Politics

Udall, Heinrich Urge LWCF Reauthorization, Funding Before Year Ends

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SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and a bipartisan coalition of 12 other senators sent a letter asking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kent.) and Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to include the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) along with full mandatory funding in one of the bills Congress must pass before adjourning for the year.
 
“The LWCF is funded with offshore oil royalties and was designed not to use taxpayer dollars. However, since the creation of
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Luján Discusses Need To Improve New Mexico’s Mental And Behavioral Health System

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CONGRESSIONAL News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― In the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee markup earlier this month, U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District discussed the need to improve the mental and behavioral health systems in New Mexico and across the nation. 
 
New Mexico’s behavioral health system is in a state of crisis following the freezing of payments to15 behavioral health providers and the eventual closure of a number of these organizations, as well as the exit of some of the Arizona providers that came into replace them. 
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REPORT: Governor’s REAL ID Proposal To ‘More Than Double’ Wait Times At MVD

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Imagine your worst MVD experience … now double it. Courtesy/ProgressNow New Mexico

ProgressNow New Mexico News:

  • New Mexicans Petition Governor & Legislative Leaders To Pass Simpler Bi-partisan Fix

MVD lines are about to get a lot longer if a driver’s license proposal supported by Gov. Susana Martinez passes the state legislature this January, a national report of state legislatures says.

According to a report from the non-partisan, non-profit National Council of State Legislatures:

“To comply with the requirement that all DL/ID (Driver’s license or identification) card Read More

NEA-NM Applauds Game Commission Decision

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NEA-NM News:

The New Mexico State Game Commission approved an easement agreement between the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and the New Mexico State Land Office for hunting access on State Trust Lands.

The easement is for next year’s hunting season, and the Game Department will pay $1 million for access. The previous easement was only $200,000, which equates to just two cents per acre.

The additional $800,000 will benefit New Mexico’s public education – which is the primary beneficiary, receiving approximately 95 percent of the money collected by the Land Read More

Los Alamos Technology Gains National Backing

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Descartes Labs artificial intelligence can race through mountains of data and read a landscape in seconds. An early emphasis for this technology is in evaluating and predicting agricultural output, like these irrigated fields near Roswell. Courtesy/2015 NASA/LANDSAT

 

By ROGER SNODGRASS
Los Alamos Daily Post

Los Alamos pixels and Los Alamos dots were both riding high this week.

Descartes Labs, Inc., a one-year-old company specializing in satellite imagery recognition and analysis, announced Tuesday that it had raised $5 million in a venture capital round, thanks to a group of investors Read More

Regional Coalition Of LANL Communities Discusses Consent Order Negotiations With NMED And EM-LA

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RCLC News:

HERNANDEZ — The Regional Coalition of LANL Communities (RCLC) hosted representatives from the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and the Los Alamos Environmental Management Field Office (EM-LA) to discuss the Consent Order agreement guiding the regulatory environment for cleanup of legacy nuclear waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

NMED Secretary Ryan Flynn gave an overview of the current consent order and expected changes to the upcoming version to be signed, and EM-LA Manager Doug Hintze presented the new campaign approach that will be utilized Read More

Luján Calls For Action On Immigration Reform

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U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján
 
CONGRESSIONAL News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District spoke today at a press conference with House Democratic leaders calling for action on comprehensive immigration reform. 
 
Below are Luján’s remarks as prepared:
 
“I join my colleagues in expressing my thoughts and prayers to the people of France. As we gather this morning to have a conversation on comprehensive immigration reform in the United States, we have to make sure that we work together. Democrats are willing to work with
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Udall, Heinrich Applaud Decision To Begin Nonstop Flight Service Between Roswell And Phoenix

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U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich applauded the decision by American Airlines to begin daily, nonstop commercial flight service between Roswell International Air Center (RIAC) and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Flights are set to begin in March of 2016.

“Flights between Roswell and Phoenix will help make travel to and from Southeastern New Mexico more convenient, opening up business opportunities in the entire region that can create jobs and boost the economy,” Udall said. “I’m proud to work to Read More

Senate Panel Advances Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act

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U.S. SENATE News:

The bipartisan package of bills would prioritize recreation on federal lands and reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted to advance S.556, “The Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2015,” which would protect and enhance public access for hunting, fishing, and target-shooting on federal lands.

The legislative package would require federal land managers to consider how management plans affect opportunities to engage in hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting and that the Read More