Politics

Letter To The Editor: Women’s Equality Day Aug. 26

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By TARIN NIX
LWVNM
 
Aug. 26 is the 95th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.
 
The League of Women Voters of New Mexico honors the amazing women who fought with unrelenting tenacity to achieve the most powerful extension of citizenship rights in our nation’s history.  
 
We urge voters to participate in the political process. You are the important element in a healthy democracy. As our founder Carrie Chapman Catt said, the vote is “a tool to build a better nation, to provide for the common welfare, and to help humanity upward.”
 
Look
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LAHS Grads Honored For Natural History Day Project

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Daniel Wang, Kimberly Pestovich, Kaylen Pocaterra and NHD Advisor Allen Andraski, a teacher at LAHS, at Frederick Douglass House in Washington D.C. Courtesy photo
 
 
COMMUNITY News:
 
Kimberly Pestovich, Kaylen Pocaterra and Daniel Wang, all graduates of Los Alamos High School and past club members of National History Day (NHD), an academic competition focusing on history, recently won an accomplishment award from Honorable Gov. Susana Martinez for their achievement at the National Competition.
 
On top of this honor, they won two awards. The first
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Gov’t. To Stockpile 75 Million Doses Of Anthrax Vaccine

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Pfenex is a leading-edge biologics company. Courtesy/pfenex.com

HSNW News:

San Diego, California-based Pfenex Inc. has announced that it has signed a five year, cost plus fixed fee contract valued at up to $143.5 million with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for the advanced development of Px563L, a mutant recombinant protective antigen anthrax vaccine.

“This contract for the development of Px563L offers the potential for a dramatic improvement in the rapid production of large amounts of Read More

SFNF Releases Final EIS For Southwest Jemez Mountains Landscape Restoration Project

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SFNF News:

SANTA FE – The Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) announced the release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and draft Record of Decision (ROD) for one of the largest forest restoration projects in the Southwest.

The Southwest Jemez Mountains (SWJM) Landscape Restoration Project is a long-term collaborative effort to restore forest ecosystems at the landscape scale and improve resilience to major disturbances, including fire, insects and disease, and climate change. 

SFNF Supervisor Maria T. Garcia said the plan of action selected for the SWJM project is based Read More

DOE Selects U.C. Berkeley To Lead Consortium For U.S.-China Research Center’s Energy-Water Track

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DOE News:
 
WASHINGTON ― The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected the University of California, Berkeley to lead a consortium of university, nonprofit, utility, and national laboratory partners in a new technical track under the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC) that addresses water-related aspects of energy production and use.
 
Once the award is finalized, the U.S. consortium will match or exceed DOE funding of $12.5 million and work with their Chinese counterparts to bolster collaborative efforts to ensure energy, water, and environmental security
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NMED Proposes Repeal Of 20.2.36 NMAC Sulfur Limits

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NMED News:
 
After review and evaluation, the New Mexico Environment Department―Air Quality Bureau proposes to repeal 20.2.36 NMAC, Petroleum Refinery―Sulfur (Part 36).
 
A public hearing is scheduled for Dec. 18, in Santa Fe. Part 36 was adopted in 1974 and establishes sulfur limits (sulfur recovery standards) and other requirements for existing and new petroleum refineries. 

The rule was identified in the November 2012 Improving Environmental Permitting Report as a rule for potential revision or repeal. 

The NMED will host informational open houses

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WIPP: New Hybrid Bolting Machine Ready For Service

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New hybrid bolting machine assembled at Wipp. Courtesy/WIPP

 

WIPP News:

WIPP’s new hybrid bolting machine was recently transported to the WIPP underground, where it was reassembled by site personnel.

The bolter is designed to run on either diesel or electricity. The unit was inspected and acceptance tested at the manufacturer’s site before it was disassembled and transported to the WIPP site. Operational checks have been completed, and the automatic fire suppression system has been installed on the unit.

Before the bolter can be placed into service, portable power units that will Read More

Sierra Club Applauds New Methane Pollution Standard

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SIERRA CLUB News:
 
The Obama Administration Tuesday introduced the first-ever proposed methane pollution standards for new and modified oil and gas facilities, a landmark announcement that will blunt the projected growth of methane and smog-forming pollution produced by the industry in New Mexico.
 
The newly proposed standards will help to safeguard public health and put the United States closer to being on track to meet the Administration’s goal of reducing oil and gas methane pollution by 40 to 45 percent by 2025.
 
“New Mexicans were shocked to hear about the country’s
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National Ignition Facility Fires 300th Laser Target Shot Of Fiscal Year 2015

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NIF News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― Last week, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) fired its 300th laser target shot in fiscal year (FY) 2015, meeting the year’s goal more than six weeks early.
 
In comparison, the facility completed 191 target shots in FY 2014. Located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the NIF is the world’s most energetic laser.
 
Increasing the shot rate has been a top priority for the Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Program and in particular the NIF team at LLNL. The greater than 50 percent increase in NIF shots from FY 2014 to FY
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Results Of Well Water ‘Walk-in’ Samples Sent To 570 Residents Concerned With Gold King Mine Spill Effects

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NMED Secretary Ryan Flynn said

NMED News:

SANTA FE – Results of domestic well water testing are being mailed to approximately 570 concerned residents of San Juan County following the Aug. 5 EPA-caused Gold King Mine Spill.

“We mobilized about 25 environment department staff in the wake of the Gold King Mine Spill for a variety of purposes, and we still have many in the field. Many of these environment staff tested water on behalf of more than 500 domestic well owners who brought their ‘walk-in’ samples to the County Fair last week,” NMED Secretary Ryan Flynn said. “Many test participants received Read More