Ongoing community concerns prompt Superfund listing

[Part One of the Jackpile Mine toxic legacy story looks at what happened before there were environmental standards for reclaiming the land.]

The EPA-run Superfund program, established by Congress in 1980, was relatively new when the BLM and BIA plan was approved in 1985, [Paul] Robinson [of Southwest Research and Information Center] said, and the plan was not evaluated on whether or not it met the EPA’s regulations for contaminants like uranium in the water. Further complicating cleanup is that mines aren’t covered by the Atomic Energy Act, which oversees the cleanup of former uranium mill sites.

“This little glitch is a...

MILAN— The New Mexico Department of Transportation District Six Engineer is asking motorists to avoid travel as winter weather is predicted across west-central New Mexico.

Maintenance crews are prepared with personnel and equipment for the upcoming storm and will work to support law enforcement and emergency responders.

The National Weather Service is forecasting hazardous weather and dangerously cold temperatures until Thursday, Feb. 3.

“Our crews work extremely hard to keep our roads clear of snow and ice; however, it’s important for drivers to remember to drive for current road conditions to include reduced visibility,” District Six Engineer Lisa Vega said. “We strongly...

Senator Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., has been hospitalized in Albuquerque following a stroke that occurred Jan. 27.

Chief of Staff Carlos Sanchez issued a statement saying the senator experienced dizziness and fatigue and checked himself into Christus St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Santa Fe, before being transferred to University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque for further evaluation.

He was found to have suffered a stroke in the cerebellum, affecting his balance.

As part of his treatment plan, he underwent decompressive surgery to ease swelling.

He is currently under the care of UNM hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

Luján’s office remains open and will...

‘Can’t New Mexico be a state – can’t we be the state – where everything is possible?’

With a new year comes a new legislative session, and in preparation for that, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham addressed the state in her fourth State of the State on Jan. 18. In her speech, she talked about education, tax credits for New Mexicans, job growth, and public safety.

“I believe we can fulfill, once and for all, after 110 years of statehood, the destiny of New Mexico as a genuine homestead of the American Dream, a place where people can grow and thrive and live in peace and prosperity, where people have the resources they need to support themselves and their...