June 2006 - PUBLIC EDITION

• NMSHMM Events and Field Trips Planned
• NMSHMM Night at the Isotopes
• Local News Stories
• Upcoming Meetings and Events
• Monthly Meeting Location
• Job Openings
• NMSHMM Officers and Committee Chairs

NMSHMM Events and Field Trips Planned
Brian Salem, CHMM
New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) Hazardous Waste Bureau

Summer is fast approaching. I would like to remind you all about the high fire danger and ask that you all be careful this summer until the rains arrive. Kelly Kading, a NMSHMM founding member, gave us a very interesting presentation at this month's lunch meeting on the National Overview Course (NOC) presented in India earlier this year. The Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Managers (ACHMM) is actively organizing international chapters, which will only help the Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) certification gain stature and worth.

I attended the ACHMM Leadership Workshop in Boston on May 11^th and 12^th. The workshop was well attended by ACHMM Chapter board members from around the country. ACHMM is working on several initiatives for the upcoming year including the aforementioned efforts to establish international chapters. They are also working on means to encourage our younger peers to become more involved in the organization.

Our next lunch presentation will introduce our members to the Albuquerque Citizen Corps (CCC) Council and the Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) program. NMSHMM has chosen this program to be one of our CHMMunity efforts this year. The next CERT class will start in August or September. Check the City of Albuquerque web site (www.cabq.gov) for a link to the CCC site for information about the class. You can also contact Brian Fields with City of Albuquerque Emergency Planning at 833-7293.

The NMSHMM Strategic Plan for this year was presented to the members at the May lunch meeting. It should be posted on our website. If you have any suggestions or comments on the plan please contact me. We are also exploring the options for a trip to an Isotopes game this summer. NMSHMM would reserve a block of seats for a game and give are members a chance to enjoy a cool summer's entertainment (see article below).

Lastly NMSHMM is always looking for good locations for a field trip. A field trip to the Eclipse Aviation facility has been scheduled for our September lunch meeting. Details are still being worked out, but this promises to be an excellent opportunity for members to check out a new and exciting industry here in Albuquerque. If you know of any other places that would make an interesting trip, please contact a NMSHMM board member, and we will be glad to schedule it.

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NMSHMM Night at the Isotopes
Paul Karas, CHMM, CPG, NMSHMM Past President

NMSHMM, with the partial sponsorship by CDM, is organizing a night at the Isotopes baseball game on Thursday, June 29. The Isotopes will play Omaha Royals beginning at 7:05 PM. It is also an "Orbit Bobblehead Give-Away" game for the first 3000 fans (how can you resist?!). Reduced price tickets will be provided with the final cost determined by the number of NMSHMMers, family, and guests who participate (but no more than $5/ticket). If you are interested, please contact Paul Karas by June 15 at .

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Local News Stories

• Global Transshipment Monitoring, a New Mexico company, has developed a device that can scan shipping containers for radioactive materials. The Mobile Point-of-Detector System or M-Ponds weighs 40,000 pounds and could be used to check shipping containers entering the United States. Congresswoman Heather Wilson and Senator Jeff Bingaman are seeking more than $7 million in Department of Homeland Security funding to test M-Ponds in the field (Albuquerque Journal, 4-22-06).
   
• Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) is installing solar panels on 22 modules near the Algodones exit on I-25. The panels will produce enough energy for about a half dozen homes and will help increase public awareness of solar energy. Under new federal legislation, PNM must provide 10 percent of its energy through renewable sources like wind or the sun (Santa Fe New Mexican, 5-4-06).
   
• Two chemicals used to make methamphetamines were found in the Rio de las Vacas, a stream in the Jemez Mountains. Investigators from the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and U.S. Forest Service believe hundreds of trout and other fish may have been poisoned by the chemicals (Albuquerque Journal, 5-5-05).
   
• The Navajo Nation and Sithe Global Power, of Houston, are proposing to construct a 1500 megawatt coal-fired power plant in northwestern New Mexico near Burnham. The Desert Rock Energy Project would provide about $50 million annually to the Navajo Nation government, about a third of the their budget, but Sara White, of the Dooda Desert Rock Committee, is concerned that the proposed power plant will just add air pollutants in a region that already has two power plants (Santa Fe New Mexican, 5-10-06). The Navajo Council approved a 50-year lease agreement that would allow the Dine Power Authority and Sithe Global Power to proceed with the project (Albuquerque Journal, 5-13-06).
   
• Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez will provide $250,000 to the Bernalillo County District Attorney's office to hire two prosecutors and two paralegals as part of team targeting methamphetamine and related criminal activities. The money comes from fines issued to motorists caught on camera running a red light or speeding in a school zone (Albuquerque Journal, 5-10-06). Laguna Pueblo has also created a task force to address the use and manufacture of methamphetamine (Albuquerque Journal, 5-13-06).
   
• NMED approved a Los Alamos National Laboratories plan, with some changes, to investigate chromium contamination in the Los Alamos regional aquifer (Albuquerque Journal, 5-13-06).
   
• Federal and state agencies have added tougher requirements to a proposed hazardous waste permit for the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP) near Carlsbad. Permit hearings will start on May 31 in Carlsbad (Albuquerque Journal, 5-14-06).

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Upcoming Meetings & Events

June 6, 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.

June 11, 7:00 am, Race for the Cure for the Cure for the Susan G. Korman Breast Cancer Foundation. Contact Sandra Martin at  for more information.

June 12-15 Managing Waste in the Wide Open Spaces, a Regional Joint Conference in Albuquerque, hosted by the New Mexico Chapters of the National Recycling Coalition, Solid Waste Association of North America, and NMED Solid Waste Bureau. For information visit the web site: www.recyclenewmexico.com or www.nmswana.com.

June 20, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM Board Meeting at CDM offices, 6000 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 200. All members are welcome.

June 21, 11:30 am, NMSHMM General Meeting at Uptown Sports Bar and Grill, 6601 Uptown Blvd. NE. Brian Fields will give a presentation on Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT).

June 29, NMSHMM Night at the Isotopes. Contact Paul Karas at by June 15 if interested.

July 18, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM Board Meeting at CDM offices, 6000 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 200. All members are welcome.

July 19, 11:30 am, NMSHMM General Meeting at Uptown Sports Bar and Grill, 6601 Uptown Blvd. NE. Speaker to be announced.

September 20, 12:00 pm, NMSHMM Field Trip to Eclipse Aviation.

October 25-27, CHMM National Overview Course at the University of New Mexico.

October 28, CHMM Exam at the University of New Mexico.

Did we miss something?? To get your event added to the calendar please contact Eric Johnson at .

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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.

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Job Openings

For the latest job openings, please click here.  Last Update: May 2, 2006 (MEMBERS ONLY).

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Please send contributions for future newsletters to Eric Johnson at . Thanks!

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