Environment

New Mexico Environment Department Closes Downtown Albuquerque Office Amidst Move To New Building

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NMED News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department has closed its Downtown Albuquerque office, transferring all public-facing and in-person services to its Rio Rancho field office until a new location in the city opens.

This closure follows a temporary closure of the NMED Albuquerque field office, located in the Springer Square Building at 121 Tijeras Ave. NE, due to persistent mechanical system failures.

The department is preparing to move into a new Albuquerque location, which is scheduled to open in late Fall 2025.

Any member of the public attempting to access in-person services Read More

Bureau Of Land Management Advances Environmental Assessments For Challenged Oil And Gas Leases

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BLM News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Bureau of Land Management is moving forward with supplemental environmental assessments for litigated oil and gas leases in seven states.

These analyses will satisfy court orders and settlement agreements stemming from legal challenges brought by WildEarth Guardians and other plaintiffs between 2016-2021 to oil and gas leases in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.

The BLM published draft supplemental environmental assessments for Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and New Mexico today at BLM’s Read More

Keller: Wildflower Extravaganza Blooming Right Now!

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By CHICK KELLER
PEEC Los Alamos Nature Center

Late summer is always a good time to see our wonderful wildflower numbers. Right now there is a particularly large number of blooms (some 50 species!) on the Walnut Canyon Rim Trail.

This trail goes between the golf course and Walnut Canyon. It begins just off of San Ildefonso Road, just beyond the roundabout. One goes up a dirt road for about a hundred yards, then turns left onto a trail. A bit farther on, that trail splits with the Walnut Canyon Rim Trail going right.

The blooming wildflowers begin where you park and continue all along. The trail goes for Read More

NMED To Monitor LANL’s Tritium Operation This Weekend

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From NMED:

          • State oversight ensures safety during weekend venting procedure

LOS ALAMOS — The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) will actively monitor Los Alamos National Laboratory’s controlled capture of tritium scheduled for this weekend, with strict safeguards and oversight in place to ensure public safety.

The tritium operation, which falls under the regulatory authority of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is implemented by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), involves venting and capture of tritium from four flanged containers.

NMED Read More

Op-Ed: Caja del Rio Power Line Project

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By DEIRDRE MONROE
Santa Fe
Author of Caja trails map

An article in the Santa Fe New Mexican (Aug. 13, 2025) described a USFS “finding of no impact” for a proposed power line that would cross the northern Caja Plateau, linking Los Alamos with an existing electrical substation just off Buckman Road. Since then, I have read several strong statements of opposition. While there certainly is opposition to the project, there is also support. I’d like to provide some food for thought.

The Caja is lovely—beautiful and rugged—but it is a 100,000-acre, working landscape. In my 25 years of exploring this area Read More

Sustainable Creativity At Creative Reuse Art Exhibition

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Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

ART News:

Places & Spaces Los Alamos invites the public to a unique and inspiring exhibition of community-created art, celebrating the power of sustainable creativity. The Creative Reuse Art Exhibition will be on display daily in the lobby at the SALA Los Alamos Event Center from Saturday, Sept.13, through Saturday, Sept. 20.

This free exhibition features art created by local community members, showcasing how discarded materials can be transformed into new and meaningful works. The collection is the culmination of recent Creative Reuse and Junk Journaling Read More