January 2007 - PUBLIC EDITION

• NMSHMM - Ready for an Exciting New Year
• Renewal Time for NMSHMM Members
• Local News Stories
• Upcoming Meetings and Events
• Monthly Meeting Location
• Job Openings
• NMSHMM Officers and Committee Chairs

NMSHMM - Ready for an Exciting New Year
Brian Salem, CHMM
New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) Hazardous Waste Bureau

The snows are arriving as predicted. The shortest day is past us. By the time you read this message, I hope you have all had a Happy New Year.

Our Winter Social meeting was held at the Billiard Palace. It was a good chance to socialize with your fellow NMSHMM Members. It was well attended by our members who were brave enough to venture out on Albuquerque's streets during the first snow storm of the year.

The number of asteroid impacts on the planet went up by two recently. Only 174 have been confirmed to date. An impact site near Santa Fe has just been identified. The crater is long gone with the impact dating back many hundreds of millions of years. With no surface expression, the presence of rocks called "Shatter cones" made the identification possible. Another discovery on Madagascar led scientists to a crater 18 miles in diameter on the bottom of the Indian Ocean at a depth of 12,500 feet. This impact is preliminarily dated to 4,800 years ago. The enormous wedge-shaped deposits called chevrons were first described on Madagascar. Scientists estimated that the tsunami that formed the deposits would have been 600 feet high. Chevron deposits like those in Madagascar have been described around the world in scale if not size. It appears the Earth is much more dynamic than estimated only a few years ago.

In another case where Certified Hazardous Materials Managers (CHMMs) may have to scramble to keep up, the Berkeley City Council has approved the first local nanotechnology regulations. The council voted to amend its hazardous material's laws to include nano-sized particles. The regulation required researchers and manufactures to report what nanotechnology materials they are using and document how they are handling them. What starts in California will likely come your way soon.

Final planning for the 2007 Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Managers (ACHMM) Leadership Workshop to be held April 19-20 at the Courtyards by Marriott in Albuquerque continues. The workshop will be free to CHMMs and will provide excellent training acceptable for credits toward your re-certification. It will replace our April monthly meeting and give you all a good chance to network with NMSHMM and other CHMMs. ACHMM has confirmed some excellent national speakers to fill out the program. Further e-blasts should be going out to the ACHMM membership shortly advertising the ACHMM Leadership workshop.

NMSHM is planning for our annual membership dinner in March. It will be held at the Garduño's on the Green at the Balloon Park as last year. A good time was had by all last year. Lastly, Richard Cartwright, Past President and current Board Director from ACHMM will give a presentation at the January luncheon on how to increase the benefit of your CHMM credential. Richard is a dynamic and entertaining speaker, so I ask you all to put it on your calendar.

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Renewal Time for NMSHMM Members
Kelly Bowles, CHMM
Emcore

Happy New Year! The Board of Directors of NMSHMM hopes that one of your resolutions is to continue your membership in NMSHMM and maybe even take a more active role. If you are a CHMM, active membership is an easy way to earn recertification points. You receive points for attending the luncheon meetings and can earn even more by serving on the Board of Directors and taking other leadership roles. The Board of Directors is always looking for fresh new faces to participate in planning, committees, meetings, etc. Log onto our website for contact information for all of our officers if you have any questions or would like to find out more about actively participating in NMSHMM.

At the very least, please make it one of your new year's resolutions to renew your NMSHMM membership. Dues are only $30 and can be conveniently paid on-line or by check. Check the website for information on both types of payment. If you are a CHMM and belong to the national organization, ACHMM, you have probably received your annual membership invoice. NMSHMM joined forces with ACHMM in 2006 and initiated the combined dues program. This allows you to pay for membership in both organizations (ACHMM $85 and NMSHMM $30) with one check. We encourage all CHMMs to take advantage of this convenient program. However, the ACHMM membership year is January through December, and the NMSHMM membership year runs from April 2007 to March 2008. We'll be happy to take your money any time - dues received earlier than April will still renew your membership until March of 2008 and will assure that you won't miss any communications.

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Local News Stories

• In November, NMED Secretary Ron Curry directed Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to clean up its waste sites and protect the state's groundwater. "The lab should spend its money on actually cleaning up its waste rather than paying fines for violating a legal agreement with the state," stated Secretary Curry. LANL spokesman James Rickman responded, "The laboratory takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously and is following the consent order." (Santa Fe New Mexican, 11-28-06, and Albuquerque Tribune, 11-29-06). In December, Secretary Curry proposed fining LANL $1000 per day for not adhering to the legal agreement. Curry alleged that LANL failed to drill four holes to evaluate the extent of contamination from an 11.8 acre dump that contains unlined pits of hazardous and radioactive waste (Santa Fe New Mexican, 12-22-06)
   
• According to a 2005 Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey conducted by the New Mexico Department of Health, 11.8% of Santa Fe high school students said that in the last 30 days they had used inhalants from sources such as spray paint, permanent markers, or even compressed air used to clean computers to get high. A Santa Fe freshman said, "I used to know a girl who did it because (inhalants were) easier to get than other drugs." (Santa Fe New Mexican, 12-06-06).
   
• In November, the U.S. Department of Energy stopped radioactive waste shipments from the Idaho National Laboratory to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) when liquid was discovered in a drum that was supposed to just contain dry waste. The waste was discovered through a new X-ray confirmation procedure. No more liquids were discovered, and waste shipments were resumed in December. (Albuquerque Journal, 11-29-06 and 12-14-06)
   
• In the town of Pecos, 30 homes were evacuated when a 1987 Ford Mustang rolled into a propane tank, pushing the tank into a mobile home. No explosions or leakage was reported. Ferrill Gas removed 250 gallons of propane from the tank. (Santa Fe New Mexican, 12-4-06).
   
• About 100 people attended a public meeting on December 6 in Santa Fe to discuss a proposed plutonium pit factory at LANL. Under the National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA) proposal, five locations in the United States are being considered for the Consolidated Plutonium Center, which could manufacture approximately 125 pits annually. (Santa Fe New Mexican, 12-7-06)
   
• LANL have not detected hexavalent chromium contamination in a nearby county drinking water well. High levels of hexavelent chromium were detected in a Mortandad Canyon monitoring well in 2005. (Albuquerque Journal, 12-6-06)
   
• A Las Cruces public meeting was held on December 7 to discuss the proposed cleanup plan for the Griggs and Walnut Street Groundwater Plume Superfund Site. (Albuquerque Journal, 12-6-06).
   
• Renewed interest in uranium mining on the Navajo Nation is creating debate because of the legacy of more than 1000 abandoned Cold War era uranium mines on the Navajo Nation. Events such as the July 1979 Church Rock dam failure and release of 93 million gallons of radioactive waste into the Puerco River channel are still remembered. It has been difficult to identify responsible parties for many of the abandoned mines, but Navajo Abandoned Mines, a Navajo government agency, was able to seal about 900 uranium mines at a cost of $25 million. But there is a renewed interest in uranium mining. The Navajo Nation is "the Saudi Arabia of uranium," according to Mark Pelizza, vice president of Uranium Resources, Inc. The Navajo Nation is not so enthusiastic. Navajo President Joe Shirley, Jr., stated, "The Navajo people have made our wishes and laws clear: We do not want further uranium mining in our communities." (Albuquerque Journal, 12-17-06 and 12-24-06; Santa Fe New Mexican, 12-9-06).
   
• The Rio Grande Chapter of Sierra Club settled a lawsuit with the EPA dealing with emissions controls at the Four Corners Power Plant near Farmington. The agreed-to pollution control plan will establish emissions limits for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, total particulate matter, opacity, and dust control (Albuquerque Tribune, 12-15-06).
   
• NNSA is shipping nuclear material from California's Lawrence Livermore Laboratory to LANL as part of a consolidation program. "We are taking concrete steps to reduce the number of locations where we process and store significant quantities of nuclear weapons materials," said Linton Brooks, head of NNSA. Materials will be removed from Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Laboratories by 2014 and from LANL by 2022, although all three labs will retain small quantities of nuclear materials. (Santa Fe New Mexican, 12-20-06).
   
• The New Mexico State Land Office will lease 43,000 acres of pinyon and juniper woodland south of Mountainair as a fuel source for a biomass plant. Western Water and Power Production plans to cut brush and trees to burn in its proposed $74 million, 35-megawatt electrical plant near Estancia. The project is expected to create some controversy related to the protection of environmental resources on the land. (Albuquerque Journal, 12-27-06).
   

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Upcoming Meetings & Events

January 16, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM board meeting at GRAM Inc. offices, 8500 Menaul Blvd. NE. All members are welcome.

January 17, 11:30 am, NMSHMM Luncheon/General Meeting at Uptown Sports Bar and Grill, 6601 Uptown Boulevard NE, Albuquerque. Richard Cartright, of the ACHMM Board, will discuss ACHMM activities. This will be a good opportunity to learn more about ACHMM activities and future plans.

January 18, 11:30 am, New Mexico Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) monthly technical meeting at Furr's Family Dining (6100 Central Avenue SE, southwest of San Pedro) in Albuquerque.

February 6, 11:30 am, New Mexico Chapter of the Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA) monthly meeting at Furr's Family Dining (6100 Central Avenue SE, southwest of San Pedro) in Albuquerque.

February 15, 11:30 am, New Mexico Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) monthly technical meeting at Furr's Family Dining (6100 Central Avenue SE, southwest of San Pedro) in Albuquerque.

February 20, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM board meeting at CDM offices, 6000 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 200. All members are welcome.

February 21, 11:30 am, NMSHMM Luncheon/General Meeting at Uptown Sports Bar and Grill, 6601 Uptown Boulevard NE, Albuquerque. Speaker to be announced.

March 6, 11:30 am, New Mexico Chapter of the Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA) monthly meeting at Furr's Family Dining (6100 Central Avenue SE, southwest of San Pedro) in Albuquerque.

March 15, 11:30 am, New Mexico Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) monthly technical meeting at Furr's Family Dining (6100 Central Avenue SE, southwest of San Pedro) in Albuquerque.

March 20, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM board meeting at CDM offices, 6000 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 200. All members are welcome.

March 23 (tentative), 6:00 pm, NMSHMM Annual Meeting at Garduños on the Green. Mark your calendars. Details to be announced in future newsletters.

March 30, 8:30 am, CHMM Exam, University of New Mexico Science and Technology Park, Executive Conference Room - #201, 851 University Boulevard, Albuquerque. Contact Larry Watson at envirolaw@aol.com for more information and to reserve a seat at the exam.

April 3, 11:30 am, New Mexico Chapter of the Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA) monthly meeting at Furr's Family Dining (6100 Central Avenue SE, southwest of San Pedro) in Albuquerque.

April 17, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM board meeting at CDM offices, 6000 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 200. All members are welcome.

April 18-20, ACHMM Leadership Conference in Albuquerque.

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.  (MEMBERS ONLY).

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

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