Labs
TODAY'S TOP STORIES: Secrecy lifted on Sandia's anthrax scientists
Since February 2002, scientists at Sandia Laboratories have worked in secrecy to determine if anthrax that killed five people in the autumn of 2001 came from a terrorist group or foreign state. Now they're laying out the chronology of their research to the Albuquerque Journal's John Fleck.
Not only was New Mexico State University in Las Cruces host to retiring Sen. Pete Domenici's Policy Conference this week, NMSU is getting papers and memorabilia the senator accumulated over his 36 years in Congress, the Las Cruces Sun-News reports and which the Independent noted yesterday.
Analysis of June's 17-acre Ancho fire near a weapons test facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory has led to some changes to prevent recurrence, the Los Alamos Monitor reports.
Biofuels get a boost
Principals from the New Mexico Biodiesel Policy Summit held in March have taken that groundbreaking summit a step further, forming the Southwestern Biofuels Association to promote and guide policy in use of this "green" source of energy.
Those who attended the summit received letters earlier this month about the formation of the association, which includes members of the industry, government and Sandia National Laboratories.
The group made its debut on the opening day of the Legislature's special session and has a Web site touting the Southwest, and New Mexico in particular, as well-suited for biodiesel fuels production:
The potential for New Mexico and the Southwest to become major players in the production of biofuels and biodiesel feedstocks is very promising. While the region's climate is too arid for the production of many agricultural products, some of the most important biodiesel crops are well suited to the region's high altitude, low moisture levels, and high summer heat. Where other crops would fail, crops used for biodiesel production -- such as Camelina and Jatropha -- prosper favorably in the Southwest's climate.
Hydrogen tour comes to Albuquerque
By Denise Tessier 08/20/2008
Eleven hydrogen-powered vehicles from major automakers like BMW, GM, Honda and Toyota will be available for public view -- and some for short test drives -- from 2 to 4 p.m. today at the Sandia Science & Technology Park.According to Sandia National Labs, several of the hydrogen-fueled cars will be displayed in the parking lot of the Ktech building at Eubank Boulevard and Gibson Avenue SE, and some will be available for test drives.
Keeping tabs on TB
By Denise Tessier 08/14/2008 | 3 CommentsInternational travel and bio-terrorism have upped the ante in the need for quick turnaround times in disease forensics. But quick turnarounds require that scientists and clinicians have access to a pathogen-centric database. Three scientists explain to NMI how such a national database for one of today's greatest health threats -- tuberculosis -- could be up and running in six months at the University of New Mexico.
TODAY'S TOP STORIES: Creepy crawlers and a massive sink hole
By Denise Tessier 08/08/2008
We're not making this up, but some of the news from around the state sounds like something out of the National Enquirer.
Streets in affected neighborhoods around Las Cruces are being painted greenish yellow as vehicles squish thousands of crawling caterpillars, reports the Las Cruces Sun News, which posted graphic pictures and an up-close-and-personal YouTube video of the creeping critters that have arrived by the millions, thanks to abundant rainfall and food sources.
Deadly denial: Sick nuclear weapons workers fight for compensation.
By Marjorie Childress 07/29/2008
American workers who built the nation's nuclear weapons are still fighting a cold war, and you can read all about it in Deadly Denial, a comprehensive series rolled out last week by the Rocky Mountain News.
Deadly Denial paints a grim picture of "tens of thousands" of sick nuclear weapons workers from across the country who've applied for compensation under a program put in place in 2000. But most have never seen a dime, says the Rocky Mountain News.
"Heroes from the Cold War who risked their lives to build nuclear weapon," is how Gov. Bill Richardson characterizes the workers. And regarding the lack of compensation, he told the Rocky Mountain News, "The bureaucracy has placed so many barriers, it's almost criminal that workers and their families are not being compensated."
TODAY'S TOP STORIES: Congress overrides presidential veto
By Gwyneth Doland 07/16/2008
Congress voted last night to override President Bush's veto of a bill that would have prevented a cut in the amount Medicare pays doctors. In the House, Tom Udall and Heather Wilson voted to override the veto; Steve Pearce did not vote, but a spokesman said this morning that he would have voted with his colleagues. In the Senate, Jeff Bingaman voted to override the President's veto, but Pete Domenici voted against it. As the Washington Post blogged last night, the override required the cooperation of many Republican legislators, despite the Administration's efforts to keep them in line.
PNM announced yesterday that gas bills are going to be significantly higher this winter. As the Journal points out, PNM is prohibited from making a profit on the cost of gas; they make money on the transmission of the gas.
McCain talks wilderness, economy, immigration
By Heath Haussamen 07/14/2008 | 9 CommentsMcCain granted an approximately 25-minute interview today to five New Mexico reporters -- including NMI's Heath Haussamen -- who rode with him on the Straight Talk Express, his campaign bus, from the Albuquerque International Airport to a campaign fundraiser at the Hilton Albuquerque.
TODAY'S TOP STORIES: Domenici opposes immunity takeaway proposal
By Marjorie Childress 07/09/2008 | 1 Comment
Pete Domenici disagrees "wholeheartedly" with an amendment in the FISA bill that would preclude retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies who allowed the U.S. government to use their infrastructure to spy on phone conversations of U.S. citizens. In a conversation with New Mexico radio reporters yesterday, he replied to a question by Elaine Baumgartel of KUNM that he was sure the bill would pass with the retroactive immunity provision intact, because the only reason the companies were involved in the first place was because the United States government asked for their help.
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development yesterday finalized its Fiscal Year 2009 funding proposal for the Army Corps of Engineers, plus the Departments of Interior and Energy. Chaired by Dem. Senator Bryan Dorgin, the bill increases funding overall by $2.4 billion over Fiscal Year 2008, which is $1.9 billion over the Bush administrations request. The Los Alamos Monitor reports that the bill would "restore" cuts to Los Alamos Lab funding cut in the House bill, specifically for LANL's Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement facility, plus $145 million for pit manufacturing that was unfunded by the House.
An Albuquerque City Hall transportation task force heard from a consultant yesterday that the most feasible part of Central for a street car project would be between Downtown and San Mateo, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
NM solicits perceptions of Los Alamos from those who live nearby
By benito aragon 07/08/2008 | 2 Comments
The State of New Mexico has organized "listening sessions" to evaluate the issues and perceptions of residents who live near Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Notice of these sessions appeared a week after an AP story reported northern New Mexico resident's concern over the U.S. Department of Energy proposal to increase plutonium pit production at the nuclear weapons lab by over 800%. Plutonium pits are the core of nuclear warheads.
Shadow over solar
By Denise Tessier 07/03/2008 | 1 CommentLarge-scale solar power plants -- ideally suited for states like New Mexico -- are "straining to burst onto the Southwest utility scene," in the words of one expert testifying at a U.S. Senate hearing on solar energy Wednesday. But without an immediate eight-year extension of the 30 percent federal investment tax credit, the concentrating solar power industry, or CSP, will be "stopped dead in its tracks."
TODAY'S TOP STORIES: The fight over food, pollution and plutonium pits
By Marjorie Childress 06/30/2008
The Associated Press reported over the weekend about the opposing viewpoints regarding a Department of Energy proposal that would expand the making of plutonium pits, which are the core of nuclear weapons, from just a few to 80 per year at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The Albuquerque Police Department's party patrol got taken to task, after the ABQ Journal looked at the 70% dismissal rate in 2007 of "refusing to obey" arrests in the city. In other ABQ metro news, City Hall and Bernalillo County have teamed up to create a Climate Task Force.
The Sandia Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest has essentially been shut-down due to fire danger, as of today.
Udall votes against lab cuts
By John Arnold 06/25/2008Rep. Tom Udall on Wednesday voted against a spending bill that would significantly cut Los Alamos National Laboratory's budget and halt plutonium pit production at the lab. Over Udall's objection, the House Appropriations Committee passed the measure on a voice vote, and it will now head to the House floor.
TODAY'S TOP STORIES: Proposed nuke funding cuts for LANL
By Gwyneth Doland 06/25/2008
In the news today, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee has recommended in a report that funds be slashed for a $1.29 billion nuclear warhead program at LANL, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
In Albuquerque, City Councilor Debbie O'Malley has sharply criticized Mayor Martin Chavez for thwarting the council's wishes by cutting a deal for a balloon landing site just before the council would have taken that power for itself, according to Albuquerque Journal.
Domenici asks Bush for help on nuke, lab funding (updated)
By John Arnold 06/24/2008
With an important vote on U.S. nuclear weapons funding looming, U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., is asking President Bush to pressure Congress to fund a new generation of nuclear warheads.
The House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to take up a funding measure Wednesday that would leave out funding for the so-called Reliable Replacement Warhead and make cuts to other weapons programs.
Udall's new ad may stoke controversy
By Heath Haussamen 06/24/2008
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall will begin airing a new television ad on Wednesday highlighting his work for Cannon Air Force Base and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The ad will be controversial because Udall has been attacked for supporting cuts last year at the lab. Udall has said the labs need to shift their focus from nuclear weapons to energy independence and global warming, and his vote was an attempt to push the lab in that direction. He said that will ensure the future sustainability of the lab.
TODAY'S TOP STORIES: Hit list raises concern
By Denise Tessier 06/20/2008
Not surprisingly, a report of a Mexican drug cartel hit list was the most e-mailed story for the Las Cruces Sun News this morning. The Luna County Sheriff would not divulge the names of the 15 to 20 people on the list, but they are said to be current or former residents of Doña Ana, Luna and El Paso counties and from as far away as Albuquerque, among other locations, the Sun News reports.
Meanwhile, Thomason Hospital in El Paso is back to normal after nearly two weeks in lockdown to protect a Mexican police official and his deputy assistant, both of whom had been brought in for treatment of gunshot wounds, the paper reports. The officers suffered the gunshot wounds in Nuevo Casas Grandes, about 150 miles southwest of El Paso in Chihuahua state.
Northern New Mexico community leaders attending a briefing and rare tour at Los Alamos National Laboratory this week were assured "we're going to be here for a while," the Los Alamos Monitor reports.
House committee wants nuke cuts
By John Arnold 06/19/2008
A House subcommittee has voted for a modest cut to the U.S. nuclear weapons budget, which funds thousands of jobs at New Mexico's national laboratories.
The House Energy and Water Development Subcommittee cut $100 million -- or 1.6 percent -- from this year's budget. The Bush Administration has asked for an increase in weapons funding, but as the Albuquerque Journal reported this morning, lawmakers said the nation's nuclear weapons program lacks the focus and direction to make that committment:
King to sign shield law letter
By Denise Tessier 06/16/2008
State Attorney General Gary King will be signing a letter of support for a federal shield law for journalists this week.
If 36 state attorneys general sign on, the National Association of Attorneys General has said it will officially support the legislation at the national level, and possibly break a logjam in the U.S. Senate on S. 2035, the Free Flow of Information Act.
Tough times for Los Alamos housing
By John Arnold 06/12/2008
Communities all over New Mexico are facing a tough real estate market, but perhaps none have it tougher than Los Alamos, a company town whose fortunes are tied closely to those of the federally funded Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The Los Alamos Monitor is reporting that "the largest property foreclosure in the history of Los Alamos is underway," and the owner of the 132-unit apartment complex is blaming job cuts and other cutbacks at LANL, which employees about 10,000 people.