House Panel Chairman: Gold King Mine Was Breached On Purpose - The Associated Press
The Republican leader of a congressional panel investigating a 3-million-gallon spill of toxic wastewater from an inactive Colorado gold mine says the mine was purposely breached by a government cleanup team.
Tuesday's assertion by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop appears to contradict claims by the Obama administration that the cleanup team was doing only preparatory work at the site.
Bishop cited an email in which an Interior Department official said the spill occurred while the cleanup team was removing a "plug" blocking the mine's entrance and holding back the wastewater.
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in response she stands by her earlier statements that the spill was an accident.
The wastewater fouled downstream rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah and forced the shutdown of public water supplies.
New Mexico Governor Signs DWI Legislation - The Associated Press
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez has signed a bill aimed at toughening penalties for drunken driving offenses.
Martinez signed the measure during a visit Tuesday to New Mexico State Police headquarters in Albuquerque.
The measure makes it a second-degree felony to be convicted of eight or more DWIs, meaning tougher sentencing guidelines would be imposed.
The measure also substantially increases penalties for convicted drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes.
The proposal was part of the Republican governor's overall public safety agenda this past legislative session.
Martinez says cracking down on repeat offenders is the right thing to do. She also accused the Legislature of not being tough enough.
Some Democrats had questioned why New Mexico needed tougher sentencing guidelines and said state officials should be turning their attention to rehabilitation.
Lyft Still Mum About Returning To New Mexico – The Associated Press
An Albuquerque Republican says she is hopeful Lyft will return to New Mexico after state lawmakers passed a bill regulating similar ride-booking companies.
Rep. Monica Youngblood says officials with the San Francisco-based company have signaled they would restart service in the state again but no final decision has been made.
Last year, Lyft suspended operations in New Mexico after state regulators passed new requirements the company called "onerous." But state regulators said at the time they had no choice because state law had been outdated and it didn't cover ride-booking companies that used mobile apps.
Lyft spokeswoman Chelsea Wilson says Lyft was encouraged by the new bill and urged Gov. Susana Martinez to sign it. But she did not say if Lyft would return to New Mexico soon.
Appellate Court Upholds New Mexico's Oil And Gas Pit Rule – The Associated Press
The New Mexico Court of Appeals is refusing to overturn revamped regulations aimed at managing certain wastes produced by oil and natural gas drilling.
The court recently issued an opinion in response to an appeal filed by environmental groups that accused regulators of not adequately explaining why the rules were being revised.
The New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and Earthworks' Oil and Gas Accountability Project wanted the rules to be reconsidered by the Oil Conservation Commission.
The court found that the commission acted appropriately when it adopted the changes in 2013.
The industry had argued that previous regulations pushed producers from the state, costing New Mexico jobs and revenue. They petitioned in 2011 for the regulations to be amended.
Environmentalists maintained that relaxing the rules could lead to contamination.
Sandia Labs Reverses Course On New Mexico Driver's Licenses – The Associated Press
Sandia National Laboratories has returned to accepting New Mexico driver's licenses for visitors to gain entry to its facilities.
A Sandia official said Monday that a New Mexico driver's license is now acceptable by itself to verify a person's identity to access the premises.
New Mexico last week was given an extension until October to meet tougher federal identification requirements for driver's licenses after the state Legislature approved new rules for immigrant driver's licenses.
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez plans to sign legislation that stops the practice of providing state driver's licenses to immigrants regardless of legal status.
Immigrants in the country illegally will be able to get newly created driver's authorization cards by submitting fingerprints. Immigrants that already have licenses can skip the requirement.
Feds Suggest Counseling Over Detention For Tribal Youth
Mary Hudetz, Associated Press
Federal officials have revised their guidelines for handling juvenile criminal cases in tribal courts with recommendations that favor treatment, counseling and foster care over fines and detention.
The Interior and Justice departments released their guidelines Monday, updating a three-decade-old juvenile justice code. The update recommends that detention be a last resort for disciplining youth, especially runaways and those who may struggle with addiction or truancy.
The guidelines reflect a national shift in juvenile justice reform that has led more states to find alternatives to detention.
The Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs is required by law to establish a suggested framework for tribes for handling juvenile cases.
A tribe has final say over whether it will adopt the recommendations.
New Mexico Governor Endorses New Online Campaign Database – The Associated Press
A new law that overhauls New Mexico's online clearinghouse for information on political contributions and lobbying expenditures has been signed by Gov. Susana Martinez.
The Republican governor signed legislation Monday designed to standardize electronic reporting so that filings by candidates, lobbyists and political committees can be searched, cross-referenced or downloaded for analysis. Martinez said the public will find it easier to access campaign finance information.
The law also will require lobbyists to file regular reports, as candidates already do. Funding has not yet been assigned to pay for the new system.
The Office of the Secretary of State eventually would spend as much as $985,000 to set up the database, depending on bids from vendors and available funds.
Registration fees from lobbyists would be reinvested in maintaining the clearinghouse.