Environment

DOE National Cleanup Workshop Sept. 29-30

September 23, 2015 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

DOE News:

Washington, D.C. – Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 29-30, the Department of Energy (DOE), in cooperation with the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) and Energy Facility Contractors Group (EFCOG), will hold the first DOE National Cleanup Workshop at the Key Bridge Marriott in Arlington, VA.

The workshop brings together senior DOE executives, officials from DOE sites, industry executives, local government officials, and other stakeholders. Topics will include major cleanup successes planned for the next two years, contract and project management improvement, efforts to develop Read More

NNSA Removes U.S.-Origin HEU From Jamaica, Makes Caribbean HEU Free

September 22, 2015 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Anne Harrington

NNSA News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) has removed approximately 1 kilogram of U.S.-Origin highly enriched uranium (HEU) from Jamaica’s “Safe Low-Power Kritical Experiment” (SLOWPOKE) research reactor and returned the material to the United States, making the Caribbean region completely free of HEU.

“Cooperating with Jamaica and Canada in completing this HEU removal is an outstanding example of how regional cooperation can support global efforts to minimize the civilian use of HEU, while Read More

NM Testimony At Joint Congressional Hearing Reveals EPA Misled With Incomplete, Cherry-Picked Data

September 22, 2015 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

New Mexico Environment Secretary Ryan Flynn

NMED News:

SANTA FE – At Thursday’s Joint Congressional Hearing for Natural Resources and Oversight & Government Reform, New Mexico Environment Secretary Ryan Flynn clarified numerous discrepancies from testimony made earlier in the day by the Environmental Protection Agency, including the agency’s summary-level, cherry-picked data that sought to downplay the severity of the Gold King Mine spill.

Flynn testified that the EPA neglected to include a key contaminant, arsenic, among the data supplied. Nor did EPA include total metals (just Read More

PEEC: International Solutions To Fire Management

September 21, 2015 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

International Prescribed Fire Training Exchange participants in the field. Courtesy/PEEC

PEEC News:

Fire management is a global challenge and 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22 at the Nature Center, fire management experts from this year’s International Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (IPFTE) will present solutions for using fire to maintain local forests and grasslands.

This is the fifth year for the IPFTE, a program held annually in the Jemez Mountains and hosted by the Nature Conservancy and The Santa Fe National Forest. The Training Exchange brings together forest managers, biologists, Read More

Heinrich Calls For Reforms To Mining Law In Environment And Public Works Hearing On Recent Spill

September 20, 2015 by Submitted by Chris Clark

SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M. spoke at a U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) oversight hearing Wednesday on the Gold King Mine spill that occurred last month.

The committee examined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) response to the accident, which caused a large plume of bright orange toxic waste to spill into the Animas and San Juan Rivers and pollute the Four Corners region, and the subsequent impact it had on the environment and economies of local states, communities, and Indian

Heading Into The Unknown…

September 19, 2015 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly takes a selfie with the Bahamas from 250 miles above Earth aboard the International Space Station. Courtesy/NASA

By SCOTT KELLY

NASA Astronaut

Almost everything we know about living in space ends at six months. Now that I am at the midpoint of my mission, heading into the second half of one year in space aboard the International Space Station, I am looking forward to exploring the science of this uncharted territory and stepping into the unknown.

My Russian colleague Mikhail Kornienko and I are living in space for one year to push the edge of our scientific understanding. Read More

Energy Department Announces $102 Million To Tackle Solar Challenges, Expand Access To Clean Electricity

September 19, 2015 by Submitted by Chris Clark

DOE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― Building on President Obama’s Climate Action Plan to cut climate-changing carbon pollution and continue building a clean energy economy in the United States, the Energy Department announced more than $102 million in new projects and available funding to support American leadership in clean energy innovation.

More than $52 million will support 22 new projects in partnership with companies, non-profit organizations, universities, and national laboratories that aim to make solar energy more affordable and accessible across the

Clean-water Groups Respond To Ryan Flynn’s Congressional Testimony

September 19, 2015 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

CVNM News:

New Mexico Environment Secretary Ryan Flynn testified in front of the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday regarding August’s Gold King Mine spill in the Animas River, promoting New Mexico’s management of natural resources.

But Flynn’s actions at the Environment Department have put New Mexico in greater danger of such water-contamination disasters in the future.

“The Animas River toxic spill provides an opportunity for Ryan Flynn and the state of New Mexico government to re-evaluate their neglect of, and indifference to, the need for stringent environmental regulations Read More

Clouds Decorate The Sky Over San Ildefonso

September 19, 2015 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Clouds decorating the sky over San Ildefonso were captured on camera during a recent outing. Photo by Jennifer Bartram Read More

Udall At EPW Hearing: New Mexicans Deserve Compensation, Long-Term Plan For Gold King Mine Spill

September 18, 2015 by Submitted by Chris Clark

U.S. Sen. Tom Udall

SENATE News:

WASHINGTON ― During a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Thursday, U.S. Sen. Tom Udall called for action to help communities affected by the Gold King Mine wastewater spill into the Animas and San Juan rivers.

Udall discussed confusion and mistakes made by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the immediate aftermath of the spill, and committed to introducing two bills to help Northwestern New Mexico recover and help prevent another disastrous mine spill.