Environment

Hydro Resources, Inc. can’t yet start mining for uranium in Church Rock until an appeals court decides whether or not 160 acres owned by HRI are subject to regulation by the EPA or the New Mexico Environment Department.

New Mexico’s House delegation has identified a potential way to free up funds for cleaning up abandoned uranium mine sites in New Mexico. Congressmen Harry Teague, Ben Ray Luján, and Martin Heinrich introduced legislation Friday that would make available Surface Mine and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) funds that currently can’t be used for uranium mine remediation [...]

A federal court this week gave a uranium company the green light to move forward with mining operations in Churchrock, a Navajo community just east of Gallup, New Mexico. Opponents had argued that since the site already emits more radiation than regulations allow, a license for a new operation can’t be given because any new radiation emitted, no matter how small, would compound the problem.

According to a statement by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., 14 Senators had a “good discussion” with President Barack Obama on climate legislation that most Senate Democrats hope to pass in 2010.
“We had a very good discussion about the way forward on energy and climate change policy. The president reiterated his desire to work with [...]

President Barack Obama will be meeting today with a group of top Senators—including Sen. Jeff Bingaman—to discuss energy and climate legislation, according to The Hill.

“We aren’t aware of any efforts by the state or the San Juan Coal Company to address any of the pollution caused by the dumping of 40 million tons of coal ash at the mine,” David Graham-Caso of the Sierra Club told The Independent yesterday, “so it looks like we will be filing a lawsuit.”

Contract water system engineer Ramesh Narasimhan’s firm, NCS, was fired Tuesday and the Town will seek undisclosed damages, Mayor Patricia Chavez announced. The move followed news that the state Environment Department would issue a second drinking water violation for high arsenic levels.

New Mexico was among the states with the highest grades on the 2009 National Environmental Scorecard from the League of Conservation Voters. Four of the five members of the delegation received 100 percent scores; Teague was the lone holdout, with an 86 percent score from LCV.

According to The Hill, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., is not backing off his proposal to require that utilities provide 15 percent of their power from renewable energy sources by 2021. This comes after Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., released a less stringent clean energy proposal that would include power generated by nuclear and low-emission coal power [...]

Former three-term ABQ Mayor Martin Chavez has been named executive director of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives. ICLEI is a membership organization of local governments with a focus on climate protection, sustainability, and clean energy.

Arsenic levels at both of Bernalillo’s active wells have jumped over the past three years, and the New Mexico Environment Department announced Tuesday it will issue the Town a second arsenic violation notice by next week. The town’s project engineer, Ramesh Narasimhan, is now considering supplementation of the Town’s aluminum-based arsenic removal system with iron treatments — an approach recommended in a 2006 engineering report scuttled by former town manager Stephen Jerge. At Narasimhan’s recommendation, Jerge opted instead for the Town’s no-bid purchase of the aluminum-based system, which is produced by a Bernalillo firm.

A political battle over control of New Mexico’s dominant party played out on the Senate floor Tuesday over an unexpected issue: an Albuquerque woman’s nomination to a state board. Confirmations in the Senate are usually uneventful and state lawmakers usually speak glowingly of the nominee. But that wasn’t the case Tuesday, when the state Senate rejected the [...]

Two years after Bernalillo spent at least $4.9 million installing new water treatment equipment, the state Environment Department will now step in to help the town address problems with the system and drinking water quality, a Department spokeswoman told The Independent.

Hundreds of people showed up in Las Cruces today for an official U.S. Senate hearing on a proposal from Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall, D-N.M., to protect more than 300,000 acres of land in Doña Ana County.

Three Doña Ana County legislators who want to reform rules that govern the State Land Office have endorsed former Land Commissioner Ray Powell in his 2010 bid to regain the seat. Sen. Steve Fischmann and Reps. Jeff Steinborn and Nate Cote are all Democrats from Doña Ana County, where no-bid planning and development leases given [...]