EPA Reviews New Mexico's Plans To Sue Over Spill – Associated Press
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it's reviewing New Mexico's plan to sue the federal government over a massive spill last year that contaminated rivers in three Western states.
The agency declined to comment on New Mexico's notice to sue but said federal officials are working closely with the states to develop a long-term monitoring plan to evaluate potential environmental effects.
The lawsuit would be a first and also would target the state of Colorado and the owners of the Gold King and Sunnyside Mines.
An EPA cleanup crew accidentally unleashed millions of gallons of contaminated wastewater in August at the inactive Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado. It fouled rivers in Colorado, Utah and New Mexico with contaminants including arsenic and lead.
New Mexico AG Joins In Supporting New Drug Guidelines – Associated Press
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas and the top prosecutors for more than two dozen other states have sent a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asking the agency to quickly adopt new guidelines for prescribing opioids.
Balderas cited a prescription drug and heroin addiction epidemic in New Mexico as a reason joining in supporting the CDC to speedily adopt guidelines that indicate patients, in some cases, can be treated for pain with lower doses or alternative methods.
The letter dated Wednesday was signed by 36 attorneys general.
Federal data from 2014, the most recent year available, show New Mexico was among the top five states for drug overdose rates in the country.
Drug overdoses — particularly those from prescription opioid painkillers — has become a priority issue for the Atlanta-based CDC.
Group Appeals Power Plant Plan To New Mexico Supreme Court – Associated Press
An environmental group is challenging a decision by New Mexico regulators that cleared the way for the partial closure of a coal-fired power plant in the northwest corner of the state.
New Energy Economy filed its appeal with the New Mexico Supreme Court on Thursday.
The Santa Fe-based group has been critical of Public Service Co. of New Mexico's plan for replacing the capacity that will be lost with the shuttering of two units at the San Juan Generating Station.
The group claims PNM didn't prove it identified all the alternatives.
The utility has argued that tapping a mix of coal, natural gas, nuclear and solar was the most cost-effective option for customers.
After much debate and negotiation, the Public Regulation Commission approved the plan in December on a 4-1 vote.
New Mexico Revives Proposal For Adjunct School Teachers – Associated Press
New Mexico lawmakers are reviving a proposal to allow subject experts to work as adjunct teachers in public schools under one-year contracts without first having to go back to school and earn a teaching degree.
The proposal was unveiled Thursday by Republican Representative Conrad James of Albuquerque and is supported by Republican Gov. Susana Martinez.
The plan is designed to address hard-to-fill vacancies for math and science teachers by recruiting professionals with at least a bachelor's degree who complete a classroom management course.
Unions including the Albuquerque Teachers Federation say the plan threatens the quality of public education and could undermine teacher pay.
A similar measure was approved by the House last year but not the Senate. The new bill limits adjunct teachers to upper grade levels.
Fort Bliss Says It Will No Longer Accept New Mexico IDs – El Paso Times, Associated Press
Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, has announced it will no longer accept New Mexico driver's license as a form of identification from visitors.
The El Paso Times reports the U.S. Army Base announced the change Wednesday and said it would stop accepting New Mexico IDs because they aren't in compliance with the federal REAL ID Act.
The base also said it would not accept IDs from other noncompliant states: Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota and Washington state.
White Sands Missile Range and Sandia Labs also said this week it would stop accepting New Mexico IDs.
The moves comes after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security declined to give New Mexico an extension on complying with tougher rules that require proof of legal U.S. residency in order for state driver's licenses and IDs to be valid for some federal purposes.
US Navy Secretary To Visit University Of New Mexico – Associated Press
U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus is slated to visit the University of New Mexico and tour a laboratory on campus.
School officials say Mabus is scheduled on Tuesday to tour the university's Center for Emerging Energy Technologies and give brief remarks on leadership.
The presentation will include an opportunity for students to meet Mabus and ask questions.
Mabus is the 75th U.S. Secretary of the Navy and the longest to serve as a leader of the Navy and Marine Corps since World War I.
EPA Reviews New Mexico's Plans To Sue Over Spill – Associated Press
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it's reviewing New Mexico's plan to sue the federal government over a massive spill last year that contaminated rivers in three Western states.
The agency declined to comment on New Mexico's notice to sue but said federal officials are working closely with the states to develop a long-term monitoring plan to evaluate potential environmental effects.
The lawsuit would be a first and also would target the state of Colorado and the owners of the Gold King and Sunnyside Mines.
An EPA cleanup crew accidentally unleashed millions of gallons of contaminated wastewater in August at the inactive Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado. It fouled rivers in Colorado, Utah and New Mexico with contaminants including arsenic and lead.
Police Retention Bill Would Allow Pensions And Paychecks – Albuquerque Journal
A proposed bill that would allow police officers who retire to return to work and collect a pension drew support from Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry and other officials.
The Albuquerque Journal reports the bill will be introduced by state Representative Larry Larrañaga and would allow officers who retired before 2016 to work for up to five years, collecting both a pension and a paycheck.
It’s designed to address a shortage of officers. That’s been a problem for Albuquerque, but also other places in the state said Department of Public Safety Secretary Greg Fouratt. He joined Berry to announce the proposed legislation.
But the Albuquerque police union question whether the plan can really address ongoing problems with shortages. And Edward Harness, head of the city’s Civilian Police Oversight Agency, expressed concern this could bring back officers whose actions prompted an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.
New Mexico Utility To Dedicate New Natural Gas Power Plant – Associated Press
One of New Mexico's largest utilities has dedicated a natural gas power plant capable of generating enough electricity for 25,000 average homes.
Officials with Public Service Co. of New Mexico, business leaders and community members gathered Thursday near Belen to dedicate the 40-megawatt La Luz Energy Center.
State regulators gave the $56 million project the green light in 2014.
It's located near existing transmission lines and natural gas pipelines, which utility officials say will help keep costs down.
The plant features a gas turbine capable of reaching full power within 10 minutes. PNM says that allows the utility to respond more quickly to increased demand for electricity, such as during hot, summer afternoons.
Officials say the plant will also provide an estimated $562,000 annual in tax revenue for Valencia County.
Santa Fe Hotel Site Traded To State From Cochiti Pueblo – Associated Press
The state has traded the old Dixon Apple Orchard and 8,800 acres of state trust land in northern New Mexico to Cochiti Pueblo in exchange for the site of a downtown Santa Fe hotel.
The three-party deal announced today gives the Garrett's Desert Inn site in downtown Santa Fe, which also includes the renowned Santa Fe Bite restaurant, to the State Land Office. The property is across the street from the Land Office's headquarters. The Catron family is selling the Garrett's site to Cochiti.
The property being traded to the pueblo has sacred and ancestral village sites and hunting areas that Cochiti has been seeking for years.
It is unclear what the Garrett's property will be used for in the future.
New Mexico Game Commission Denies Turner Ranch A Wolf Permit – Albuquerque Journal, Associated Press
The New Mexico Game Commission has denied an appeal by the Turner Ladder Ranch for a permit to host Mexican wolves as part of a federal species recovery program.
Thursday's unanimous decision caps a nearly eight-month saga in which the southwest New Mexico ranch owned by media mogul Ted Turner tried to convince the commission to reconsider its original denial in May.
The permit had been in place 17 years.
The Albuquerque Journal reports commission members invited the Turner Endangered Species Fund to reapply for a permit.
The ranch near the Gila National Forest provided pen space for wolves being released into, or temporarily removed from, the wild by the federal government since the program to reintroduce the endangered Mexican wolf began in 1998.
Albuquerque Man Sentenced For Defrauding Food Stamps Program – Associated Press
An Albuquerque man has been sentenced to four years of probation and ordered to pay more than $8,300 in restitution for defrauding the federal food stamp program.
Federal prosecutors say 47-year-old Wilfredo Lopez was sentenced Thursday.
He was one of six defendants charged in a 32-count indictment in August 2014 with the unauthorized use of food stamp benefits from September 2009 to May 2010.
One of the defendants worked as a family assistance analyst for the Income Support Division of the New Mexico Human Services Department, where he was responsible for determining applicants' eligibility for food stamps and benefit level.
In May 2015, Lopez admitted to completing fraudulent applications for food stamp benefits in his name, another for himself in a pseudonym, and in the names of two other people.
New Mexico Delegation Pushes For Disaster Declaration – The Associated Press
New Mexico's congressional delegation is calling on the federal government to quickly approve the state's request for disaster assistance to deal with the effects of a massive snowstorm.
The delegation sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Friday. Gov. Susana Martinez also has made the request.
The storm brought more than two feet of snow to some areas and strong winds helped to form drifts that overtook corrals, buried livestock and stalled milk production.
The delegation says farmers and ranchers in 18 counties were affected and thousands of dairy cows were killed.
A disaster designation would allow farmers and ranchers to access Farm Service Agency emergency loans. The money could be used to replace livestock, pay family living expenses or reorganize farm operations.
Coal Suspension Affects 30-Plus Mining Projects – The Associated Press
Federal officials say at least 30 applications from companies seeking to mine hundreds of millions of tons of coal face suspension as the government reviews sales of the fuel from public lands.
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced Friday that the coal leasing program would be put on hold for about three years while the agency reviews fees paid by mining companies and the environmental effect of burning coal.
The Associated Press obtained a Bureau of Land Management list of affected sites, which includes mining proposals in nine states.
Some of the largest projects are in the nation's top coal-producing region, spanning Wyoming and Montana.
Cloud Peak Energy, whose mine expansion in Wyoming is affected, accused federal officials of pandering to environmentalists who are trying to shut down the industry.
New Mexico Pueblo Reclaims Swath Of Historic Tribal Homeland – The Associated Press
A pueblo at the edge of New Mexico's largest city is adding 140 square miles to its jurisdiction under a deal the U.S. Interior Department says represents the single largest transfer of land back to a tribe's control in U.S. history.
The Pueblo of Isleta's land base, south of Albuquerque, will increase in size by nearly fifty percent with the agreement that places a 90,000-acre ranch purchased by the tribe more than a decade ago into trust by the U.S. government.
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell joined tribal leaders at Isleta Pueblo to announce the deal Friday.
It will return an area roughly the size of Detroit to the control of the tribe, which identifies the area as part of its historic homeland.
The Interior Department says restoring tribal homelands is a key part of President Barack Obama's Indian Country policy.
New Mexico Medical College To Open Border Health Institute – The Associated Press
New Mexico's first private medical college will include a think tank focused on health at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The new Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine opens this fall. The school will unveil its Burrell Institute for Health Policy and Research during a Friday event at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.
Chairman Dan Burrell says the institute will take a data-driven and forensic approach to examining cross-border health issues like disease surveillance, health care disparity and data tracking.
He says the goal is to educate both U.S. and Mexico officials about such issues.
The institute is part of BCOM's charitable foundation, the Southwest Foundation for Osteopath Education and Research. The Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine will fund the institute until it becomes self-sustaining through grants and service funding.
Plague Found In Pets In Santa Fe – The Associated Press
Police are warning that plague has been confirmed in some pets in Santa Fe.
The Santa Fe Police Department issued a warning, saying there may have been exposure at the Frank Ortiz Dog Park and La Tierra Trails.
Police say plague can be fatal to both pets and humans if not properly diagnosed and treated. It can be spread through fleas and contact with infected animals such as rodents, rabbits and cats.
Symptoms of plague include fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, weakness and sometimes tender and swollen lymph nodes in the groin, armpit or neck.
Xcel Energy Warns Texas, New Mexico Customers Of Phone Scam – The Associated Press
A electric and natural gas company has warned Texas and New Mexico customers to beware of pay-over-the-phone schemes.
Xcel Energy on Friday said that scammers are increasingly calling customers, pretending to be utility representatives and threatening to disconnect service unless payment is made over the phone.
Officials say business and residential customers have been targeted this winter. Scammers also sometimes send emails or confront customers in person. Bogus calls are often done on nights and weekends, not during regular business hours.
Xcel Energy spokesman Wes Reeves in Amarillo says customers who get such fake payment calls should hang up and contact the company. The utility sends written disconnect notices first, via the U.S. Postal Service, if a customer is in danger of losing service for nonpayment.
92-Year-Old World War II Navajo Code Talker Dies In Utah – The Associated Press
A Navajo man who helped stump the Japanese during World War II using a code based on his native language has died in suburban Salt Lake City.
Ernest Yazhe's daughter Melissa Yazhe tells The Salt Lake Tribune that her 92-year-old father died of renal failure Tuesday.
Yazhe joined the U.S. Marines when he was 19 and became one of the hundreds of Code Talkers who played a vital combat role by transmitting battlefield messages in an unbreakable Navajo-based radio code.
Yazhe's family says he served in Guam and Okinawa and helped repatriate Japanese prisoners of war in China after Japan surrendered.
Yazhe was discharged in 1946 and moved to Utah, where he worked for Kennecott Utah Copper.
His survivors include six children and six siblings.
Nambe Pueblo To Open Slots-Only Casino Sunday – The Associated Press
Nambe Pueblo will open its first casino Sunday.
The small, slots-only casino about 16 miles north of Santa Fe will be open to the public from 6 p.m. to midnight Sunday, ending years of negotiations and planning.
Nambe Pueblo has been talking about getting into the casino business for 20 years. Initial plans were for a 50,000-square-foot building with 500 slot machines and a theme park.
The Nambe Falls Casino is a fraction of that size at only 7,310 square feet and features 180 slot machines.
The Nambe casino is just south of Pojoaque Pueblo's Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino, which has 1,200 slot machines and 18 tables for games such as blackjack and roulette.