Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy will visit Farmington today. The northwest New Mexico city is downstream from where millions of gallons of mine waste spilled into a southwest Colorado River. McCarthy is scheduled to address the agency's response to the disaster caused when an EPA-supervised cleanup crew accidentally unleashed three-million gallons of wastewater from an old gold mine that flowed into Animas River. On Wednesday, she spoke with residents of Durango, Colorado, as well as state, local and tribal officials. McCarthy says that, quoting here: "no agency could be more upset about the incident happening, and more dedicated in doing our job to get this right. We couldn't be sorrier." And, New Mexico's attorney general says communities affected by the contaminated wastewater that spilled last week have anywhere from seven to 50 days of drinking water in storage tanks and reservoirs. Hector Balderas says the towns are anxious for the release of sampling results from the Animas and San Juan rivers.
Chile growers in New Mexico say they need a guest worker program to survive and reverse the decline of the famed crop. New Mexico Chile Commission chairman Rick Ledbetter says growers want new temporary immigrant labor because U.S.-born workers are opting not to work in the fields. That's creating a shortage of green chile pickers Ed Ogaz, owner of the Anthony, New Mexico-based chile wholesaler Seco Spice Co., says the shortage also is preventing farmers from using all available land to grow the spice stable. But Jon Hendry, president of the New Mexico Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, says a guest worker program without federal comprehensive immigration reform is unacceptable. In 2014, New Mexico saw a 10-percent decline in acres of chiles harvested. Farmers blame both drought and labor shortages.
A new Gallup Poll says the percentage of New Mexicans uninsured since the passage of health care reform legislation has dropped more than seven-percentage points to just more than 13-percent. In 2013 the state’s uninsured rate was a bit over 20-percent, before the Affordable Care Act became law. Nationwide, the rate of uninsured fell from just more than 17-percent in 2013 to a tad below 12-percent in the first half of 2015. No state had a statistically significant increase in uninsured. A Centers for Disease Control poll was even more bullish, putting the uninsured rate at below 10-percent nationwide for the first time in fifty years.
The Santa Fe City Council is asking a judge to uphold its decision to ban the sale of small bottles of liquor, or “minis.” The New Mexican reports that the city government also wants local District Judge Sarah Singleton to dismiss claims filed by liquor businesses challenging the law. The council voted in April to ban the sale of liquor in bottles of eight-ounces or less. In court documents, the city says the law, which will take effect October eighth, is meant to reduce litter. But liquor stores say it will hurt business and argue that the state government, not local, has authority over alcohol sales. The city filed for a judgment in May in hopes of preventing a lawsuit by seven businesses. No comment from lawyers for the businesses.
A horse trainer faces a one-year suspension and six-thousand dollars’ in fines after two of his horses tested positive for drugs earlier this year at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino. The Albuquerque Journal reports that rulings recently posted on the New Mexico Racing Commission's website show that Salvador Soto trained an 8-year-old sorrel quarter horse named Whatever Bill who tested positive for multiple drugs after winning a race on Jan. 11.Soto's other horse had tested positive for a corticosteroid a week earlier. Both horses had to pass a commission-approved exam before returning to the racetrack. Soto has received four violations in a one-year period. He has been suspended until June 27, 2016.
The Uber ride-sharing service is getting city permission to operate temporarily at the Albuquerque International Sunport. Mayor Richard Berry's office says Albuquerque and Uber have entered a temporary agreement in compliance with existing city ordinances and state laws to allow Uber drivers to provide an on-demand transportation option. The Albuquerque Journal reports that the official announcement of the agreement is expected to be made by Berry late Tuesday afternoon. Unlike traditional taxi businesses, Uber uses a smart-phone program to connect people seeking rides with people who have cars.
Santa Fe Weather: Mostly sunny today and tomorrow with highs both days in the mid-80s. There’s a slight chance for thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon. Tonight: expect partly cloudy skies with the overnight low dropping to 60.