November 2008
| PLEASE NOTE: Some newsletter content is only available to members in good standing of NMSHMM. |
- The Hazardous Materials Industry at a Time of Change
- NMSHMM Holiday Social Moves to Friday
- It's Not Too Late to Sign Up for the NMSHMM Essentials of Hazardous Materials Management (EHMM) Course
- Trinity Tour a Booming Success
- Rebranding of ACHMM
- Committee News
- Upcoming Meetings and Events
- Monthly Meeting Location
- Job Openings
- 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 |
The Hazardous Materials Industry at a Time of Change
Brian Pence, CHMM
Assaigai Analytical Laboratories, Inc.
Greetings NMSHMM,
As I write this letter today, our country is on the brink. We are about to elect a new president in what has already become a historic election. The financial system is close to collapse. And the human impact on our environment is beyond dispute. We stand at a crossroads. The coming weeks, months, and years will see dramatic changes in the hazardous materials industry. I am hopeful for the future. I am hopeful that a change in the political landscape will bring a renewed embrace of science. Advances in technology are happening so fast it is hard to keep up. And, I am confident that the economy will bounce back with even more vigor than before. I am ready for change. As a scientist and hazardous material professional, I am eager to continue my part in an industry that will play a key role in changes we will see. So, during this month when we give thanks, I am thankful to be working along side the membership of NMSHMM and the Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Managers (ACHMM), building a better future for our children.
Please feel free to contact me at if you have any questions or need information regarding the upcoming Essentials of Hazardous Materials Management (EHMM) course. I look forward to seeing you soon. Be safe!!
NMSHMM Holiday Social Moves to Friday
Richie Spangler, CHMM
Sandia National Laboratories
A quick reminder that December is the month for our holiday social which will be replacing our normal luncheon meeting. We decided to try a Friday evening this year to allow more people to participate. So, this year's social will be held on Friday, December 12th from 5:30 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 provide some beverages and appetizers to get things going. Please mark this on your calendar. There is no need to RSVP, so just stop by after work. We hope to see you there!
It's Not Too Late to Sign Up for the NMSHMM Essentials of Hazardous Materials Management (EHMM) Course
Paul Karas, CPG, CHMM
CDM
Registration for the 2008 NMSHMM EHMM Course (formerly the ACHMM National Overview Course or NOC) has really picked up over the last few weeks. The EHMM Course will be held November 17 - 19, 2008, at the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) District 1 office, 5500 San Antonio Dr. NE, in Albuquerque. Our gracious host has reserved a large and well-equipped space for the training so we can still add a few more registrants!
The 3-day course offers a comprehensive review of environmental laws and regulations as well as a basic review of safety and health principles that you need as a hazardous materials manager. This is an excellent way to prepare for the Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) Exam or to satisfy training or re-certification requirements, enhance competence in the profession, and obtain information regarding new rules and regulations.
The fee for the NMSHMM EHMM Course will be $695.00 for the full three days of instruction, ACHMM Hazardous Materials Management textbook, a course manual, and refreshments. Registrants who have previously participated in the NMSHMM EHMM (or NOC) will be eligible for a reduced rate of $300.00, but will not receive a copy of the ACHMM textbook.
Look for further information on the NMSHMM EHMM on the web at www.nmshmm.org. Please contact Paul Karas, NMSHMM Education/Professional Development Committee Chair, at 505-243-3200 or if you are interested in learning more about the EHMM, volunteering to assist with running the EHMM, or being considered as an instructor.
Trinity Tour a Booming Success
Debbie Finfrock, PE, CHMM
Finfrock Engineering
Several
NMSHMM members joined the National Atomic Museum tour on October 4.
Ben Benjamin gave a lecture the night before the tour about his
memories of the first nuclear "gadget" test, including pictures that
would make any safety-minded person cringe. He was present on July
16, 1945, as part of the photo-optic group that photographed the
explosion six miles east of ground zero. Nine NMSHMM members and
their guests participated in the tour. We toured the McDonald Ranch
House, part of the base camp where the first plutonium core was
assembled. Then we visited the Trinity Site crater area, where most
of the group was photographed by the lava-rock obelisk at ground
zero. Expert docents from the museum provided informative details at
each of these locations about the days preceding and following the
test. After a restful lunch, explosives experts from the New Mexico
Institute of Mining and Technology's Energetic Materials Research
and Testing Center (EMRTC) demonstrated both a low explosive burn
and detonation of 50 pounds of high explosive, an ammonium nitrate
mixture similar to that used to bomb the Oklahoma City federal
building. From 3,000 feet away on the opposite hillside, we saw the
small burst and waited 2.6 seconds to hear and feel the blast, which
was much more impressive. One can only imagine the shock wave from
the "fat man" bomb test, which ushered in the nuclear age.
The picture above shows Penny Avery, Edwina Pendarvis, Tony Avery, Eric Johnson, Theresa Wallis, Debbie Finfrock, and Jerry Kamieniecki. Linda McCormick is missing and David Wallis took picture.
ACHMM is proposing to rebrand itself as the Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals (AHMP). Information on the rebranding proposal can be found on the home page of the NMSHMM web site (www.nmshmm.org). ACHMM members will have the opportunity to vote on this proposal during November.
Government Affairs and Local News Stories
Compiled by Eric Johnson, AICP, CHMM
The following are news stories reported during the past month:
- Attorney General Gary King filed a brief appealing the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) air permit for the
proposed coal-fired Desert Rock power plant on the Navajo Nation
in northwestern New Mexico. The air permit is an important
regulatory hurdle for the plant, but the plant must still obtain
approval of its environmental impact statement before
construction can start. (Albuquerque
Journal, 10-3-08)
- Martha Vasquez, New Mexico's chief federal judge, issued an
order that prohibits the City of Albuquerque from implementing a
green building code. The Air Conditioning, Heating and
Refrigeration Institute sued the City of Albuquerque on the
grounds that the code's energy efficiency standards for
furnaces, water heaters, and air conditioners are more stringent
than allowed under federal law. Judge Vasquez determined that
the code "infringes on an area pre-empted by federal law." (Albuquerque
Journal, 10-4-08; Santa Fe New Mexican, 10-16-08)
- Under a new federal proposal, nuclear weapons plutonium
research will be consolidated from other sites in the country to
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). "We believe that Los
Alamos will, in fact, be the nation's center of excellence for
plutonium, " said Robert Smolen, who is in charge of the
National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) nuclear
weapons program. (Albuquerque
Journal, 10-9-08)
- Brian Schmidly, son of University of New Mexico (UNM)
President David Schmidly, was initially offered a $94,000 per
year job as UNM's Associate Director of Sustainability, but
after objections from the public surfaced, he turned down the
job. Brian Schmidly has a bachelor's in Latin American studies
and a master's in international management, but obtained a LEED
certification (from the U.S. Green Buildings Council as a Leader
in Energy and Environment Design or LEED) only after he had
applied for the position. He initially was selected over
experienced environmental specialists including two UNM
environmental scientists (who are CHMMs). (Albuquerque
Journal, 10-18-08 and 10-20-08)
- NMED was one of 12 winners of EPA Environmental Justice
Achievement Awards. The award was based on NMED's environmental
justice outreach, collaboration, and planning; the state
implemented permitting reforms; new training programs; and
improved public notification, comment, and participation.
Governor Richardson signed an Environmental Justice Executive
Order in 2005, and the state has established an Environmental
Justice Policy Committee and an Environmental Justice Task
Force. (EPA News Release, 10-21-08)
- Ozone levels in San Juan County have averaged 77 parts per
billion (77 ppb), which would exceed the 75 ppb standard that
will become the standard in 3 years. The current standard is 80
ppb. The new standard will affect the existing Public Service
Company of New Mexico's San Juan Generating Station, Arizona
Public Service Company's Four Corners Power Plant, and Diné
Power Authority's and Sithe Global Power's proposed Desert Rock
power plant. (Santa Fe New Mexican,
10-21-08)
- UNM Associate Mechanical Engineering Professor Andrea Mammoli and his colleagues have installed used and unused solar panels dating to the late 1970's for energy production on the roof of the mechanical engineering building. The solar panels can heat water to just above the boiling point for heating the building in cool months and powering an absorption chiller to cool the building in warm months. (10-28-08)
|
Society luncheon meetings are held at
Uptown Sports Bar and Grill, 6601 Uptown Blvd. NE, at 11:30 on the third Wednesday of the month (except Mar. and Dec.) |
| November 2008 |
November 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. Speaker to be announced.
November 12,
11:30 am, NMSHMM Luncheon/General Meeting at Uptown Sports Bar and Grill, 6601 Uptown Boulevard NE, Albuquerque. Video on "Waste To Energy" followed by a discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of incineration as a waste disposal and energy generation technology.November 12, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM Board Meeting at CDM offices, 6000 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 200. All members are welcome.
November 17-19 Essentials of Hazardous Materials Management (EHMM) Course (formerly the ACHMM National Overview Course) at the NMED District 1 office, 5500 San Antonio Dr. NE, Albuquerque. Contact Paul Karas, NMSHMM Education/Professional Development Committee Chair, at 505-243-3200 or if you are interested in learning more about the EHMM, volunteering to assist with running the EHMM, or in being considered as an instructor.
| December 2008 |
December 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. Speaker to be announced.
December 12, 5:30 pm to 8 pm, NMSHMM Annual Holiday Social at the Billiard Palace, 2288 Wyoming Blvd. NE. Everyone welcome. No RSVP needed.
| January 2009 |
January 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. Speaker to be announced.
January 20, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM Board Meeting at CDM offices, 6000 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 200. All members are welcome.
January 21, 11:30 am, NMSHMM Luncheon/General Meeting at Uptown Sports Bar and Grill, 6601 Uptown Boulevard NE, Albuquerque. Speaker to be announced.
| February 2009 |
February 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. Speaker to be announced.
February 17, 5:30 pm, NMSHMM Board Meeting at CDM offices, 6000 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 200. All members are welcome.
February 18, 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 .
|
Society business meetings are held at CDM's offices, 6000 Uptown NE, Suite 200, at 6:00 on the third Tuesday of the month (except Mar. and Dec.) |
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.
For the latest job openings, please click here. (MEMBERS ONLY)
NMSHMM OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS
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Officers: President Past-President President-Elect Treasurer Secretary At-Large Director At-Large Director |
Committee Chairs: Communication Education/Professional
Development Finance Legislative Affairs |
Please send contributions for future newsletters to Eric Johnson at . Thanks!