Nation

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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Outstanding High School Students Encouraged To Apply For Highly Competitive Senate Youth Program

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SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich encourage outstanding New Mexico high school juniors and seniors to apply for the highly competitive United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP).
 
Two New Mexico students will be selected to join 102 other delegates at the program’s 54th annual Washington Week from March 5-12, 2016. During their all expenses paid trip, New Mexico’s representatives will learn about the workings of the U.S.
 
Senate and federal government. Additionally, each selected participant will
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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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SFNF Waives Fees For National Public Lands Day

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Santa Fe National Forest’s High Country. Courtesy/SFNF

SFNF News:

SANTA FE – The Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) will waive fees at many recreation sites and amenities Sept. 26, for National Public Lands Day (NPLD).

As the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer effort for public lands, NPLD is a great opportunity to educate the public about the environment and natural resources, and the need for shared stewardship of public lands.

Fees at all national forests and grasslands will be waived at many day-use sites, such as picnic grounds, non-reserve campgrounds and developed Read More

LANL: New Insights Into HIV-1 Design

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An HIV virus attacking a T cell. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have created a computational model that could change the way that researchers look at possibilities for an HIV-1 vaccine.

“An effective HIV-1 vaccine has proven elusive, partly due to the difficulty of causing an immune response that can neutralize the diverse viral strains circulating in the human population,” said Alan Perelson, of Los Alamos’ Theoretical Biology and Biophysics group. “Harnessing the power of broadly neutralizing antibodies, which emerge years into a chronic HIV Read More

September Is National Preparedness Month: Don’t Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today

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FEMA News:
 
DENTON, Texas ― “Don’t Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today.”
 
That’s the message emergency managers are sharing with people all over New Mexico and beyond during the month of September.
 
September is National Preparedness Month and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Region 6 Office is urging everyone to take steps to make a plan and know what to do during an emergency.
 
Whether you deal with the possible threats of flooding, wildfires, hurricanes or power outages, the preparedness steps to take are the same.
 
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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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