DOE Chief Says WIPP Will Reopen This Year – Albuquerque Journal
The U.S. Energy Secretary said the government’s troubled nuclear waste repository in southern New Mexico will reopen by the end of the year.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Ernest Moniz on Tuesday said getting the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad back in business is a high priority.
The cleanup of waste from sites across the country has been on hold since February 2014 when a radiation leak forced the facility's indefinite closure. That came from a barrel of waste packed at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Moniz said as part of DOE’s 2017 budget proposal the department will abandon a plutonium recycling project in South Carolina and focus on diluting and shipping plutonium to WIPP. That could happen as soon as 2023.
Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich from New Mexico expressed concerns about expanding the mission of WIPP.
GOP Lamaker Puts New Mexico Bail Bond Proposal On Hold – The Associated Press
A Republican lawmaker has asked the House to suspend action on a proposed constitutional amendment he drafted to allow judges to deny bail to defendants deemed a flight-risk and danger to the public.
Rep. David Adkins' proposal had been scheduled for a state House floor vote Wednesday. It countered a version first put forward by Sen. Peter Wirth, a Santa Fe Democrat, that has garnered some bipartisan support and endorsements from criminal defense and district attorneys associations, and judges.
Wirth proposes allowing judges to deny bail to certain defendants and grant pretrial release to those who aren't considered a danger but remain in jail because they can't afford bail.
Adkins said addressing pretrial release for poor, nonviolent offenders could wait. Bail bondsmen backed his proposal, indicating Wirth's bill would undermine their business, and pose unforeseen financial and public safety costs.
New Mexico Official Blasts EPA Over Colorado Mine Spill – The Associated Press
The head of the New Mexico Environment Department is blasting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, saying federal officials are downplaying the long-term effects of the Gold King Mine spill.
Environment Secretary Ryan Flynn on Wednesday told members of a state legislative committee that the agency plans to monitor water quality for one year to ensure it's safe for recreational use.
Flynn said the agency instead needs to treat the incident as a human health issue.
New Mexico announced last month it intends to sue the EPA, the state of Colorado and the owners of two Colorado mines over the Aug. 5 spill. The EPA claims a contractor accidentally unleashed more than 3 million gallons of contaminated water during a cleanup project.
The EPA did not immediately respond to Flynn's criticisms.
New Mexico Broadcasters Work To Resolve Delayed Amber Alert – The Associated Press & KOAT
New Mexico broadcasters and law enforcement agents are meeting to make sure Amber Alerts go out on time.
Officials issued an Amber Alert Tuesday after police say an Albuquerque man took his 2-year-old daughter from her mother at gunpoint and fled to Colorado. Police located the man and his daughter that morning.
KOAT-TV reports that people's phones clanged with an Amber Alert on Tuesday morning, but the state group in charge of the alerts says the system didn't work correctly as the system did not broadcast the message on TV or Radio.
Typically state police call broadcasters who then relay the alert, but on Tuesday an email from police went unread for hours.
New Mexico Broadcasters Association, state police, and Department of Homeland Security will meet Friday to assess the miscommunication.
NM Commission Denies Suit Against Utility Over Nuclear Unit – The Associated Press & The Santa Fe New Mexican
A New Mexico commission has denied a motion that would prevent a utility from making its customers cover the costs of a nuclear power unit it recently purchased.
The New Mexican reports that the Public Regulation Commission's hearing officer ruled against the motion Tuesday. Renewable energy nonprofit New Energy Economy had accused the Public Service Company of New Mexico of trying to "sneak in" the purchase without PRC approval.
PNM bought 64 megawatts of nuclear power from a unit at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Arizona. PNM sought approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission but didn't ask for state PRC approval.
Bernalillo County joined New Energy Economy in opposing the purchase. Their motion was filed as part of a case in which PNM is seeking a 15.8 percent rate hike.
New Mexico Immigrant Licenses At Low Levels – Associated Press
The number of newly issued driver's licenses to immigrants in New Mexico again has plunged to its lowest level since the state began granting driving privileges to foreign nationals living in the country illegally.
State records obtained by The Associated Press showed only 4,026 licenses were issued to foreign nationals in 2015. That's a 73 percent drop from 2010 before Susana Martinez became governor and when New Mexico issued more than 15,000 such licenses.
Records also show the number of licenses issued has been steadily declining since 2010.
There's no clear explanation for the decrease and there has been no change to state's policy as lawmakers work on a REAL ID fix.
Officials do not know how many licenses went to immigrants living in the U.S. illegally because applicants aren't required to submit information on immigration status.
House OKs Uber, Lyft Bill Fixing New Mexico Impasse – Associated Press
The New Mexico House has approved a bill aimed at welcoming and regulating ride-booking companies like Uber and Lyft.
The GOP-led House overwhelmingly passed Monday the proposal 58-8 a year after a similar measure died in the legislature amid partisan bickering.
Rep. Monica Youngblood, an Albuquerque Republican, sponsored the bill to allow the companies to operate legally in New Mexico.
The legal status of the companies has been in limbo in the state since they began offering services in 2014. The companies say the state's Motor Carrier Act doesn't apply to them because they don't operate as commercial taxi businesses.
Uber and Lyft offer an online service that allows people with cars to connect with people seeking rides.
Traditional taxi companies say ride-booking services still need to be regulated.
The bill now moves to the Senate.
Special Education Funds Preserved By Federal Deal – Albuquerque Journal
The state Public Education Department says it has resolved a dispute with the federal government over special education funding.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the deal means no reduction in federal funding for the state and PED must invest $45 million over the next five years in special education.
New Mexico faced losing at least $34 million dollars in federal education funds following state reductions in special education funding in 2011.
PED officials disagreed with the federal figures and said the law was too rigid. Education Secretary Hannah Skandera has been meeting with federal officials in Washington, D.C., which resulted in this agreement.
UTC Aerospace Closing And Laying Off 150 - Albuquerque Journal
An aerospace firm is closing its Albuquerque office and laying off 150 people.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that UT Aersopace Systems will shut down by the end of September. The company is part of United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Conn.
These are mostly highly skilled jobs and workers will get severance packages and outplacement services, according to company officials.
Colorado Troopers Chased Amber Alert Suspect – Associated Press
Officials say Colorado state troopers chased a man accused of abducting his 2-year-old daughter for more than 25 miles before his vehicle hit their spike strips and rolled over.
Officials say troopers tried to stop Ramiro Tirado's 2004 Cadillac Escalade near the New Mexico border, but it sped off, reaching speeds of 100 mph before troopers laid down the spike strips.
Troopers had been on the lookout for Tirado after New Mexico authorities issued an Amber Alert for his daughter, Denise Tirado.
Tirado and his daughter were both thrown from the Escalade when he lost control and hit a median near Trinidad, Colorado. The state patrol says Denise suffered moderate injuries and was airlifted to Children's Hospital.
Tirado also suffered moderate injuries and was transported to a Pueblo hospital.
Otero County Commissioners Approve Weapons In Workplace – Alamogordo Daily News, Associated Press
Otero County employees will be able to carry weapons in the workplace.
The Alamogordo Daily News reports that on Monday the Otero County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve an ordinance that will allow county employees to carry weapons either openly or concealed.
Commissioners also agreed to discuss a future training session to educate employees on workplace violence.
Commissioners say the decision was to be in compliance with the U.S. Constitution and the New Mexico Constitution.
Feds Plan Outreach To New Mexico Youth In Opioid Fight – Associated Press
Federal law enforcement officials are citing a rise in drug overdose deaths in New Mexico as the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration release a documentary aimed at educating high schoolers on the dangers of opioids.
Special agents in charge for the FBI and DEA in New Mexico say the agencies will distribute free DVDs of the documentary "Chasing the Dragon" to high schools in the state.
The film centers on the stories of several people who have struggled with prescription opioid and heroin addiction.
Federal statistics show the number of drug overdose fatalities in New Mexico increased from fewer than 10 deaths per 100,000 people in 1999 to more than 25 in 2014.
U.S. Attorney Damon Martinez says drug abuse prevention and education measures have been added to his office's approach to addressing an opioid epidemic in the state.