January 2010
| PLEASE NOTE: Some newsletter content is only available to members in good standing of NMSHMM. |
- President's Message - 2009 Recap and 2010/2011 Board Elections
- Photos from NMSHMM / ASSE Annual Social
- Local News Stories
- Upcoming Meetings and Events
- Monthly Meeting Location
- Job Openings (Last Update: December 18, 2009)
- NMSHMM Officers and Committee Chairs
| Our Mission |
| To
provide environmental professionals in the Southwest a
forum for professional development, education, and networking opportunities; and to offer our community environmental, health, and safety expertise |
President's Message - 2009 Recap and 2010/2011 Board Elections
Mike Sanders, CPG, CHMM
GRAM, Inc.
Major 2009 NMSHMM Events
2009 was a very active and successful year for NMSHMM. Major events during the year included:
- Changed luncheon location from the Uptown Sports Bar and
Grill to the Golden Corral restaurant, a better venue for our
lunch meetings.
- March 9, 2009: NMSHMM annual
dinner at Seasons Rotisserie and Grill, with dinner speaker Rick
Sprott, current President of the Air and Waste Management
Association (AWMA), and past head of the Utah Environment
Department.
- April 15, 2009: field trip
to Assaigai Analytical Laboratories in Albuquerque, hosted by
NMSHMM Past-President Brian Pence.
- May 21, 2009: dinner meeting
at Tiny’s restaurant in Santa Fe, with speaker Peter Maggiore,
who works for Northwind, Inc. at LANL. A number of Albuquerque
NMSHMM members took the Rail Runner to Santa Fe for this event –
a cool way to get to and from Santa Fe.
- August 9, 2009: Isotopes
Night at the ballpark, attended jointly by members from NMSHMM
and the New Mexico Health Physics Society.
- August 30 – September 2, 2009:
Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals (AHMP) national
conference held in San Diego, and attended by approximately 10
NMSHMM members.
- October 10, 2009: field trip
to the AMEC materials testing laboratory in Albuquerque, hosted
by NMSHMM Secretary Vickie Maranville.
- November 16-18, 2009:
Essentials of Hazardous Materials Managers (EHMM) preparation
course for the CHMM exam, organized by Education Committee Chair
Paul Karas, and held at the NMED District 1 offices in
Albuquerque. A record number of students (25) took the EHMM
course this year.
- December 4, 2009: Annual holiday social at a new venue, the Chama River Brewing Company. This energetic, fun, and very successful event was organized by Board of Director Sandra Martin and Secretary Vickie Maranville, and was also a joint party with the New Mexico Chapter of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) and the New Mexico Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers (NM-ASSE). More than 50 folks attended, and we anticipate a repeat for December of this year!
End of Year Thoughts, and Upcoming NMSHMM Board Elections
I would like to say that it has been a very rewarding experience (and admittedly, on occasion challenging, given the other pressures of professional and personal daily life that all of us in this organization routinely deal with) that I have had as President of this organization since April 2009. The support of a strong NMSHMM board (see the photo below, taken during the July 2009 board meeting at my house in July) makes the job of President a lot easier. Knowing this, I will be continuing as a board member with this excellent organization, and look forward to working with and supporting our incoming President Debbie Finfrock. I encourage other NMSHMM members to “take the plunge” and get involved to maintain the viability of NMSHMM, which simply won’t happen without the participation and commitment of members of this organization like you.
The hard working NMSHMM Board, from left to right,
Paul Karas (Education Chair),
Brian Salem (Treasurer), Richie Spangler (Past President and AHMP Board
Member), Brian Pence (Past President), Mike Sanders (President), Robert Rivera
(Director-at-large), Vickie Maranville (Secretary), and Sandra Martin (Director-
at-large and AHMP Membership Committee Chair).
NMSHMM will be holding Board of Director elections (in January) for the April 2010 – March 2011 NMSHMM operating year. An electronic ballot for board member voting will be sent to NMSHMM members in the next week. I look forward to seeing NMSHMM members at lunch meetings, field trips, another successful EHMM course, and multiple social events in the upcoming year. So, stay tuned for details in the monthly newsletters and on this website for information about upcoming events.
One more reminder-Jill Holbert with the City of Albuquerque recycling program will be our speaker at the next luncheon at the Golden Corral restaurant, on Wednesday January 20. Jill will tell us where all this stuff that we in this city recycle ends up. Hope to see you there.
Happy New Year everyone!
Photos from NMSHMM / ASSE Annual Social
Click on any image to view larger versions and captions
Click on any image to view larger versions and captions
The following are news stories reported during the past month:
- Western Refining Company in a settlement with the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) will pay $1.95 million to the Center for Excellence in Hazardous Materials Management in Carlsbad to support research in turning algae into biodiesel fuel. The settlement was for air quality violations at two refineries operated by Western Refining Company. In a related algae story, U.S. Representative Harry Teague introduced the Algae-based Renewable Fuel Promotion Act (HR 4168) to expand the definition of “cellulosic biofuel” to include algae for tax credits in order to expand algae-based biofuel production industries.
(Albuquerque Journal, 12-1-09 and 12-8-08)
- NMED is removing and disposing of cholorinated solvents from a Roswell dry cleaning establishment. Two in-ground concrete tanks were found during routine groundwater sampling.
(Albuquerque Journal, 12-8-09)
- The Department of Energy denied $450 million in stimulus money to the proposed Desert Rock power plant in northwestern New Mexico. Sithe Global intended to use the money to develop a pilot carbon capture and sequestration project.
(Albuquerque Journal, 12-9-09)
- A house in Llano Quemado (near Taos) was destroyed by a gas explosion. A resident of the house was lighting candles around 7:30 am, which resulted in the explosion caused by an apparent gas leak.
(Albuquerque Journal, 12-13-09)
- The City of Carlsbad requested $15,000 for legal fees and $35,000 for monitoring equipment that will be used for an anticipated brine well collapse. The city is working to head-off a brine well collapse located near two highways, an irrigation canal, and a mobile home park.
(Albuquerque Journal, 12-13-09)
- Conejos County officials, in southern Colorado, stopped a train shipment of low-level radioactive waste traveling from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to a waste facility in Clive, Utah. The county was requiring the shipment to obtain local permits. According to LANL officials, the waste included dirt, wood, metal and wires from old conventional explosives test; low levels of depleted uranium; and polycholorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from LANL legacy disposal sites.
(Santa Fe New Mexican, 12-15-09)
- NMED will release more than 200 previously secret reports on environmental contamination sites. Citizen Action, an Albuquerque environmental group, won a lawsuit against NMED in order to obtain release of the reports.
(Albuquerque Journal, 12-15-09)
- A LANL and NMED study found elevated levels of PCBs in the Pajarito Plateau watershed that surrounds the LANL facility in north-central New Mexico. Samples from 78 surface water sampling stations from 2004 through 2008 had results that exceed state standard for PCBs as well as several metals.
(Santa Fe New Mexican, 12-19-09)
- Marathon Oil Company reached a settlement with NMED to pay $5.1 million for alleged air quality violations (sulfur dioxide emissions) at the Indian Basin Gas Plant west of Carlsbad. The settlement will be used to for an algae and biofuels project near Carlsbad ($750,000), construction and maintenance of sulfur dioxide emission controls at the gas plant ($3.75 million), and a penalty ($610,560).
(Albuquerque Journal, 12-19-09)
- The U.S Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program awarded New Mexico’s first Platinum LEED Certification to the Cognitive Behavioral Institute’s new office building located on San Rafael NE near Tramway in Albuquerque. The building includes green features to reduce electrical use, water use, and stormwater runoff. An important aspect of the building is the use of solar panels mounted on the building and over parking spaces, which will provide close to 100 percent of the building’s electricity.
(Albuquerque Journal, 12-19-09)
- Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) received approval of their biogas program from the New Mexico Public Regulatory Commission. PNM will purchase biowaste to help power PNM’s natural gas electric generation plants.
(Albuquerque Journal, 12-19-09)
- SunEdison and Southwestern Public Service Company will build five photovoltaic solar plants in Lea and Eddy counties. The plants will generate 50 megawatts of electricity, enough for 10,000 homes.
(Albuquerque Journal, 12-24-09)
- NMED is investigating soil and groundwater pollution at the Elmira Dairy in southwest Albuquerque and the Othart Dairy No. 1 east of Veguita in Socorro County.
(Albuquerque Journal, 12-24-09)
- Infectious waste from the Plains Regional Medical Center was found at the Clovis landfill. This is the fourth discovery of infectious waste from the hospital at the landfill within the past 3 years.
(Albuquerque Journal, 12-24-09)
- A release of more than 37,000 gallons of aviation gasoline occurred at the Conoco Phillips bulk terminal in southeast Albuquerque. A shutoff valve was frozen and had to be defrosted before the pipe releasing the fuel could be turned off. (Albuquerque Journal, 12-30-09)
|
Society luncheon meetings are held at
Golden Corral Buffet on Central and Eubank (10415 Central Avenue NE) at 11:30 on the third Wednesday of the month (except Mar. and Dec.) |
| January 2010 |
January 5, 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. For more information, e-mail .
January 14, New Mexico Chapter of American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) technical meeting, Furr’s Fresh Buffet, 2004 Wyoming Blvd. NE. For more information, e-mail .
January 19, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM Board Meeting at AMEC Earth and Environmental, 8519 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque. All members are welcome.
January 20, 11:30 am, NMSHMM Luncheon/General Meeting at Golden Corral (10415 Central NE, northeast of Eubank) in Albuquerque. Jill Holbert will discuss recycling activities at the City of Albuquerque.
| February 2010 |
February 2, 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. For more information, e-mail .
February 11, New Mexico Chapter of American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) technical meeting, Furr’s Fresh Buffet, 2004 Wyoming Blvd. NE. For more information, e-mail .
February 16, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM Board Meeting at AMEC Earth and Environmental, 8519 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque. All members are welcome.
February 17, 11:30 am, NMSHMM Luncheon/General Meeting at Golden Corral (10415 Central NE, northeast of Eubank) in Albuquerque.
| March 2010 |
March 2, 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. For more information, e-mail .
March 11, New Mexico Chapter of American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) technical meeting, Furr’s Fresh Buffet, 2004 Wyoming Blvd. NE. For more information, e-mail .
March 16, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM Board Meeting at AMEC Earth and Environmental, 8519 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque. All members are welcome.
March 17, 11:30 am, NMSHMM Luncheon/General Meeting at Golden Corral (10415 Central NE, northeast of Eubank) in Albuquerque.
| April 2010 |
NMSHMM Annual Dinner - more information will appear in future newsletters.
April 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. For more information, e-mail .
April 8, New Mexico Chapter of American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) technical meeting, Furr’s Fresh Buffet, 2004 Wyoming Blvd. NE. For more information, e-mail .
April 20, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM Board Meeting at AMEC Earth and Environmental, 8519 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque. All members are welcome.
Did we miss something? To get your event added to the calendar please contact Eric Johnson at .
|
Society business meetings are
held at
AMEC Earth and Environmental, 8519 Jefferson NE, at 5:00 on the third Tuesday of the month (except Mar. and Dec.) |
Our regular monthly meetings are held at Golden Corral Buffet on Central and Eubank (10415 Central Avenue NE - 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.
For the latest job openings,
please click
here. (MEMBERS
ONLY)
Last Update: December 18, 2009
NMSHMM OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS
|
Officers:
President
Past-President
President-Elect
Treasurer
Secretary
At-Large Director At-Large Director |
Committee Chairs: Communication Education/Professional
Development
Membership |
Please send contributions for future newsletters to Eric Johnson at . Thanks!