PRC Approves Utility's Deal With Environmental Groups – Santa Fe New Mexican, Associated Press
The Public Regulation Commission has accepted an agreement between Public Service Company of New Mexico and three environmental groups about the utility's proposal for a coal plant.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the deal, approved Wednesday, will allow the utility to close two of four coal-fired units at the San Juan Generating Station near Farmington. The lost capacity would be replaced with coal-generated power from another unit at the plant as well as natural gas from a new facility, nuclear power from Arizona and a small percentage of solar power.
A final vote on plans for the plant is expected in December. Parts of the plan will go before a commission hearing officer Oct. 13.
Investigation: EPA, State Underestimated Spill Potential – Associated Press
An internal government investigation has found that federal and state regulators underestimated the potential for a blowout from a Colorado mine.
The disclosure was contained in documents released Wednesday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Investigators concluded that EPA and state regulators underestimated how much water pressure had built up inside the inactive mine before a government cleanup crew triggered the release. The EPA previously offered only partial information on events leading up to the spill.
The Aug. 5 spill involved 3 million gallons of waste from the idled Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado. It unleashed a torrent of toxic water that fouled rivers in three states.
The Associated Press reported Saturday that EPA managers knew that a large spill was a possibility, yet had drafted only a cursory response plan for responding to a spill.
New Mexico Insurer Is Pulling Out Of State Health Exchange – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico is pulling out of the state health exchange for 2016.
Company president Kurt Shipley announced the move Wednesday in a letter to individual customers posted on the insurer's website.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico says it's lost more than $19 million this year on the 35,000 individuals covered by plans they purchased on and off the exchange.
The company says existing policies will be good until the end of the year.
The Office of the Superintendent of Insurance already has rejected Blue Cross Blue Shield's request for an average rate increase of more than 51 percent.
Superintendent John Franchini told the Albuquerque Journal he's prepared to approve a 24 percent increase instead and is awaiting Blue Cross Blue Shield's response.
New Mexico Monitoring Wildfires' Impact On Air Quality – Associated Press
State health and environment officials are closely monitoring New Mexico air quality in the wake of wildfires still burning in the Pacific Northwest.
Officials from the state Department of Health and Environment Department say the air quality may change on a daily basis.
They are advising residents, especially in areas where this no air quality monitoring equipment, to check out the visibility in the air.
They say those with respiratory conditions such as asthma as well as young children and the elderly should minimize outdoor activities if visibility is below 5 miles.
Those same groups should avoid outdoor activity completely if air visibility is below 3 miles.
But all residents should stay inside if visibility is below 1 mile.
Strong Storm Causes Flooding In San Juan County – The Associated Press
Some homes remain without power Thursday, the morning after an intense thunderstorm downed trees and flooded roadways in San Juan County.
The Farmington Electric Utility System says there are still outages in the community of Flora Vista and in the Bloomfield and Farmington area.
According to the San Juan County Office of Emergency Management, Wednesday night's storm packed strong winds and heavy rains.
Resulting flooding has forced schools in Aztec to close Thursday.
The office says first responders carried out more than 100 calls during a two-hour period for such problems as flooding and people trapped.
The Daily Times of Farmington reports that rainfall was especially heavy on Crouch Mesa, where County Road 390 was covered by water and mud.
Officials say several homes were reportedly pushed off their foundations.
The storm left crews scrambling to clear county roads blocked by downed trees.
New Mexico Panel Revamps Hunt Limits On Bears, Cougars – The Associated Press
The state Game Commission has voted unanimously to approve the expansion of cougar and bear hunting in New Mexico.
The vote came Thursday during a meeting in Santa Fe that was attended by dozens of wildlife advocates who voiced concerns about the proposal.
The new rules will allow for more black bear hunting in all but two of the state's game management districts as well as the doubling of cougar hunting limits. The trapping and snaring of cougars on private land and state trust land will also be allowed without special permits.
The Game and Fish Department says new population data warranted an update of the hunting limits.
Critics argued that the department's plan wasn't based on science and that more hunting will have negative long-term effects on animal populations.
NM Lawmaker Will Propose Amendment To Reform Bail System - The Associated Press
A Santa Fe lawmaker says he will sponsor a proposed constitutional amendment for the state's bail system, which he calls "broken."
Sen. Peter Wirth, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Thursday his bill will be introduced during the 30-day state legislative session that starts in January.
The Democrat's proposal puts forward two key reforms, one of which would allow judges to deny bail before trial for the most high-risk, dangerous defendants.
Another reform being proposed would allow for the release of low-risk defendants who are being held in jail simply because they do not have the means to make bond. If approved in the legislature, a measure would go before voters in November 2016.
Arthur Pepin, director of the state's administrative office of the courts, says New Mexico's judiciary endorses a bail reform constitutional amendment.
Board Punts Decision On Embattled Albuquerque Schools Chief – The Associated Press
The board that oversees New Mexico's largest school district has decided to delay making a decision on the fate of its embattled superintendent after he hired an administrator charged with child sex abuse.
Albuquerque Public Schools Board President Don Duran announced the delay Thursday after board members met behind closed doors for more than four hours.
Duran didn't detail any of the discussion and said only that the board needs to review the matter further before determining whether Superintendent Luis Valentino will keep his job.
Valentino became superintendent in June and hired Jason Martinez to head the district's instruction and technology division. But the district never completed its background check on Martinez, who faces sex assault felonies involving two children in Colorado.
Martinez resigned abruptly last week.
EPA Workers Had No Way To Get Word Out After Toxic Spill – The Associated Press
Documents show it took more than 90 minutes for members of a federal cleanup crew to issue a warning about a toxic spill because they were initially trapped and scrambling to escape the flood they had accidentally unleashed from a Colorado mine.
The documents released Thursday by the federal Environmental Protection Agency contained new details on the 3 million-gallon spill on Aug. 5 that fouled downstream rivers in Colorado, Utah and New Mexico.
The EPA is facing increasing political pressure to explain how the accident happened despite prior warnings that it could occur.
The inactive mine is located on a remote mountain at an elevation of 11,000 feet.
Colorado Bail Increased For Ex-New Mexico School Official – The Associated Press
A judge has increased bail for a former New Mexico school administrator facing separate child sexual abuse and assault cases in Colorado.
Denver District Judge Brian Whitney on Thursday set Jason Martinez's bail at a total of $200,000 and ordered him to wear an ankle monitor.
Whitney expressed surprise that Martinez wasn't previously ordered to wear an ankle monitor.
Bail had been $100,000 total.
Martinez was hired by Albuquerque Public Schools in June but resigned after the charges came to light. He was re-arrested after Colorado officials learned he left the state to take the Albuquerque job, a violation of his bond.
Martinez attended all his court hearings and Colorado authorities didn't realize he had left.
Martinez's lawyer, Leonard Anthony Martinez, says he expects his client to be exonerated.
Game Panel Delays Decision On Mexican Wolf Permit Appeal – The Associated Press
The New Mexico Game Commission has delayed a decision on an appeal filed by federal officials who are seeking to release endangered Mexican gray wolves as part of recovery efforts in the Southwest.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initially sought three permits, including one to release a pair of wolves and their pups onto federal land in New Mexico and another allowing for up to 10 captive pups to be raised by foster wolves in the wild.
The requests were denied in June by the state game and fish director.
The Fish and Wildlife Service's regional deputy director, Joy Nicholopoulos, told commissioners during a meeting Thursday in Santa Fe that delaying releases could compromise the genetics of the wild population in New Mexico and Arizona.
The commission is expected to take up the matter again next month.