New Mexico Seeks Comments On Jet Fuel Cleanup Plan - The Associated Press
The New Mexico Environment Department has drafted a plan for 2016 that will guide cleanup of a massive plume of jet fuel at the edge of Albuquerque.
Cleanup began in earnest about two years ago. Tons of soil have been removed, and more than 16 million gallons of contamination have been extracted and treated since June.
The plan calls for the installation of more monitoring and extraction wells. The treatment system also would be expanded to 800 gallons per minute.
The public has through Jan. 15 to comment.
First detected in 1999, the leak at a fueling station at Kirtland Air Force Base was believed to have been seeping into the ground for decades. Estimates of the amount of fuel spilled have ranged from 6 million to 24 million gallons.
New Mexico Unemployment Rate Remains At 6.8 Percent - The Associated Press
New Mexico's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was at 6.8 percent in October, unchanged from September.
By comparison, the state's unemployment rate was 6.2 percent in October 2014.
The 2,800 nonfarm job increase for October was the state's 38th consecutive month of over-the-year employment growth.
State Department of Workforce Solutions officials said Friday that eight economic sectors lost jobs last month and five added jobs.
Professional and business services gained 2,900 jobs, representing the fastest over-the-year growth of all industries in October.
Leisure and hospitality added 1,700 jobs while mining lost 1,800 jobs in October and the construction industry shed 700 jobs.
New Mexico's construction industry had seen just three months of jobs losses between October 2012 and February 2015, but has had only one month of employment gains since then.
Colorado Town Ready To Discuss Superfund After Mine Spill - The Associated Press
Southwestern Colorado officials say they're ready to talk to the Environmental Protection Agency about a Superfund cleanup of inactive mines, including one that spewed millions of gallons of wastewater into rivers in August.
Silverton Town Administrator Bill Gardner said Friday the town trustees and the San Juan County commissioners will consider resolutions Monday to open discussions.
It would be an important step toward cleaning up hundreds of mines leaking wastewater into the Animas River north of Silverton. The August spill from the Gold King Mine polluted rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah and forced towns and farmers to temporarily stop using the rivers.
Some residents have been reluctant to pursue a Superfund cleanup, fearing it would discourage tourism and investment. The Gold King spill increased pressure on the community to act.