Environment

Moon Was Produced By Head-on Collision Between Earth And A Forming Planet

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Paul Warren, Edward Young (holding sample of a rock from the moon) and Issaku Kohl. Photo by Christelle Snow/UCLA

UCLA News:

  • UCLA-led research reconstructs massive crash, which took place 4.5 billion years ago

The moon was formed by a violent, head-on collision between the early Earth and a “planetary embryo” called Theia approximately 100 million years after the Earth formed, UCLA geochemists and colleagues report.

Scientists had already known about this high-speed crash, which occurred almost 4.5 billion years ago, but many thought the Earth collided with Theia (pronounced THAY-eh) Read More

Community Seed Swap Sunday Feb. 7 & 14

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Courtesy/UCLA

UCLA News:

The Unitarian Church of Los Alamos is hosting its annual community seed swap.

The swap is 9 a.m. to noon, Sunday Feb. 7 and 14, at the church at 195 East Road, Suite 101.

Remember:

  • Bring only packets of seeds you wish to give away entirely. You may not get any back!
  • Take only enough seeds to use in one growing season.
  • If you are sharing seeds you’ve saved from your garden, please mark them clearly with the name of the plant and the year from which they were saved.

Participation is FREE. For more information, contact the church office at 505.662.2346, or email office@uulosalamos.org. Read More

TALES OF OUR TIMES: Prosperity Builds On Regulation

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Tales of Our Times
By JOHN BARTLIT
New Mexico Citizens
for Clean Air & Water

Prosperity Builds On Regulation

A popular sound bite says “kill regulation” so prosperity will rise. Regulation is likened to a stalking horse brought out to snatch away property rights. Yet in history, property rights are created by regulation. Why do these stories sound so conflicting?

As usual, the message heard depends on which scraps of the whole story are told. Huge amounts are left out in boosting policy preferences.        

The pride of our nation is the rule of law. Read More

Udall, Heinrich, Luján Announce Selection Of Valles Caldera, Bandelier For National Park Service Centennial Challenge Project

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Sen. Tom Udall in September at the Valles Caldera. Courtesy/jemezdailypost.com

CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION News:

  • Funding award will engage Tribal youth in forest restoration, public lands preservation 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján announced that the Valles Caldera National Preserve and Bandelier National Monument have been selected to participate in the National Park Service Centennial Challenge Project.

The National Park Service (NPS) has selected 69 projects at 63 parks nationwide to highlight during its Read More

Café Scientifique Launching Two-Part Series About Mars

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TSCN News:
 
Café Scientifique, New Mexico’s portion of the Teen Science Café Network, is gearing up for a two-part series of cafés about Mars.
 
The first café is 7 p.m., Feb. 2 at the YMCA Teen Center in Los Alamos. The second café is 7 p.m., Feb. 23 in Taos at the Mural Room of the old county courthouse and will be presented on Human Landing sites on Mars.
 
Suzi Montaño and Steve Johnstone from Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Space Data Science and Systems Group (ISR-3) work on the Curiosity rover ChemCam team, and will present
Read More

WIPP: Revised Schedule For Resumption Of Operations In 2016 Announced

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WIPP News:
 
The Department of Energy’s Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) approved the new integrated Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB) for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).
 
The new PMB integrates WIPP recovery activities, baseline operations and capital asset projects into a single plan with a schedule that identifies a path to resumption of waste emplacement operations.
 
The new PMB considers potential risks that could impact the project and adds appropriate contingency to the schedule to help ensure activities can be achieved
Read More

State Auditor Tim Keller Releases Statement On BLM’s Venting And Flaring Rule

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New Mexico State Auditor Tim Keller
 
NMSA News:
 
SANTA FE ― Friday, Jan. 22, State Auditor Tim Keller released the following response to the Bureau of Land Management’s rule proposal to reduce methane emissions and wasted gas on public and tribal lands:
 
“Today’s announcement is a step towards ensuring our state doesn’t waste our precious natural resources.
 

“Given the current economic conditions in New Mexico, it is important that we update industry practices that will ultimately increase funding streams available to support our public schools.”

Read More

New Mexico Delegation, BLM Move To Save Money, Improve Public Health And Protect Climate

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SIERRA CLUB News:
 
On Friday morning, most of New Mexico’s congressional delegation sent a letter urging EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to not only strengthen and finalize its rule to reduce methane waste from new oil and gas drilling operations, but to issue a new rule addressing existing sources. 
 
New Mexico’s senators and U.S. Reps. Ben R. Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham noted the health benefits of reigning in the tons of escaped methane from thousands of oil and gas operations in New Mexico, as well as the economic benefits that capturing
Read More