Environment

PEEC: Planetarium Line-up For Dec. 23

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PEEC News:
 
At 7 p.m., Friday, Dec 23, local astronomers will share information about the sun and the winter solstice in the Los Alamos Nature Center Planetarium.
 
The winter solstice, marking the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, also signifies the first day of winter. Astronomers will use the planetarium dome to reveal how this cosmic dynamic works and share more information about our solar system.
 
The nature center is closed Dec. 23-24 as well as Jan. 1 for the holidays. Otherwise, the nature center will be open regular
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DOE Awards Co-op Agreement To New Mexico Energy, Confederated Tribes Of Umatilla Indian Reservation

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DOE News:

CARLSBAD — The Department of Energy’s Carlsbad Field Office Monday awarded a $375,000, five-year cooperative agreement to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Pendleton, Ore. for the coordination of activities to ensure the safe transportation of transuranic waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).

Activities under the cooperative agreement focus on technical assistance to be provided through training and exercises for the Indian Nation to prepare emergency responders and emergency management for the continued assurance of safe

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Secretary Jewell Celebrates Milestones For Smart Western Water Management

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USDI News:
 
LAS VEGAS ― U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Deputy Secretary of the Interior Michael L. Connor celebrated milestones for two collaborative efforts the Interior Department has spearheaded to help secure sustainable water supplies for future generations.
 
They made the announcements at the Colorado River Water Users Association meeting in Las Vegas.
 
First, Secretary Jewell finalized the framework to adaptively manage the Glen Canyon Dam over the next 20 years, with the goal of creating certainty and predictability for water
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U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell Leads Call To Protect National Laboratory Employees From Blacklisting

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U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell

CONGRESSIONAL News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA15) today led 26 members of Congress, including Ben Ray Luján (NM-03) and Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-01), in sending President-elect Donald Trump their vow to defend the scientific freedom of employees at the Department of Energy’s 17 National Laboratories, following reports that Trump’s transition team sought personal information regarding department employees’ work on climate change.

Swalwell’s district includes Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Laboratories. The Trump transition Read More

WIPP’s Long Closure Nears End

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WIPP officials at the Carlsbad Town Hall Meeting from left, Phil Briedenbach, president and project director of the Nuclear Weapons Partnership, DOE’s operational readiness review team leader, Ed Westbrook, Carlsbad Field Office Manager Todd Shrader, along with John Heaton, the moderator. ScreenShot Photo

 

By ROGER SNODGRASS
Los Alamos Daily Post

Thanks to Internet video streaming, informational meetings in the two-and-a-half year struggle to re-open the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Southern New Mexico are accessible not only to the people of Carlsbad but for people Read More

Joaquin Prescribed Pile Burn Continues On Santa Fe National Forest, Jemez And Cuba Ranger Districts

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SFNF News:
 
SANTA FE ― Fire managers on the Santa Fe National Forest are planning to continue the Joaquin prescribed pile burn on Thursday, Dec. 15, if conditions, including air quality and weather forecasts, remain favorable. 
 
The 60-acre treatment area sits on the boundary between the Jemez and Cuba Ranger Districts.
 
Prescribed fires are one of the most effective tools available to resource managers for restoring fire-adapted ecosystems. These fires mimic natural fires by reducing forest fuels, recycling nutrients and increasing habitat
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