August 2007 - PUBLIC EDITION

• It's National Conference Time!
• Committee News
  • Government Affairs and Local News Stories
• Upcoming Meetings and Events
• Monthly Meeting Location
• Job Openings
• NMSHMM Officers and Committee Chairs

It's National Conference Time!
Richie Spangler, CHMM
Sandia National Laboratories

Thanks to everyone who took time out to look over the new NMSHMM bylaws and provided their vote. The NMSHMM bylaws were passed, which now allows us to have corporate memberships and sponsors. We already have strong support from the business community here in New Mexico, and these bylaws changes will help us integrate the business community even more with our organization.

The NMSHMM night at the Isotopes in celebration of NMSHMM's 10^th anniversary took place on Sunday, August 5 with a total of 28 people. Everyone enjoyed a beautiful evening at the Isotope's Park (the Lab as they call it) with the Albuquerque Isotopes downing the Colorado Springs Sky Sox 6 to 4. It was an exciting game ending with our own Emily Johnson (Eric's daughter) running the bases in celebration of the win. We had the opportunity to meet with Orbit, the local mascot while we were enjoying our all you can eat barbeque dinner in the Blake's Lotaburger Picnic Pavilion (see photo below). We even had a prize drawing for a free Isotopes T-shirt or hat, which was won by Brian Salem.

I want to take the opportunity to thank Michelle Vattanno from the NMED for her presentation on the NMED Pollution Prevention (P2) Program. Michelle introduced us to the behind the scenes efforts NMED is taking to promote pollution prevention and recycling throughout the state of New Mexico beyond the Green Zia program which many of our members are already familiar with.

President-elect Brian Pence and I will be attending the Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Managers (ACHMM) National Conference in Alexandria, Virginia and representing NMSHMM at the ACHMM board meeting on the final day of the conference. We hope to run into some more NMSHMM members at the conference. If any of you are attending, please look us up while you are there. I am originally from the Washington D.C. area (I know, I know it explains a lot doesn't it?) and plan to try to organize a semi-impromptu trip to the national mall Wednesday afternoon after the board meeting.

Unfortunately, we have had some scheduling difficulties with Advent Solar for the planned field trip this month, but Mike Sanders is hard at work trying to overcome those issues and we expect to have a final date for another month soon. So, this month I plan to give an ACHMM National Conference Update on August 22, instead of the field trip. This talk will focus on the current efforts being undertaken at the national level for the ACHMM membership.

Please do not forget about the upcoming NOC being put on by NMSHMM from October 10 through 12. You will be getting a request for your help in teaching soon, so please put it on your calendar if you have not already. Also, with fall being on hand, it is time for the State Fair, which is happening September 7 through 23, so put that on your calendar as well. I can already smell the turkey legs, cotton candy, green chile corn dogs, roasting corn and on and on and on.

Finally, August is the month when school starts again. So, please be certain to look out for students walking in school zones, backpacks slung over their shoulders and those teen age drivers who are late for school again . . . . I am certain none of us were ever late for high school . . . . and tried to make up time on the road . . . .nah never happened . . . .

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Committee News

Government Affairs and Local News Stories
Compiled by Barry Birch, CHMM, and Eric Johnson, AICP, CHMM

• The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) may not have enough capacity for the waste held by the federal government according to a General Accountability Office (GAO) report. In 1992, Congress approved WIPP for 175,600 cubic meters of radioactive waste, but pre-1970 quantities of waste may need an additional 60,000 cubic meters over the 1992 approved level. WIPP manager David Moody disagreed: the projected waste volumes in the Department of Energy complex "are well within the available capacity at WIPP." The GAO has also determined that cleaning up plutonium-contaminated waste buried in shallow pits and trenches at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) could cost more than the current $114 million estimate. (Albuquerque Journal, 6-28-07; Associated Press, 6-29-07).
   
• Western Power and Production LLC is appealing NMED's denial of an air permit for a proposed biomass power plant south of Estancia. (Mountain View Telegraph, 6-29-07)
   
• Starting in August, the U.S. Environmental Protection agency will remove and replace soil in 23 Sunland Park residential yards that have high levels of arsenic and lead. The Asarco copper smelter, which closed in 1999, was the source of the contamination. Since August 2005, Asarco has remediated 830 properties in nearby El Paso. (Albuquerque Journal, 6-30-07)
   
• LANL delivered a plutonium core for use in nuclear weapons to the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) Pantex Plant, 17 miles northeast of Amarillo, Texas. The pit is designed for the W88 nuclear warhead used on submarine-launched missiles. This is the first plutonium pit produced since the closure of the Rocky Flats Plant near Denver in 1989 (Albuquerque Journal, 7-3-07; Santa Fe New Mexican, 7-2-07)
   
• A $4.4 million NMED Petroleum Storage Tank Bureau remediation project has eliminated petroleum contamination in Hobb's city wells. Approximately 135,000 of liquid gasoline contamination, first discovered in 1988, affected 5 acres of the aquifer, and gasoline vapor affected another 10 acres. (Albuquerque Journal, 7-3-07)
   
• Grindstone Lake near Ruidoso will not be stocked with rainbow trout while the Village of Ruidoso uses copper sulfate to control algae blooms in the lake. Algae control is necessary because the lake is part of the village's water supply. (Albuquerque Journal, 7-3-07)
   
• Brian Gleadle, of the New Mexico Game and Fish Department (NMDGF), suspects that recent duck deaths at the Chamisa Hills County Club are a result of botulism, a naturally occurring toxin. NMDGF recommended that Chamisa Hills better aerate the pond. In February 2006, Chamisa Hills was fined $1,700 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after a Chamisa Hills employee released strychnine into a golf course pond. NMED issued Chamisa Hills a new discharge permit with more stringent requirements for monitoring pond water, soil, and vegetation (Associated Press, 7-10-07; Albuquerque Journal 7-21-07)
   
• The Government Accountability Project, a Washington D.C. based group, took dust samples at 79 locations in the LANL area and tested for strontium-90, plutonium and uranium isotopes, total radioactivity, and alpha and beta radioactivity. One of the highest levels of contamination was detected on a bathroom fan at a NMED lab oversight office in White Rock. Tom Carpenter, representing the group, said, "we think that the citizens around here should demand that Los Alamos and the government do a better job looking at pathways, human pathways for radiological exposure." NMED Secretary Ron Curry said, "the dust levels shown pose no health risk to workers or nearby residents." LANL officials believe the radionuclides are from natural sources (products of naturally occurring radon) or from 1960s United States and Soviet Union nuclear fallout from atomic testing (Albuquerque Journal, 7-11-07; Albuquerque Tribune, 7-11-07; Santa Fe New Mexican, 7-10-07)
   
• Green Rubber Global, part of the Malaysian company Petra Group, proposes to move its headquarters to Albuquerque and build a rubber recycling plant near Gallup. Green Rubber Global says they have the world's first commercially viable, waste-free tire recycling process. Actor Mel Gibson is a financial backer, and former New Mexico spaceport director Rick Homans will be plant president. (Albuquerque Tribune, 7-11-07)
   
• In response to the possible detection of plutonium-238 in Santa Fe's Buckman Well No. 1, the City of Santa Fe determined that the drinking water is safe. It was never confirmed that plutonium was present in the water according to the city: "Furthermore, even if plutonium was present in these very low levels, our drinking water is well below the safety limits for radionuclides set by the Safe Drinking Water Act." (Santa Fe New Mexican, 7-11-07)
   
• During excavation as part of the renovation and expansion of the Center for Contemporary Arts on Old Pecos Trail in Santa Fe, construction workers uncovered three or four old electrical transformers and a partially filled 2000-gallon fuel tank containing 600-700 gallons of gasoline. Steve Buck, the center's director, believes the tank was to refuel military vehicles when a New Mexico National Guard Armory occupied the property from the 1940s until the early 1960s. (Santa Fe New Mexican, 7-12-07)
   
• A 533-page report from the Los Alamos Historical Document Retrieval and Assessment project catalogues all LANL historic radioactive and chemical releases that could cause health problems. The project is sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report can be viewed on the internet at www.lahdra.org. (Santa Fe New Mexican, 7-16-07)
   
• The City of Albuquerque is capturing methane emissions from the Cerro Colorado Landfill resulting in an estimated reduction in methane emissions from 251,016 to 28,278 metric tons. The methane is currently pumped to a flare station, but the city eventually intends to produce electricity from methane. (Albuquerque Journal)
   
• A drum that was not certified for shipment was mistakenly sent from Idaho to WIPP. Shipments were suspended pending an investigation into the incident. The drum may have to be removed from WIPP because the drum contains liquids, which are prohibited at WIPP. (Carlsbad Current-Argus, 7-19-07; Albuquerque Journal, 7-20-07; Albuquerque Journal, 7-26-07)
   
• Waste Connections Inc. obtained a one-year delay from NMED in the permitting process for their proposed landfill near Chaparral. Additional time is needed for Waste Connections to explore an alternative site away from residential areas. (Albuquerque Journal, 7-19-07)
   
• NMED Secretary Ron Curry testified before the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in support of HR 2421, the Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007. This legislation would restore protection for surface waters that were lost under two U.S. Supreme Court decisions. (New Mexico Business Weekly, 7-19-07)
   
• Governor Bill Richardson will move forward with new regulations for former clandestine drug laboratories. The regulations will require: law enforcement agencies to post a contamination notice on the property; owners will have to inform prospective renters and purchasers that the property was a former clandestine drub laboratory; requirements will be enacted for residual removal by qualified remediation firms; and NMED will lift restrictions only after the cleanup has been approved. (NMED press release, 7-20-07)
   
• The Department of Energy is considering WIPP, along with other sites such as Yucca Mountain in Nevada, for the disposal of dismantled nuclear reactor parts. Both Senator Jeff Bingaman and NMED have yet to support this proposal. (Albuquerque Journal 7-21-07; Santa Fe New Mexican, 7-21-07)
   
• After playing with a cigarette lighter while pumping gas, a 19-year old woman in La Plata caught herself on fire. The fire was put out with a fire extinguisher, and the woman was taken to San Juan Regional Medical Center for treatment of burns to her face and upper torso. (Albuquerque Tribune, 7-21-07)
   
• NMED Occupational Health and Safety Bureau will recognize Aztec Well Servicing Company Inc. fro exceeding regulatory standards by creating health and safety programs for its workers. Aztec's successful health and safety culture has helped the company maintain an injury and illness rate below the national average for the oil and gas industry. (NMED Press Release, 7-24-07).
   
• Two multi-ton clean rooms were lowered into the WIPP for eventual physics experiments that require shielding from cosmic rays and naturally occurring radiation on the earth's surface. The physics experiments, funded by the EXO high-energy physics project, will use an indirect technique to measure the mass of a neutrino. (Albuquerque Journal, 7-25-07)

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Upcoming Meetings & Events

August 5, 6:05 pm, NMSHMM Night at the Isotopes Game. Join NMSHMM for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox game and "Fastball" dinner. Cost only $10.00 per person. Please RSVP to  by August 25. No refunds after August 25.

August 7, 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. Jennifer Dann of Kirtland Air Force Base, will present Biodiesel Usage at Kirtland Air Force Base, a Case Study.

August 12-15, ACHMM National Conference in Washington, D.C. area at Crystal City Virginia. See ACHMM web site for more information.

August 16, 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.

August 21, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM Board Meeting at CDM offices, 6000 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 200. All members are welcome.

August 22, 11:30 am, NMSHMM Luncheon/General Meeting at Uptown Sports Bar and Grill, 6601 Uptown Boulevard NE, Albuquerque. Richie Spangler, NMSHMM President, will discuss the ACHMM National Conference.

September 4, 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.

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

September 19, 11:30 am, NMSHMM Luncheon/General Meeting at Uptown Sports Bar and Grill, 6601 Uptown Boulevard NE, Albuquerque. Steve Jetter, NMED, and Intera will present the North Railroad Avenue Plume Remediation - Project Update.

September 20, 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.

October 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.

October 10, 11, and 12, NMSHMM's National Overview Course for the CHMM Exam, University of New Mexico, Science and Technology Park Rotunda, 801 University Boulevard SE, Albuquerque.

October 16, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM Board Meeting at CDM offices, 6000 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 200. All members are welcome.

October 17, 11:30 am, NMSHMM Luncheon/General Meeting at Uptown Sports Bar and Grill, 6601 Uptown Boulevard NE, Albuquerque. Speaker to be announced.

October 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.

November 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.

November 13, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM Board Meeting at CDM offices, 6000 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 200. All members are welcome.

November 14, 11:30 am, NMSHMM Luncheon/General Meeting at Uptown Sports Bar and Grill, 6601 Uptown Boulevard NE, Albuquerque. Speaker to be announced.

November 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.

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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