AFRL, in Albuquerque, joining him are space operators Tech. Sgt. Robert Cameron and Capt. Scott Hubert. Courtesy/Allen Winston

Brig.-Gen. Kevin Whale, Deputy Commanding General of Transformation, Space Operations Read More

New Mexico Clean & Beautiful Grant Program Opens Applications For Waste Reduction & Beautification Projects

NMTD is accepting applications for the Clean and Beautiful Grant Program FY23 cycle now until April 15. Courtesy/NMTD

NMTD

  • Program received record participation in previous fiscal year 

SANTA FE — After the New Mexico Tourism Department (NMTD) supported a record 53 communities through the Clean and Beautiful Grant Program in FY22, the department is prepared to continue supporting waste reduction and beautification projects of New Mexico communities in FY23.

NMTD is officially accepting applications for the Clean and Beautiful Grant Program FY23 cycle now until April 15. All New Mexico Read More

Heinrich: We Need To Act On Climate & Electrify For Peace

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), founder and Co-Chair of the Electrification Caucus, participated in a virtual press conference Wednesday hosted by Rewiring America to discuss addressing Russia’s unjustified war in Ukraine and Vladimir Putin’s global energy price hike by accelerating our transition to clean energy, passing climate investments, and securing true American energy independence.

During his remarks, Heinrich said that “Banning the import of Russian oil and gas, which fuels Putin’s unjustified war atrocities in Ukraine, was the Read More

Earthday.org Releases Slate Of Educational And Entertaining Quizzes For Classroom, At-Home And Community Learning

EARTHDAY News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — EARTHDAY.ORG has released a slate of educational and entertaining quizzes to be incorporated into classroom, at-home, or community learning.

As an overall extension of the Earth Day 2022 theme, Invest In Our Planet, quiz topics include: sustainability terms, clean energy, sustainable fashion, regenerative agriculture, upcycled foods, environmental literacy, plastic pollution, biodiversity and more.

Aimed to inform, inspire, and motivate, EARTHDAY.ORG’s quizzes are the perfect entry-point to greater environmental education and climate action. Read More

Los Alamos Kiwanis Aluminum Can Collection Saturday

Saturday March 19, Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos will be collecting and buying aluminum cans to send for recycling. The collection is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot of First United Methodist Church near Sullivan Field on Diamond Drive. The community is encouraged to bring aluminum cans they’ve accumulated and help support the environment and Kiwanis charitable works. Courtesy/Kiwanis Read More

NNSA Issues Floodplain Statement Of Findings For Outdoor Live Fire Range Safety Upgrades Project

NNSA News:

The Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration’s (DOE/NNSA) Los Alamos Field Office has issued a Floodplain Statement of Findings for proposed construction and upgrade activities in lower Sandia Canyon at Technical Area (TA) 72 at the Outdoor Live Fire Range facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

The proposed upgrades are intended to improve range safety to help fulfill the mission requirements of maintaining a trained and qualified armed Protective Force.

The project activities within the 100-year floodplain include:

  • Installation of eight
Read More
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