NRC: store radioactive wastes in NM
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday accepted Holtec International’s application to store up to 100,000 metric tons of spent fuel rods from the more than 100 U.S. commercial nuclear reactors at a site between Carlsbad and Hobbs ...
Fracking Threats to the Albuquerque Basin Aquifer
Geologist Donald Phillips helped turn the tide on the outcome of the Sandoval County Commission vote to approve the Stoddard/Heil oil and gas ordinance. Donald Phillips’ presentation summarizes the general geology of Sandoval County and the risks of contaminating drinking-water aquifers from horizontal drilling and fracking ...
State Trust Lands in the West
42 million acres of western state trust lands are an important public resource. Trust land managers uphold the fiduciary purpose of these lands for the designated beneficiaries—primarily K-12 public schools—and ensure the long-term sustainability of the trust. Read the 2015 report on State Trust Lands in the West, which describes the history and current uses for State Trust Lands’  income ...
Carson National Forest jeopardizes its rivers
More than 100 free-flowing streams in northern New Mexico’s Carson National Forest are listed as Wild and Scenic. The Carson’s draft evaluation includes 61 river segments that were previously found eligible for designation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, but that the Carson now considers non-eligible.  ...
NM monuments up in air after report finally published
On December 4, President Trump visited Salt Lake City to issue a proclamation to reduce Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument by almost 50% and Bears Ears National Monument by almost 85%. The following day, Secretary Zinke issued his final report, which included recommendations for the two New Mexico National Monuments that were similar to the preliminary report, namely no boundary changes but management changes ...
Trump signs Castner protection
On December 12, President Trump signed a provision to permanently protect Castner Range in El Paso's Franklin Mountains into law. The provision is a big deal — it saves a huge piece of land from commercialization, giving El Paso a very visible green belt on its east side to be enjoyed by all ...
Lawmakers Support Chaco Coalition
On Dec. 19, the New Mexico Congressional Delegation released a letter to Bureau of Land Management State Director Aden Seidlitz that essentially calls for cancelling the March 8, 2018, lease sale until meaningful and thorough tribal consultation has occurred ...
BLM Finalizes Methane Rule Delay
Today, Secretary Zinke finalized his delay of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Methane and Waste Prevention rule until January 2019. The rule was designed to limit the waste of $330 million-dollars worth of methane from oil and gas operations on public and tribal lands each year through leaks, flaring and intentional releases ...