January 2006 - PUBLIC EDITION
January 2006 - PUBLIC EDITION
| PLEASE NOTE: Some newsletter content is only available to members in good standing of NMSHMM. |
| Our Mission |
| To provide environmental professionals in the Southwest a forum for professional development, education, and networking opportunities; and to offer our community environmental, health, and safety expertise |
The NMSHMM Board Election is
Upon Us!
Paul Karas, CPG, CHMM
Camp Dresser & McKee, Inc. (CDM)
It's time again for the NMSHMM Board of Directors election, and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate this year's candidates, our continuing officers, and those leaving the board. Your past and future contributions and willingness to serve are appreciated!
The qualification requirements, term lengths and timing of elections for officers are outlined in the NMSHMM Bylaws. In March I will be stepping down as President and begin my term as Past President for the 2006-2007 NMSHMM year. Our current President-Elect, Brian Salem will take the helm as President. Eric Johnson completes his term as Past President in March but promises to remain involved as communications chair. Treasurer Kelly Bowles is continuing in the second year of her two-year term and Richie Spangler completes his term as Secretary. Our Directors-at-Large, Byron Kesner and Debbie Finfrock, have also completed their elected terms. Candidates for election for the 2006-2007 year include Barry Birch and Debbie Finfrock for one-year terms as Directors-at-Large, Mike Sanders for a two-year Secretary term, and Richie Spangler as President-Elect.
I encourage each NMSHMM member to participate in the election process. Show your support for the nominated candidates or mount a write-in campaign for another qualified hazardous material professional. Your official ballot is included with this newsletter. Remember that your ballot must be postmarked no later than January 31, 2006. Look for an announcement for the NMSHMM Annual Dinner in March where the newly elected board members will be installed.
Keep in mind that there's always an opportunity for you to get involved and help set the direction for NMSHMM. Attend a board meeting or contact a board member to voice your opinion, volunteer to serve on a committee that interests you, or consider a position on the board. Member participation is what makes NMSHMM work!
Have a happy, safe, and successful New Year!
Local News Stories
The Office of the State Auditor is reviewing whether state Environment Department Secretary Ron Curry violated state law by accepting sports tickets and a hotel room from Phelps-Dodge lobbyist Antonio Trujillo. Secretary Curry responded that he accepted a $30 Arizona Diamondbacks baseball ticket, but reimbursed Phelps Dodge for a Phoenix Suns basketball game and his hotel room. Secretary Curry said that accepting the baseball ticket is allowed under the New Mexico Environment Department's (NMED) code of conduct (Albuquerque Journal, 12-01-05).
In response to allegations of missing plutonium from Los Alamos National Laboratories (LANL), Don Ami, of the National Nuclear Security Administration, stated that nothing is missing and discrepancies are based on the use of two different databases used to track plutonium and plutonium waste. The Institute of Energy and Environmental Research, a Maryland organization, alleges that as much as 1000 kilograms of plutonium could be missing based on discrepancies in government documents (Santa Fe New Mexican, 12-3-05).
A NMED study concludes that there is little chance of radioactive materials and chemicals leaking from the Mixed Waste Landfill at Sandia National Laboratories. The NMED study confirms the findings of four previous studies. Citizen Action, a local Albuquerque organization, has filed a lawsuit demanding the excavation and relocation of the waste to a safer location (Albuquerque Journal, 12-12-05).
On December 14, the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission designated streams and ponds in the Valle Vidal area of northern New Mexico as Outstanding Natural Resource Waters. This designation, allowed under the Clean Water Act, protects waters from activities such as road building or coalbed-methane drilling (Santa Fe New Mexican, 12-15-05)
On December 18, three individuals added explosives to their shopping list this Christmas season. Leslie Brown, of Ignacio, Colorado, and David Brown and Eric Armstrong, both from Bloomfield, New Mexico, broke into an unguarded storage depot west of Albuquerque and took enough explosives to blow up a small building. The explosives included 150 pounds of plastic explosives, 250 pounds of sheet explosives, 2500 blasting caps, and 20,000 feet of explosive detonator cord. The three individuals, who lacked explosives training, loaded the explosives into their Ford F-350 truck and a trailer; traveled on I-40, I-25, and US 550; and put the explosives in a metal shed in Ignacio. A call to a tip line resulted in the apprehension of the individuals and the explosives (Albuquerque Journal 12-21-05 and 12-29-05).
The NMED reduced the amount of a cleanup bond for the Phelps Dodge Tyrone copper mine near Silver City to $238M; a reduction of $32 million. Phelps Dodge applied for the reduction because it had reclaimed a stockpile in an inactive area at the mine. A portion of the reduction was attributable to removal of gross receipts tax from the financial assurance calculation; a change allowed by legislation passed earlier this year (Albuquerque Journal 12-21-05).
Society luncheon meetings are held at Uptown Sports Bar and Grill, 6601 Uptown Blvd. NE, at 11:30 on the third Wednesday of the month (except Mar. and Dec.)
| JANUARY 2006 |
January 17, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM Board Meeting at CDM offices, 6000 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 200. All members are welcome.
January 18, 11:30 am, NMSHMM General Meeting at Uptown Sports Bar and Grill, 6601 Uptown Blvd. NE. Lori Snyder, CHMM, of GE Aircraft Engines, and Tyler Irwin, of CDM, will give a presentation on A Rapid Response to a Natural Gas Pipeline Leak at an Industrial Facility, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
January 18, 5:30 pm, National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP) meeting, Fiestas 4400 Carlisle NE (at Montgomery). Mike Hightower, of Sandia National Laboratories, will give a presentation on A National Energy-Water Science Technology Roadmap.
January 20, 11:30 am, American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) meeting, Furr's Cafeteria, 6100 Central SE, Albuquerque. ASSE normally holds a technical meeting on the 3rd Friday of each month except for April (Annual Professional Development Conference) and June (Installation of Officers).
| FEBRUARY 2006 |
February 7, 11:30 am, Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA) New Mexico Chapter meeting, Furr's Cafeteria, 6100 Central SE, Albuquerque. AWMA meetings are normally held the first Tuesday of each month and include a technical presentation and chapter news update.
February 14, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM Board Meeting at CDM offices, 6000 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 200. All members are welcome.
February 15, 11:30 am, NMSHMM General Meeting at Uptown Sports Bar and Grill, 6601 Uptown Blvd. NE. George Anastas, Past-President of the Health Physics Society, will give a presentation on The Homeland Defense Equipment Reuse (HDER) Program: a Way for Professional Safety Societies to Volunteer to Assist in Homeland Defense.
February 15, 11:30 am, National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP) meeting, Fiestas 4400 Carlisle NE (at Montgomery). Nancy Riley, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with give a presentation on the Fish and Wildlife Service Partners Program (Update).
February 17, 11:30 am, American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) meeting, Furr's Cafeteria, 6100 Central SE, Albuquerque. ASSE normally holds a technical meeting on the 3rd Friday of each month except for April (Annual Professional Development Conference) and June (Installation of Officers).
Did we miss something? To get your event added to the calendar please contact Eric Johnson at .
| Society business meetings are held at CDM's offices, 6000 Uptown NE, Suite 200, at 6:00 on the third Tuesday of the month (except Mar. and Dec.) |
Monthly Meeting Location
Our regular monthly meetings are held at Uptown Sports Bar and Grill (6601 Uptown Boulevard Northeast; click here for a map). Meetings are held the third Wednesday of the month (unless replaced by a special event as announced via this newsletter) from 11:30 am until 1:00 pm. If you have any ideas for speakers or field trips, please contact a NMSHMM board member.
Please send contributions for future newsletters to Eric Johnson at . Thanks!