Nation

Udall Urges Congress To Pass Bill, Avoid Shutdown

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U.S. SENATE News:    

  • Appropriations bill funds PILT, lab programs including B61, N.M. military bases, WIPP recovery, technology transfer, water projects and other priorities    

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, welcomed the release of a so-called “omnibus” appropriations bill, which includes critical funding for New Mexico and keeps the government running through September 2015, the end of the fiscal year.

The bill funds many New Mexico priorities that Udall has fought for, such as the Payment in Lieu Read More

IRS Issues 2015 Optional Standard Mileage Rates

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IRS News:

PHOENIX – The Internal Revenue Service today issued the 2015 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2015, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car, van, pickup or panel truck will be:

  • 57.5 cents per mile for business miles driven, up from 56 cents in 2014;
  • 23 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes, down half a cent from 2014; and 
  • 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations.

The standard mileage rate for Read More

WIPP Waste Techs Encounter Abnormal Odor

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WIPP News:

Late last week, four waste handling technicians at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) were performing surface temperature measurements on transuranic waste containers in the Waste Handling Bay when they encountered an abnormal odor. 

The odor was described as a “cleaning solution-like” odor, similar to odors that have been detected in the past when opening shipping containers during routine waste operations at WIPP.

Employees stopped work, notified their supervisor and left the area. WIPP radiological and industrial safety personnel responded to the bay within Read More

Heinrich Remarks On Release Of Report On CIA Detention, Interrogation Program

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U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., a member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, will deliver the following remarks today on the release of the executive summary and the findings and conclusions of the committee’s five-year review of the CIA’s detention and interrogation program. Senator Heinrich has been a leading proponent of declassifying the report. 

A copy of the report is available HERE.

Heinrich’s remarks as prepared for delivery are below:

U.S. SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE’S

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Los Alamos Physicist Hockaday Honored For National Security Contributions

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LANL’s Associate Director for Experimental Physical Sciences Mary Hockaday is the recipient of two significant honors. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

Associate Director for Experimental Physical Sciences Mary Hockaday of Los Alamos National Laboratory is the recipient of two significant honors this week. She earned a 2014 fellowship from the Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and also a Distinguished Alumni Award from the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Alumni Association.

“I have been truly surprised, humbled and honored by these awards; I greatly appreciate Read More

Clay And Dorothy Perkins Turn Over Deed Of Hans Bethe House To Los Alamos Historical Society

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Clay, center, and Dorothy Perkins turn over the deed of 1350 Bathtub Row Saturday to the Los Alamos Historical Society. Ron Wilkins, left, president of the Historical Society, accepted the deed on behalf of the organization. Always with the intention of donating it, the Perkins purchased the flood-damaged house in 2013 and put in $130,000 worth of repairs and gave $100,000 for exhibits. The Perkins, of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., were good friends with Harold Agnew, third director of Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (now Los Alamos National Laboratory). Known as the Hans Bethe House for the Nobel Read More

GSUSA Unveils Protraits In Leadership

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Albuquerque Girl Scout Annika Cushnyr interviews Rep. Michelle Lujan-Grisham for the video series ‘Portraits in Leadership’ that can be viewed at https:////youtu.be/MSnNt9aXfWI. Courtesy photo

GSUSA News:

  • Tomorrow’s Female Leaders Absorb Life Lessons From Today’s Female Trailblazers

 

New York – Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), the world’s preeminent girl leadership development organization, today announced the release of an inspiring new video series called Portraits in Leadership. In an intimate and candid series of profiles, Girl Scouts across the country Read More

Udall Statement On State’s Decision To Fine DOE Following Accident At WIPP

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U.S. Sen. Tom Udall

STAFF REPORT

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Tom Udall issued the following statement Saturday on the state of New Mexico’s decision to fine the U.S. Department of Energy over $54 million for numerous violations at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and Los Alamos National Laboratory:

“The investigation by the state of New Mexico found that the accident last February put at risk the health of workers and the nearby community. The action the state has taken is appropriate and shows why I have long fought for state environmental authority over WIPP waste operations. WIPP and Read More

Valles Caldera Trust Proposes More Affordable Fee Structure

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Snowshoeing in the Valles Grande. Photo by Ryan Heffernan

VCTB News:

Jemez Springs – The Valles Caldera Trust Board of Trustees voted unanimously Thursday to amend the fees assessed for admission to, and the use and occupancy of, the Valles Caldera National Preserve.

The proposal will replace the current system, in which fees are assessed based on an a la carte, per person basis, with a more streamlined and cost-effective entry fee system. The new entry fee, $20 per vehicle and $10 per person when entering on foot or bicycle, would be valid for seven days and cover all self-guided recreational Read More

Udall Recruiting Spring Interns For New Mexico Offices

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U.S. SENATE News:
  • Positions available in Albuquerque, Carlsbad, Las Cruces, Portales and Santa Fe offices

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tom Udall, D-N.M., invites New Mexico college students interested in gaining legislative or press relations experience to apply for spring semester internships in his Albuquerque, Carlsbad, Las Cruces, Portales and Santa Fe offices. 

For more information and to apply for an internship, visit https:////www.tomudall.senate.gov/internships. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but students are encouraged to submit their applications Read More