Legislation To Increase Oil And Gas Royalty Rate On New Mexico State Lands Passes First Committee
New Mexico State Land Office News:
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SANTA FE – Legislation to increase the top royalty rate charged for oil and gas development on state lands from 20% to the market rate of 25% passed the House Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Committee, New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard announced today.
House Bill 48 (also filed as Senate Bill 24), which is sponsored by Rep. Matthew McQueen and Sen. Bill Tallman, would bring New Mexico’s royalty rate in line with what is charged in Texas and Read More
County: Urban Trail Phase I & II Multi-Use Trail Project Construction Activities Week Of Jan. 22, 2024
Week of Jan. 22 Work Area 1. Courtesy/LAC
COUNTY News:
Hasse Contracting Company Inc., under contract with Los Alamos County Public Works to construct the Urban Trail Phase I & II Multi-use Trail Project, will be restarting construction activities at three different locations downtown and off Canyon Road during the week of Jan. 22.
Weather permitting, areas impacted include (see included maps below):
- Work Zone Area 1: Within the Fuller Lodge grounds adjacent to Central Ave. and heading north towards the Romero Cabin – In this area there will be occasional brief flagger operations
Senate GOP Blasts House Bill Limiting Oil, Gas Production
Sen. William Sharer of Farmington
By ROBERT NOTT
The Santa Fe New Mexican
A Senate Finance Committee hearing about an agency budget turned testy Friday as legislators ripped into the potential effects of a House bill dealing with New Mexico’s oil and gas industry.
During Friday’s meeting, Republican Sens. William Sharer of Farmington and Sen. Crystal Diamond Brantley of Elephant Butte put up a spirited defense of the industry in response to proposed legislation that would require all new wells to placed at least 2,250 feet — not quite a half-mile — from a health care and correctional facilities, Read More
Daily Postcard: Furry American Pika At Bandelier
Daily Postcard: An American Pika munching on a leaf at Bandelier National Monument. American Pikas are found in isolated colonies only in the higher elevations at Bandelier. This small ball of fur eats a variety of green plants. They also collect plant materials and store them in ‘haystacks’ under rocks to eat during the winter. Pikas are closely related to rabbits and hares. In comparison to their relatives, pikas have shorter, rounder ears, and their hind legs are only slightly longer than their front legs. Unlike rabbits, pikas run and don’t hop. Pikas emit a variety of sounds; their Read More
New Mexico Environment Department Issues Request For Information To Develop Strategic Water Supply
Cabinet Secretary James Kenney
NMED News:
SANTA FE — Following Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s announcement at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai and as highlighted in the 2024 State of the State Address delivered earlier this week, the New Mexico Environment Department today released a Request for Information (RFI) related the strategic water supply.
“To meet the demands of communities now and in the future, to sustain our economic growth, and to meet this moment with a first-of-its-kind solution, the Strategic Water Supply will build a secure, resilient water Read More
County Highlights Asphalt & Concrete Recycling Program
Processed product for use. Courtesy/LAC
Concrete-Asphalt Debris to be processed. Courtesy/LAC
COUNTY News:
Los Alamos County Environmental Services Division, in partnership with contractor GM Emulsion, is excited to share information about the asphalt and concrete recycling program aimed at improving sustainable construction practices and environmental conservation. The initiative focuses on the collection, recycling, and resale of concrete and asphalt right here in Los Alamos at the Eco Station.
About the Program:
Environmental Conservation – The program is designed Read More
County: Get To Know The Mountain Lion…
Historically the mountain lion has occupied all parts of Los Alamos County. Courtesy/LAC
COUNTY News:
Mountain lions are usually tawny to light cinnamon in color with black-tipped ears and tail.
Adult cats can weigh 80 to 150 pounds and measure eight feet long, with the tail included.
Most active from dusk to dawn, lions eat deer; however, they also kill elk, porcupines, small mammals, livestock and other domestic animals.
Historically the mountain lion has occupied all parts of Los Alamos County.
When encountering a mountain lion, follow these quick tips:
- Stay calm;
- Do not approach;
- Do not
Daily Postcard: American Kestrel Comin’ In Hot At Bandelier
Daily Postcard: Comin’ in hot for a slice of Bird Day cake on Jan. 5, an American kestrel soars across the bright blue sky above Bandelier National Monument. Also called the sparrow hawk, the American kestrel is the smallest and most common falcon in North America. Courtesy/NPS Read More
LAHS Olions Present Topper Revue Jan. 25-27
N3B Surpasses Small Business Goals Amid Record Procurements
Courtesy/N3B
N3B News:
Newport News Nuclear BWXT Los Alamos (N3B), the legacy waste cleanup contractor at Los Alamos National Laboratory, awarded more than 80% of its nearly $290 million in planned purchases in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 to small businesses, beating its goal of 65%.
“We had significantly more purchasing activity in 2023 with an increase of $134 million in total purchases over the previous year,” said Julie Baer, N3B small business manager. “Ensuring we were able to meet our small business goals with such a large increase in overall purchasing took significant planning Read More
Daily Postcard: Tiny Weasel Spotted At Valles Caldera
Daily Postcard: A long-tailed weasel pokes its head up from behind snowy rocks and scans the area Wednesday at Valles Caldera National Preserve. This weasel is a tiny but scrappy mammal found in the grasslands and woodlands of Valles Caldera. It primarily eats lizards, small birds and rodents, but occasionally will prey on animals larger than itself, lending to its reputation as a ferocious hunter. The most common weasel sightings at Valles Caldera take place near prairie dog towns where they frequently hunt. The long-tailed weasel is a master of adaptation. In the summer, its coat is medium Read More
Canceled: Kiwanis Aluminum Collection For Jan. 20
Kiwanis Club News:
The Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos aluminum collection, which was scheduled for this Saturday, Jan. 20, has been canceled.
The next collection event is scheduled for Saturday, March 16. Read More
Daily Postcard: Icy Morning On The Rio Grande
Daily Postcard: An icy cold early morning view on Jan. 12 of the Rio Grande. Photo by Jennifer Moss Read More
Heinrich, Markey, Tonko Lead Bicameral Letter Urging FERC To Strengthen And Finalize Transmission Planning Rule
From the Office of U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Safety, along with U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), led 134 lawmakers in sending a letter to Federal Energy Regulatory Committee (FERC) Chairman Willie Phillips urging FERC to strengthen and finalize its proposed transmission planning and cost allocation rule.
Improved and increased Read More
FEMA: Agencies To Hold Two Claims Office Resource Fairs
FEMA News:
SANTA FE –The State of New Mexico Disaster Case Management Team and United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Partner Network will partner with the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Office Advocate Team in Guadalupita and Rociada on two resource fairs.
The Resource Fairs, Jan. 16 and Jan. 18 will provide information one-on-one to those who may have filed a claim or who hope to file a claim. These fairs are to meet with area residents affected by the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire and subsequent flooding. These events make it convenient to learn about the claims process Read More
Environment Department Releases Interactive Dashboard Of Formerly Operating Uranium Mine And Mill Sites
NMED News:
SANTA FE — New Mexico played a critical role in national defense starting in World War II by supplying uranium, the critical element in some nuclear weapons, to the federal government. Uranium continues to serve as a source material for nuclear power plants today, though no active mining or milling operations exist in the state. Unfortunately, the adverse legacy of uranium mining and milling is a very present danger to communities and remains in our land and water, posing significant risk to human health and the environment.
Today, the New Mexico Environment Department’s (NMED) Read More
Daily Postcard: Removing Snow At Valles Caldera
Daily Postcard: A snowblower ejects a horizontal plume of snow from the entrance road Wednesday at Valles Caldera National Preserve. Courtesy/Stan Ford Read More
Op-Ed: Don’t Write Off Electric And Related Technology Vehicles; They May Be Our Salvation
By Peter LaDelfe
Los Alamos
I’m writing this in response to Doug Reilly’s Op/Ed, “Electric Vehicles Not Quite the Panacea…,” LA Daily Post, January 4, 2024 (link). While I disagree with none of what Mr. Reilly says, I believe he has overlooked important factors. Most notably, he treats battery-electric vehicles as the apex technology for transportation, ignoring the hydrogen technologies and other emerging developments.
With regard to hydrogen, I will admit from the outset that charging a battery from the electrical source will always be more efficient than converting electricity to hydrogen Read More
Weekly Fishing Report: Jan. 15, 2024
By GEORGE MORSE
Sports and Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post
New Mexico dodged a bullet last week inches form of an Artic Express storm front courtesy of the Polar Vortex. A bitterly -cold mass of Artic air swooped down from Canada, dropping temperatures to below zero in much of the Midwestern United States.
Not all of New Mexico escaped the cold weather. Temperatures in Eastern New Mexico dropped to below-zero. It created some weird temperature abnormalities. The temperature in Ruidoso was 20 degrees warmer than that in Roswell.
These Polar Expresses are no joke. One I 2011 led to the shutting Read More
Jack Frost Leaves Artistic Scene On Windshield At Bandelier
Jack Frost leaves a beautiful artistic scene on a windshield Sunday at Bandelier National Monument. In honor of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., today is an entrance fee-free day at Bandelier. This marks the first of the fee-free days for 2024. The remaining entrance fee-free days for 2024 include April 20 – First Day of National Park Week, June 19 – Juneteenth, Aug. 4 – Great American Outdoors Day, Sept. 28 – National Public Lands Day and Nov. 11 – Veterans Day. Courtesy/NPS Read More
