US Senators Call for Increased Compensation for Those Exposed to Nuclear Fallout – Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press

US senators in New Mexico and Idaho are further pushing for expanded federal compensation programs for those exposed to radiation after Cold War-era uranium mining and nuclear testing.

The list will also include downwind residents living near New Mexico, where the world’s first atomic bomb was tested in 1945, as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II.

This bill amends the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to include eligible residents of fallout-affected areas in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Guam Territories. It is something to do.

New Mexico Democrat Ben Ray Lujan and Idaho Republican Mike Crapo announced on Thursday that they would resubmit the bill to the Senate after previous attempts to expand the program stalled.

The measure has also been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, and proponents say time is ticking as more people are being diagnosed with cancer, claiming it has something to do with exposure. there is

Lawmakers hope to use the momentum gained from last year’s bipartisan approval of a bill to prevent the compensation scheme from expiring to expand it and ensure it doesn’t expire as planned next summer. are doing.

The challenge is to get more Republicans to support the bill, said Tina Cordova, a cancer survivor and co-founder of the Tula Rosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, a New Mexico-based advocacy group. . He said many of the people who would benefit from expanded coverage are in states represented by Republicans.

Cordova said the latest generation of families exposed to fallout from nuclear weapons tests continue to be affected by radiation exposure. She pointed to her niece, a 23-year-old college student who had recently been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and her two-year-old granddaughter from a Tularosa family who had one eye removed due to cancer.

“New Mexico is being asked to do so much,” Cordova said, pointing to the state’s role in the country’s nuclear weapons development and the disposal of the resulting waste. “We bear the brunt of this, but they will still not realize that we were the first to be exposed to radiation from the atomic bomb and no one has looked back.”

Advocates say the nuclear fallout on the Navajo, where millions of tons of uranium ore have been mined over decades to support U.S. nuclear activities, at the Trinity Site in southern New Mexico and around the Navajo For years, efforts have been made to raise awareness of the lingering effects of

Under the law, eligibility would be extended to certain workers in the post-1971 industry, such as miners.

The bill’s reintroduction comes ahead of the 78th anniversary of the Trinity test in New Mexico on July 16, as the federal government prepares to ramp up production of the plutonium pits used to provoke nuclear weapons. It was done while I was there.

Crapo said extending the compensation program for another two years is important, but more needs to be done to address the health effects of fallout from nuclear testing on residents of Idaho and constituencies in Western countries. said.

For Luhan, reforming the compensation law has been a long struggle. Since he was first elected as a member of the US House of Representatives in 2008, he has introduced legislation in each session.

“Throughout their fault, these workers and neighboring communities have been exposed to radiation as part of a national defense effort,” Luhan said, adding that they will receive the same relief available to other communities included in RECA. We are impacting future generations without being served.”

Since the program began in 1992, more than 54,000 claims have been filed and approximately $2.6 billion has been awarded for approved claims. An estimated $80 million is needed for the Compensation Trust Fund for fiscal year 2024, which begins July 1, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

New Mexico court upholds ruling blocking power company from selling stake in coal-fired power plant – Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press

The New Mexico Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a power regulator’s decision to reject a proposal by the state’s largest utility to transfer a stake in a coal-fired power plant to a Navajo energy company.

The court also ruled in favor of the New Mexico Public Service Company’s request for a loan order authorizing the utility to issue bonds to recoup the costs of abandoning the Four Corners power plant in northwestern New Mexico. supported the decision.

Navajo Transitional Energy argues that preventing the plant’s early retirement will help soften the economic blow to communities that have long relied on coal-related tax revenue and jobs. , was aiming to take over the PNM shares.

Environmentalists have protested the move over concerns that the plant, which serves customers in Arizona and New Mexico, would be allowed to continue operating.

The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case earlier this year. In that order, it ruled that the regulator’s decision was reasonable and consistent with the state’s Energy Transition Act.

In rejecting PNM’s plans for 2021, the commission said it did not specify how the utility would provide replacement power for the electricity it no longer produces at the Four Corners plant.

Commissioners had expressed concern given that the utility had yet to complete a solar and storage facility to replace another coal-fired power plant, the San Juan plant, which closed last September. .

The Supreme Court noted that PNM resource planning director Nicholas Phillips testified about the limitations of utility modeling. Rather than identify new resources to replace the Four Corners plant, PNM relied on previous bids for a San Juan replacement.

Phillips also acknowledged unexpected delays in PNM replenishing capacity lost due to the San Juan closure.

In view of these delays and the general information provided by PNM, the Court concluded that “in reasonable spirits, Phillips’ testimony and PNM’s modeling alone will meet the utility’s burden under the Energy Transition Act. may conclude that it is insufficient for

PNM officials said they were disappointed by the ruling.

Power company spokesman Raymond Sandoval said the commission’s order will delay PNM’s exit from its power plants from 2024 to possibly 2031, which in turn will delay emissions cuts.

“Our commitment to serving our customers with zero-carbon electricity is not over,” he said, adding that “an early exit from the Four Corners coal-fired power plant will move us forward. We continue to focus on shifting pricing to carbon-free electricity.” “

The Four Corners factory in the Navajo Nation is operated by the Arizona Public Service Company. The company owns a majority stake in the remaining two units of the plant.

PNM initially proposed a deal with a Navajo company as a way to remove coal from its portfolio. One of the terms of the proposed multi-billion-dollar merger proposal with a subsidiary of global energy giant Iberdrola would have required the New Mexico power company to show it was taking steps to merge.

The court also noted that PNM was aware of Commission staff concerns about modeling with respect to alternative resources.

Sandoval said Thursday that the utility is still working to provide alternative resources to the San Juan power plant, as well as replace the electricity lost at Arizona’s Palo Verde nuclear power plant when the lease expires. Admitted.

PNM has not disclosed a date for any of the projects to enter commercial operation. But Sandoval said a 150-megawatt battery installation has been tested and will be able to power customers even during the current heat wave.

Power companies said they buy power in anticipation of summer peak demand, so there will be no rolling blackouts on this hot day.

Addiction Drug Appointments Unfilled in Northern New Mexico – by Austin Fisher, source new mexico

Even if you can get a prescription for medication to help manage your symptoms, addiction practitioners say it’s very difficult to get a prescription in northern New Mexico, and people often get sick. They often give up on treatment altogether.

Sources Ronnie Flores, a peer support expert at the Spanish Presbyterian Hospital, told Sen. He said he didn’t have enough of the FDA-approved buprenorphine to treat him.

Researchers last year found Restrictive federal regulations on how pharmacies dispense this drug have caused shipment delays or suspensions.another study published A May survey found that only 42 pharmacies in New Mexico carry the drug.

Kelly Mittinger, Managing Harm Reduction Program Santa Fe Mountain CenterMr r told Heinrich that staff there can spend two to three hours a day at the pharmacy sorting out people’s prescriptions.

For more information, visit Source New Mexico on KUNM.org.

Federal government denies request from mining companies to ease cleanup standards for toxic uranium mine sites – By Daniel Prokop, source new mexico

Federal regulators last month rejected a proposal by a mining company to relax cleanup standards for a former uranium mine in western New Mexico.

Source New Mexico’s Daniel Prokop reports that the Homestake Mining Company began in 1958 and was located in Cibola, just eight miles outside the town of Milan, until Barrick Gold bought the company in the early 2000s. operated a mine in the county.

The Environmental Protection Agency closed the mine Superfund site So this is one of the most toxic places in the country, and it will take decades to clean up.

The company last year filed an application for exemption from standards for cleaning up pollutants from groundwater. This standard was set by the company earlier.

Their request was considered by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees nuclear decontamination activities and manages the site together with the Environmental Protection Agency.

The federal agency’s decision “was a bit of a shock” to local environmental activists, who argued that the Federal Regulatory Commission often sided with industry in many of its decisions.

The company still has limited avenues of approval for relaxing cleanup requirements.

Federal Appeals Court Overturns Ex-New Mexico Rep.’s Eligible Immunity – Albuquerque Journal

The former Chavez County deputy who held the Roswell man at gunpoint is not eligible for a qualified immunity, according to a federal court ruling.

The Albuquerque Journal reported US10.^th The Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday in David Bradshaw’s case. Off duty in 2018, he blocked the driveway after Mario Rosales was driving home in an unmarked truck. Bradshaw pointed a gun at Rosales while the child was in the truck.

Bradshaw was fired and charged with child abuse and aggravated assault. He was convicted in 2019 and sentenced to two years in prison.

In 2020, Rosales sued the former deputy for violating his right to be free from excessive and unnecessary use of force. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, finding Bradshaw eligible for immunity. This is a principle that protects civil servants from civil lawsuits related to their duties, as long as they do not violate the law. The latest judgment reverses that decision.

Bradshaw’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment from us.