Nation

President Urged to End Bulk Collection of Phone Records

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Sen. Martin Heinrich

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Mark Udall, D-Colo., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., urged President Obama to take immediate steps, while Congress works to pass true surveillance reform, to end the ongoing bulk collection of Americans’ phone records.

The senators, who all serve on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said the president should take every step he can under current law to end bulk collection, and rely on individual requests to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to get any records that Read More

DOE Releases Water-Energy Nexus Report

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DOE News:

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released a new report that presents an integrated challenge and opportunity around the water-energy nexus for DOE and its partners, and lays the foundation for future efforts.  

Present day water and energy systems are closely intertwined. Water is used in all phases of energy production and electricity generation. Energy is required to extract and deliver clean water for a broad spectrum of human uses. 

Recent developments have focused national attention on the connection between water and energy production. When severe Read More

IRS Revisions to Offshore Programs Help Taxpayers Come into Compliance

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IRS News:

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced major changes in its offshore voluntary compliance programs, providing new options to help taxpayers who reside in the U.S. and abroad.

The changes are expected to provide thousands of people a new avenue to come into compliance with their U.S. tax obligations.

Changes include an expansion of the streamlined filing compliance procedures announced in 2012, and important modifications to the 2012 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP). The streamlined procedures are intended for U.S. taxpayers whose failure to disclose

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Patent Office Cancels ‘Redskins’ Trademark Registration

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U.S. SENATE NEWS:

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., announced the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s decision to cancel the Washington, D.C. football team’s trademark registration.

“The U.S. Patent Office took a positive step today toward the goal of changing the Washington, D.C. football team’s name,” Heinrich said. “Racism and bigotry have no place in professional sports. Our tribal communities have always enhanced New Mexico’s rich culture and traditions. It’s past time for the football team to change its name.”

Last month, Heinrich Read More

Heinrich Votes to Advance New Mexico FERC Nominations

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U.S. Sen. Martin Henrich

U.S. SENATE News:

Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M. voted Wednesday in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to advance Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner nominees Norman C. Bay and Estevan López for membership on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Both nominees are New Mexico natives.

President Obama has indicated his intention to designate Bay as chairman of the FERC once he is confirmed. Bay and López’s nominations will move forward for a final Senate confirmation vote at a later date.

During their nomination hearings in May, Heinrich Read More

DOE Awards $100 Million for Innovative Energy Research

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U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz

DOE News:

U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz has announced the awarding of $100 million for Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) to accelerate scientific breakthroughs needed to build the 21st-century energy economy. The research supported by the initiative will enable fundamental advances in energy production, storage and use.

“Today, we are mobilizing some of our most talented scientists to join forces and pursue the discoveries and breakthroughs that will lay the foundation for our nation’s energy future,” Moniz said. “The funding we’re announcing Read More

As Many as 75 CDC Scientists Exposed to Anthrax After Violation of Handling Procedure

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SECURITY News:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said earlier today that as many as 75 scientists working in CDC laboratories in Atlanta, Ga., may have been exposed to live anthrax bacteria after researchers deviated from established pathogen handling procedures.

The scientists are now being treated to prevent infection. The New York Times reports that so far none of the scientists has exhibited any symptoms. The exposure occurred after researchers working in a high-level biosecurity laboratory located at the CDC Read More

Garret Nelson of Los Alamos Promoted to Captain in United States Marine Corps

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Garret Nelson with his father Lew Nelson, mother Lori Nelson and grandmother Nina Laird. Courtesy photo

COMMUNITY News:

Garret Nelson of Los Alamos was promoted June 6 to the rank of Captain in the United State Marine Corps.

Capt. Nelson is a 2004 graduate of Los Alamos High School. He received his bachelor degree in mechanical engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 2010.  

Cap. Nelson is currently stationed at Marine Air Corp New River, N.C. He is assigned to Squadron HMLA 167, where he pilots the AH-1W Super Cobra. Read More

DOE Launches ‘How Energy Works Week’ at Energy.gov

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DOE News:

  • Learn the Ins and Outs of Game-Changing Energy Technologies

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week DOE is celebrating the launch of a new series on Energy.gov: How Energy Works. Each day DOE will break down the inner workings of a different energy technology – including particle accelerators, microgrids, 3D printers and wind turbines – while presenting the public with daily opportunities to ask leading experts about the technology of the day on Twitter at 2 p.m. ET. Use the hashtag #HowEnergyWorks on social media to stay engaged throughout the week.

Schedule:

  • Tuesday, June 17
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IRS Adopts ‘Taxpayer Bill of Rights’

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IRS Commissioner John A. Koskinen

IRS News:

PHOENIX – The Internal Revenue Service has announced the adoption of a “Taxpayer Bill of Rights” that will become a cornerstone document to provide the nation’s taxpayers with a better understanding of their rights.

The Taxpayer Bill of Rights takes the multiple existing rights embedded in the tax code and groups them into 10 broad categories, making them more visible and easier for taxpayers to find on IRS.gov.

Publication 1, “Your Rights as a Taxpayer,” has been updated with the 10 rights and will be sent Read More