Environment

NNSA: Last HEU Removed From Switzerland

September 18, 2015 by Submitted by Chris Clark

DOE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA), working in collaboration with the Government of Switzerland, announced that approximately 2.2 kilogram of U.S.-origin highly enriched uranium (HEU) has been returned from the University of Basel in Switzerland to the United States.

The HEU is from AGN-211-P research reactor, which commenced operation in 1961 using U.S.-origin HEU Material Test Reactor (MTR)-type fuel.

The reactor was operated for decades by the University of Basel

Energy Department Announces $70 Million For Innovation Institute On Smart Manufacturing

September 18, 2015 by Submitted by Chris Clark

DOE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― The Department of Energy announced Wednesday $70 million in funding for the next Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute, which will be focused on smart manufacturing.

With this investment, the Department aims to support research and development advancements that can reduce the cost of deployment for technologies such as advanced sensors, controls, platforms, and modeling for manufacturing by as much as 50 percent.

As part of President Obama’s National Network of Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (NNMI), the institute

SFNF Prescribed Burn Oct. 1 – Dec. 31

September 18, 2015 by Submitted by Chris Clark

SFNF News:

SANTA FE ― Fire managers on the Santa Fe National Forest are planning to conduct a prescribed burn in Gallinas Canyon on the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District.

The window for the Gallinas Canyon prescribed burn will open Oct. 1 and extend through Dec. 31. The decision to burn will be dependent on favorable conditions, including fuel moisture levels, air quality, weather forecasts and available resources.

The 500-acre Gallinas Canyon treatment area is located approximately 20 miles west/southwest of Las Vegas, NM. Crews

Los Alamos To Team With Procter & Gamble In Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative

September 18, 2015 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

LANL and consumer products company Procter & Gamble will form one of the seven ‘innovation pairs’ working to bring sustainable ideas from some of the nations top scientists into the day-to-day world of manufacturing. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

Clean energy manufacturing efforts will get a boost, thanks to a new national laboratory-industry collaboration pilot announced this week by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative (CEMI).

Los Alamos National Laboratory and consumer products company Procter & Gamble will form one of the seven ‘innovation Read More

Energy Department Selects Five Projects In First Step To Produce Fresh Water From CO2 Storage Sites

September 17, 2015 by Submitted by Chris Clark

DOE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― Today, the Department of Energy announced the selection of five projects that will study the feasibility of using salty water―or brine ―from carbon dioxide (CO2) storage sites to produce fresh water.

These projects – which will receive more than $7 million in funding from the Department―will develop and validate strategies to manage pressure and the flow of CO2 in saline formations through a Brine Extraction Storage Test (BEST).

By managing the pressure and the flow of CO2―also known as a plume steering―brine can

Secretary Moniz Unveils Roadmap To Double U.S. Energy Productivity By 2030

September 16, 2015 by Submitted by Chris Clark

DOE Secretary Ernest Moniz

DOE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― In support of the President’s goal to double U.S. energy productivity by 2030, Secretary Ernest Moniz unveiled a strategic plan today laying out a path businesses, state and local governments, consumers and other stakeholders can use to achieve this goal.

The report, Accelerate Energy Productivity 2030: A Strategic Roadmap for American Energy Innovation, Economic Growth, and Competitiveness, identifies proven and effective strategies and actions to advance energy efficiency.

Recycling Extraordinaire Presentation Thursday

September 15, 2015 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Pile of recycled trash. Courtesy/Freidman Recycling Company

COUNTY News:

Join the Environmental Sustainability Board for a presentation by recycling extraordinaire, Mike Smith, at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17 in the Municipal Building, Room #110.

Special guest speaker, Mike Smith, of Freidman Recycling Company (the County’s recycling contractor) will discuss how Los Alamos County residents and businesses can improve their recycling efforts, and will answer the public’s recycling questions. Smith also will discuss the global recycling market and how it directly impacts Read More

Scenes Of Chaco Canyon By Los Alamos Hiker

September 15, 2015 by Submitted by Chris Clark

Pueblo Bonito, the largest and best-known great house in Chaco Culture National Historical Park, northern New Mexico, was built by the Ancestral Puebloans who occupied the structure between AD 828 and 1126. Photo by Robert Beberniss

Photo by Robert Beberniss

Photo by Robert Beberniss

Photo by Robert Beberniss

Governor To Unveil New State Energy Policy

September 14, 2015 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

Gov. Susana Martinez

STATE News:

CARLSBAD — Monday morning, Gov. Susana Martinez will unveil a sweeping new energy policy and implementation.

Among other things, the blueprint calls for an “all of the above” approach to energy development that promotes the production of all sources of energy as a means of creating jobs, diversifying a key sector of the economy, and supporting the nation’s efforts to achieve energy independence.

Later in the afternoon, the governor also will unveil a new campaign to raise public awareness and improve road safety in Southeast New Mexico. Read More

Luján Questions EPA On Gold King Mine Spill

September 13, 2015 by Submitted by Carol A. Clark

U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján

U.S. CONGRESSIONAL News:

Calls for Improved Communication and Better Mitigation Plans

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District questioned a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official about the Gold King Mine spill Friday at an Environment and the Economy subcommittee hearing.

While Luján is not a member of the subcommittee, he participated in the hearing, “Oversight of Federal Facility Cleanup under CERCLA,” as a member of the full Energy and Commerce Committee.

Luján questioned Mathy Stanislaus, Assistant Administrator Read More