Environment

PEEC: International Solutions To Fire Management

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International Prescribed Fire Training Exchange participants in the field. Courtesy/PEEC

PEEC News:

Fire management is a global challenge and 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22 at the Nature Center, fire management experts from this year’s International Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (IPFTE) will present solutions for using fire to maintain local forests and grasslands.

This is the fifth year for the IPFTE, a program held annually in the Jemez Mountains and hosted by the Nature Conservancy and The Santa Fe National Forest. The Training Exchange brings together forest managers, biologists, Read More

Heinrich Calls For Reforms To Mining Law In Environment And Public Works Hearing On Recent Spill

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SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M. spoke at a U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) oversight hearing Wednesday on the Gold King Mine spill that occurred last month.
 
The committee examined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) response to the accident, which caused a large plume of bright orange toxic waste to spill into the Animas and San Juan Rivers and pollute the Four Corners region, and the subsequent impact it had on the environment and economies of local states, communities, and Indian
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Heading Into The Unknown…

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NASA astronaut Scott Kelly takes a selfie with the Bahamas from 250 miles above Earth aboard the International Space Station. Courtesy/NASA
 
By SCOTT KELLY
NASA Astronaut

Almost everything we know about living in space ends at six months. Now that I am at the midpoint of my mission, heading into the second half of one year in space aboard the International Space Station, I am looking forward to exploring the science of this uncharted territory and stepping into the unknown.

My Russian colleague Mikhail Kornienko and I are living in space for one year to push the edge of our scientific understanding. Read More

Energy Department Announces $102 Million To Tackle Solar Challenges, Expand Access To Clean Electricity

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DOE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― Building on President Obama’s Climate Action Plan to cut climate-changing carbon pollution and continue building a clean energy economy in the United States, the Energy Department announced more than $102 million in new projects and available funding to support American leadership in clean energy innovation.
 
More than $52 million will support 22 new projects in partnership with companies, non-profit organizations, universities, and national laboratories that aim to make solar energy more affordable and accessible across the
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Clean-water Groups Respond To Ryan Flynn’s Congressional Testimony

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CVNM News:

New Mexico Environment Secretary Ryan Flynn testified in front of the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday regarding August’s Gold King Mine spill in the Animas River, promoting New Mexico’s management of natural resources.

But Flynn’s actions at the Environment Department have put New Mexico in greater danger of such water-contamination disasters in the future.

“The Animas River toxic spill provides an opportunity for Ryan Flynn and the state of New Mexico government to re-evaluate their neglect of, and indifference to, the need for stringent environmental regulations Read More

Udall At EPW Hearing: New Mexicans Deserve Compensation, Long-Term Plan For Gold King Mine Spill

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U.S. Sen. Tom Udall
 
SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON ― During a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Thursday, U.S. Sen. Tom Udall called for action to help communities affected by the Gold King Mine wastewater spill into the Animas and San Juan rivers.
 
Udall discussed confusion and mistakes made by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the immediate aftermath of the spill, and committed to introducing two bills to help Northwestern New Mexico recover and help prevent another disastrous mine spill.
 
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NNSA: Last HEU Removed From Switzerland

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

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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
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SFNF Prescribed Burn Oct. 1 – Dec. 31

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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
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