November 2007 - PUBLIC EDITION

• The Holiday Season is Upon Us!
• Committee News
  • Membership News: Program Ideas
  • Government Affairs and Local News Stories
• Upcoming Meetings and Events
• Monthly Meeting Location
• Job Openings
• NMSHMM Officers and Committee Chairs

The Holiday Season is Upon Us!
Richie Spangler, CHMM
Sandia National Laboratories

I appreciate the time members took to take part in our third annual dinner meeting in Santa Fe on October 17^th. We had a larger group than last year and look forward to increasing the attendance again next year. I would like to thank Jackie Burton, of Sundance Environmental, for her presentation on 3-D Modeling of Groundwater Systems in Arizona. The software has been used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9 (this project), U.S. Navy, and U.S. Department of Agriculture to help visualize contaminant migration. Attendees liked how powerful a tool the software provides for visualizing subsurface plumes. Also, a big thank-you goes out to Tiny's restaurant and their staff for making all of us feel right at home.

Please remember that this month's luncheon meeting is being replaced with our fall field trip! We will meet at 11:30 AM on Wednesday, November 14 at the Rinchem Company, Inc. location of 6133 Edith Blvd, NE in Albuquerque. Plan to take advantage of the household hazardous waste collections operations that are open that day by bringing your household hazardous waste with you for disposal. We will be providing lunch and collecting a $10.00 fee per person to cover the costs. Due to space constraints, the field trip will be limited to 20 people. Please contact me at  if you would like to attend. A map and final field trip information will be e-mailed to participants prior to the trip.

The Essentials of Hazardous Materials Management course was successfully given from October 10-12 in the executive boardroom at the University of New Mexico's Science and Technology Park. We had 13 participants in the course who received a complimentary membership to NMSHMM for the remainder of this membership year, so a big welcome to those new members. I would also like to extend a HUGE thank you to all of the volunteer instructors, moderators, and general do-gooders who helped to make this years class a success. In particular, special thanks go out to Paul Karas, the education committee chair, for his hard work in putting it all together!

A quick reminder that December is the month for our holiday social which will be replacing our normal luncheon meeting. This year's social will be held on Thursday, December 13^th from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Billiard Palace located at 2288 Wyoming Blvd NE in Albuquerque. We have a private room with a pool table, big screen TV, and sound system for our members' enjoyment. NMSHMM will be providing some beverages and appetizers to get things going. Please mark this on your calendar and we hope to see you there!

Now is the time to start thinking about how you can become more involved in NMSHMM because it is time again to nominate people for the board. NMSHMM is made up of a great group of people and being able to be a part of the board has been a wonderful experience for me. If you or anyone you know is interested in being a board member, please contact any current board member to let them know.

Finally, it is the time of year where we all start thinking about family get-togethers and maybe even a few gifts thrown in there for good measure. Given that we are all in the hazardous materials business we are aware of the potential dangers from hazardous materials in common every day items. But this year it is particularly important with the recent discoveries of lead in children's toys to be vigilant to keep our families safe. So if you purchased something earlier in the year and squirreled it away in a closet, please be certain to take a close look and see if it might have been part of the recalls. With that in mind, I want to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving and good luck with the lines and parking if you are brave enough to venture out to shop on the day after Thanksgiving . . . . no I am not going to get up at 3:00 AM to stand in line to purchase that laptop for $199 after filling out the 14 page rebate form, 25% instant savings, and internet coupon, but if you plan to do that please let me know, and I will give you my order . . .

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Committee News

Membership News: Program Ideas
Debbie Finfrock, PE, CHMM
NMSHMM Treasurer and Membership Chairperson
 

Although NMSHMM does not have an active program committee, many of you members have signed up with an interest in programs. If you have an interesting speaker or field trip in mind, please submit those ideas for 2008 to any member of the board. Folks where you work who have recently presented a program at a conference or meeting are often happy to repeat their presentation for a local audience. The programs only need to have some relevance to the hazardous materials field and last about 30 minutes with questions. We can provide most audio-visual equipment needed with sufficient notice. Plus, the speakers get a fine cold lunch from the Uptown Grill! (The lunch is served hot, but speakers don't always get a chance to eat the lunch right away.) As our lives progress quickly from month to month, we often need last-minute replacements as well. Being responsible for a lunch program will help you become more involved in the chapter.

Northern New Mexico members - what kind of program do we need to present to lure you from your homes once a year for our annual Santa Fe meeting? The last couple of years, our Santa Fe dinner meeting has been attended primarily by Albuquerque NMSHMM members. Our choice of restaurants is limited to those who will provide us a private area for free, and the dinner meeting time is necessary so we can get some cross-pollination of central and northern New Mexico folks. Please let me know what you would like to see in a Santa Fe meeting - a different time of year? We want to see you!

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

• The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) Air Quality Bureau denied an application from Española Transit Mix to relocated aggregate crushers and other equipment from Española to Velarde. The permit denial was based on Española Transit Mix's failure to provide adequate public notice. (NMED Press Release, 9-29-07)
   
• Governor Bill Richardson sent a letter to Texas Governor Rick Perry stating New Mexico's objection to renewal of Asarco Inc.'s air permit for a copper smelter in El Paso. The regional air shed that includes Dona Ana County, New Mexico; El Paso County, Texas; and State of Chihuahua, Mexico has elevated levels of ozone and particulate matter. (NMED Press Release, 10-2-07; Albuquerque Journal 10-3-07)
   
• Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) resumed shipments of highest-risk radioactive waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad. Recent upgrading of LANL facilities will allow shipment of this plutonium containing waste to WIPP for disposal. The shipments were stopped later in the month when a repacked 30-gallon drum within a 55-gallon drum did not have proper venting to allow hydrogen gas to escape. (Albuquerque Journal, 10-3-07; Albuquerque Journal, 10-17-07)
   
• Governor Bill Richardson proposed funding $15 million in southern New Mexico community projects such as water and wastewater systems, infrastructure improvements, and street repair. This initiative includes $3,100,000 for Dona Ana County, $500,000 for Eddy and Chavez counties, $350,000 for Grant County, $500,000 for Luna County, $500,000 for Hidalgo County, and $50,000 for several Colonias Planning Initiatives. (Governor's Office Press Release, 10-3-07)
   
• The Galisteo Basin of southern Santa Fe County may contain reserves of 50-100 million barrels of light sweet crude oil and 5-10 trillion cubic feet of natural gas according to Bill Dirks of Tecton Energy. As part of a public meeting presentation at Turquoise Trail Elementary School south of Santa Fe, 150 people learned about Tecton Energy's plant to drill eight exploratory wells, perhaps more, on 650,000 acres where the company holds mineral rights. Local residents are concerned that the drilling would bring noise, traffic, and visual impacts to local communities such as Cerrillos, Galisteo, and Madrid. (Albuquerque Journal, 10-5-07)
   
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) placed the Eagle Pitcher Carefree Battery site located north of Socorro on the National Priority List as a Superfund Site. Groundwater contaminants present in a 2-mile long plume include tricholoroethene (TCE) and other solvents used in the manufacture of printed circuit boards and non-automotive batteries. (El Defensor Chieftain, 10-9-07)
   
• The New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board approved greenhouse gas reporting rules that will require power plants, oil and gas refineries, and cement plants to report greenhouse gas emissions. According to NMED Secretary Ron Curry, "These regulations will create an initial framework that will form the basis for future development of market-based emissions reductions initiatives, such as a cap and trade system." Governor Richardson also directed NMED Secretary Curry to testify before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding EPA's failure to require Best Available Control Technology (BACT) to reduce and capture greenhouse emissions from coal-fired power plants. (Governor's Office press releases, 10-10-07 and 10-15-07; Santa Fe New Mexican, 10-11-07; Associated Press, 10-12-07 and 10/18/07)
   
• Uranium Resources proposes to build a uranium mill at Ambrosia Lake, 20 miles north of Grants. The mill could process up to 8000 tons of uranium daily. NMED Secretary Ron Curry noted that the mill would need to obtain a groundwater discharge permit, and any in situ leach operation would require a Underground Injection Control permit prior to beginning operations. (Associated Press, 10-12-07; Albuquerque Tribune, 10-12-07; NMED Press Release, 10-12-07)
   
• New Mexico Tech proposes to coordinate the Southwest Regional Partnership for Carbon Sequestration. The project would inject carbon dioxide into the Entrada sandstone formation. (Associated Press, 10-12-07)
   
• Royal Demolition Explosive or RDX was found in LANL monitoring wells last year. The explosive was measured at just 2% of the EPA level at which it would be considered unsafe. (Albuquerque Journal, 10-15-07)
   
• Local Wagon Mound area residents are opposing a proposal that would allow the Wagon Mound landfill to receive special waste such as asbestos, petroleum, sludge, industrial solid waste, and ash. NMED Secretary Ron Curry will make a decision after reviewing the hearing officer's recommendation. (Albuquerque Journal, 10-18-07)
   
• The New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division's Abandoned Mine Land Program received an award from the National Association of Abandoned Mine Line Programs for the Real de Dolores Mine Safeguard Project south of Santa Fe. This reclamation project safeguarded 14 hazardous mine openings while protecting cultural resources, biological resources, and the historic mining landscape. (New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department press release, 10-18-07)
   
• NMED asked the Environmental Improvement Board to approve a rule requiring owners of homes and trailers with discovered meth labs to provide proof of clean-up or face fines. Three meth lab laws failed to pass during the past legislative session. Senator Cisco McSorley and Representative Al Park have asked the Attorney General to review the legality of the proposed rule because of its affect on property rights. (Santa Fe New Mexican, 10-20-07)
   
• Construction is underway on the Uranium Enrichment Facility near Eunice. Buildings are going up, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission conducted a major inspection. (Associated Press, 10-23-07)
   
• NMED is in court to prevent the release of a consultant's report regarding the Sandia National Laboratories Mixed Waste Landfill. Citizen Action has asked for a copy of the report, and the New Mexico Attorney General ruled that the report should be public under New Mexico Law. NMED believes the report should be kept confidential because it was used as for internal executive branch deliberations. (Albuquerque Journal, 10-24-07)

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Upcoming Meetings & Events

November 6, 11:30 am, New Mexico Chapter of the Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA) monthly meeting at the Golden Corral (10415 Central Avenue NE, northeast of Eubank) in Albuquerque. Martin Schleup, of Kleinfelder West, will present "An Update on Greenhouse Gas Initiatives (Climate Change: the Debate Is Over!).

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 - 1:00 pm, NMSHMM Rinchem Field Trip, cost $10 to cover provided lunch. Rinchem is located at 6133 Edith Blvd. NE in Albuquerque. Bring your household hazardous waste with you and save a trip! RSVP: . Field trip limited to 20. A map and final field trip information will be e-mailed to participants prior to the trip.

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.

Note: The NMSHMM board will not meet in December.

December 4, 11:30 am, New Mexico Chapter of the Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA) monthly meeting at the Golden Corral (10415 Central Avenue NE, northeast of Eubank) in Albuquerque.

December 13, 5:00 pm, NMSHMM Annual Christmas Social at Billiard Palace, 2288 Wyoming Blvd. NE (next to Village Inn on east side of Wyoming just south of Menaul).

December 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.

January 3, 11:30 am, New Mexico Chapter of the Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA) monthly meeting at the Golden Corral (10415 Central Avenue NE, northeast of Eubank) in Albuquerque.

January 15, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM Board Meeting at CDM offices, 6000 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 200. All members are welcome.

January 16, 11:30 am, NMSHMM Luncheon/General Meeting at Uptown Sports Bar and Grill, 6601 Uptown Boulevard NE, Albuquerque. Speaker to be announced.

February 7, 11:30 am, New Mexico Chapter of the Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA) monthly meeting at the Golden Corral (10415 Central Avenue NE, northeast of Eubank) in Albuquerque.

February 19, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM Board Meeting at CDM offices, 6000 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 200. All members are welcome.

February 20, 11:30 am, NMSHMM Luncheon/General Meeting at Uptown Sports Bar and Grill, 6601 Uptown Boulevard NE, Albuquerque. Speaker to be announced.

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 - Updated November 9, 2007)

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

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