Initial action to implement HJM 13 was taken today. Sen(s) Udall, Heinrich and Rep. Lujan Grisham sent a letter sent to the Secretary of the Air Force: Deborah L. James, for the first time requesting independent oversight of the Kirtland jet fuel cleanup. This is a major step forward, if followed through and implemented.
This letter requests The National Academy of Science's Water Science and Technology Board (WSTB) be immediately consulted. The letter states in part:
Over the past year, five concurrent studies have looked at the problem (...). They have produced significant variations in their characterization of the extent of the problem and the time it may take to reach the city's water supply. As a result, the community is left with uncertainty and doubt as to nature and timing of the final remedy.
In an attempt to bring clarity and direction to all parties, we ask that you immediately consult with the National Research Council of the National Academies of Science to evaluate the studies to date and provide guidance on a way forward. As the operating arm of the National Academies, the National Research Council's independent, expert reports inform government decision making and public policy while increasing the public's understanding. In particular, we ask that you consult with Dr. Jeff. Jacobs, Director to the Water Science and Technology Board, to undertake a review of the recent studies and provide a resolution to the discrepancies provided in these studies. Dr. Jacobs is copied in this letter.
Citizen Action has been working for over 6 months, including multiple meetings with local field representatives of NM's congressional delegation, to encourage our federal lawmakers to establish an independent task force. In particular, we wish to acknowledge Sen. Udall's Albuquerque field representative: Bill Woldman, for taking the lead in making this first step a reality and whose office crafted the language of this letter.
A far less demanding letter, falling well short of what's needed, was written by Sen. Heinrich's staff and signed by all 3 lawmakers and sent concurrently. The inadequacy of funding, the absence of sentry monitoring wells at the municipal wells, the lack of characterization for the extent and velocity of the jet fuel plume, and the inadequacy of sparging and potential for further mobilization of contamination are not recognized.
House Joint Memorial (HJM) 13 was approved by the New Mexico Senate last night (2/19/2013) just before 10:30pm by a vote of 29 - 13. Senate Memorial (SM) 13 was approved today just before the legislative session ended by a vote of 39 - 2. Senate Memorial (SM) 30 was not called for a vote.
Senate Memorials (SM) 30 & 42, both sponsored by Senator McSorley, will be heard in the Conservation committee tomorrow (Tues, Feb 17). SM 30 is expected to pass by unanimous consent. SM 42 and HJM 13 (sponsored by Rep. Stapleton) are expected to be voted to the Senate Floor.
We will have updates here when that occurs tomorrow. Check here for Senate contact recommendations to ensure the Senate calls Floor votes for these memorials.
Today the Senate Rules committee passed Senate Memorials (SM) 30 & 42 by consent decree (unanimous consent by committee: no debate). Both Memorials now move to the Senate Conservation Committee. House Joint Memorial (HJM) 13 will be heard in Conservation as well.
The Legislative session ends this Thursday. Currently, the Conservation Committee is not scheduled to meet until Tuesday. However, with limited time remaining committees are working overtime: Conservation may convene at any time.
We are asking you to phone and/or email specific Conservation Committee members in support of these Memorials. They are:
Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D) ph: (505) 986-4385; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sen. Richard Martinez (D) ph: (505) 986-4487; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sen. Phil Griego (D) ph: (505) 986-4513 ; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sen. William Soules (D) ph: (505) 986-8856; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sen. William Payne (R) ph: (505) 986-4703/4702; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sen. John Ryan (R) ph: (505)986-4373; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sen. Wirth and Shendo are already firm YES votes.
The House approved HJM 13: 39-17. HJM 13 now goes to the State Senate: it will go to a Committee hearing and vote. We are doing all we can to ensure it goes directly to the Senate Conservation Committee. From there, it will go to the Senate Floor for a vote.
Senate Memorial (SM) 30 still awaits a hearing in the Rules Committee. Please contact Rules Committee members asking for a hearing, and in particular Rules Committee Chair Sen. Linda Lopez' office. (completed)
Over 200 Citizen Action volunteers contacted House members this past week in support of HJM 13. Many of them told us the many calls and emails they received were consequential. Please sign up for our NewsLetter (just to the right) if you would like to help us ensure Albuquerque has safe water well into the future.
New Mexico Attorney General Gary King has endorsed HJM 13 and SM 42.
HJM 13 was scheduled for a floor vote yesterday but was not heard. It is on today's schedule: as of 1pm today, it has not been called. Myself (Jim McKay) and/or Dave McCoy will be Rep. Stapleton's expert should HJM 13 be called today.
NOTE: NMED has been very active in opposing HJM 13. The House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee passed this memorial last Thursday. Secretary Designate Ryan Flynn was vocal in his opposition at this hearing. His statements in opposition largely mirrored NMED's statement the House's Fiscal Impact Report on HJM 13.
We have written a point by point response to this statement, and strongly encourage you to read this response carefully. Citizen Action holds firmly to the facts of this response as stated.
HJM 13 now has the substituted document posted on their website. The document titled: HCPAC Committee Report explains SM 42's language was substituted into HJM 13. The document titled: HCPAC Committee Substitute now contains the substituted language, identical to SM 42.
HJM 13 now awaits scheduling for a Floor vote (see Feb 14 update). Please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are able to make phone calls to lawmakers advocating YES on HJM 13.
The corrected language (see Feb. 7 Update) for HJM 13 has not yet been posted on the Legislature's website. HJM 13 is identical to SM 42 in language.
Please call your House Representative in support of HJM 13. Our suggested talking points when calling lawmakers is posted here, and says:
New Mexico State Legislature Joint House Memorial (HJM) 13 asks the New Mexico congressional delegation to fund and assemble and independent task force of experts to study and recommend a scientific plan to clean up Kirtland Air Force Base fuel spill including an emergency response. This Memorial requires the governor to direct all state and local agencies to fully cooperate with the task force.
After 10+ years, not 1 gallon of jet fuel has been removed from the Albuquerque's drinking water aquifer. Progress is unacceptably slow and there is no cleanup plan for a dissolved plume of the carcinogen Ethylene Dibromide that has migrated 3/4 mile from drinking water wells.
Albuquerque must preserve and protect the safety of our drinking water. HJM 13 will raise the bar dramatically in achieving this.
Please vote YES for HJM 13.
Rep. Stapleton chose to substitute the language of House Memorial (HM) 62 into House Joint Memorial (HJM) 13. This was done because the House Committees consider bills in the sequence of their numerical order: There was concern this 30 day session would not allow time for HM 62 to make it to the floor.
HJM 13 was approved by the Consumer & Public Affairs committee by a 3-2 vote. The substituted language into HJM 13 has not yet been posted on the Legislature's website, as of Sat., Feb. 8.
HJM is expected to heard on the House floor Monday Feb. 10, or Tues. Feb. 11.
Rep. Stapleton introduced the Kirtland fuel spill memorial in the house today. It is House Memorial (HM) 62, and is identical to Senate Memorial (SM) 42. (obsolete: see update)
Rep. Stapleton has already garnered significant support in the house, with at least 9 co-sponsors:
Patricia Roybal Caball
Room: 205A
ph: (505) 986-4243
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Gail Chasey
Room: 308A
ph: (505) 246-2221
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Brian Egolf
room: 316B
ph: (505) 986-4423
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Emily Kane
room: 203 BN
ph: (505) 986-4464
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Georgene Louis
room: 203 BN
ph: (505) 938-9144
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Kiki Saavedra
Room: 304B
ph: (505) 986-4316
Mimi Stewart
Room: 313B
ph: (505) 986-2355
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Elizabeth Thomson
Room: 203-A CN
ph: (505) 4255
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Christine Trujillo
room: 203AN
ph: (505) 503-8600
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
HM 62 likely will not be heard in committee until the week beginning Feb. 11. I expect to have a committee date by the end of this week.
Citizen Action has written 2 NM Senate Memorials, sponsored by Senator Cisco McSorley, which we are ushering through the 2014 New Mexico State Legislative Session:
We currently have at least 7 cosponsors for SM 42, and 6 for SM 30. Both bills are expected to come before the Senate Rules Committee in the week beginning: February 3, 2014. The Rules Committee is chaired by Senator Linda Lopez (a co-sponsor). Citizen Action encourages you to contact your NM state Senator and the committee members in support of both these bills.
If you would like to support these bills and be notified at important points within this legislative process needing public support, please submit your name and email in our form: Sign up for CANM Newsletters. This form is located just to the right. We will keep you up to date.
The Rules Committee members and their contact information:
Senator Linda M. Lopez
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (505) 986-4737
Senator Daniel A. Ivey-Soto
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (505) 986-4270
Senator Jacob R. Candelaria
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (505) 986-4391
Senator Stuart Ingle
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (505) 986-4702
Senator Mark Moores
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (505) 986-4859
Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (505) 986-4482
Senator Cliff R. Pirtle
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (505) 986-4862
Senator Clemente Sanchez
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (505) 986-4369
Senator Michael S. Sanchez
(no email)
phone: (505) 865-0688
Senator Sander Rue
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (505) 986-4375
After Rules Committee passage, the memorials will go to the Conservation Committee for a vote. The Committee members and their contact information:
Senator Peter Wirth Chair
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (505) 986-4861
Senator Benny Shendo, Jr
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (505) 986-4310
Senator Joseph Cervantes
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (505) 986-4385
Senator Phil A. Griego
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (505) 986-4513
Senator Richard C. Martinez
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (505) 986-4487
Senator William H. Payne
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (505) 986-4703
Senator William E. Sharer
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (505) 986-4381
Senator William P. Soules
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (505) 986-4856
Senator Pat Woods
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (505) 986-4393
Senator John Ryan
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
phone: (505) 986-4373
Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton agreed to sponsor a NM House version of SM 42 on Jan. 31. This bill has been submitted to the Legislative Bill writers, and is awaiting the draft version's approval. Once approved, this memorial will be assigned an ID and Rep. Stapleton will introduce it on the House floor. We will update this page with step in the process. Rep. Stapleton has already gathered the support of most Democrat members representing Bernailillo county.
These Memorials are an effective way to put pressure on our regulatory agencies to perform long overdue remedial actions on these 2 highly toxic events, right in the heart of South East Albuquerque. Your participation in supporting these bills matters: your representatives listen to you! Email them, but phone calls to your representative's office are more effective. Let them know you support these initiatives. Please encourage your neighbors and friends to participate: the more people who participate, the sooner we will begin to see meaningful cleanup to protect our drought challenged, primary water supply: Albuquerque's Aquifer.
Citizen Action would appreciate your informing us of any action you take in support of these bill. Send email to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..