Experts from national laboratories around the country have determined that an incompatible cocktail of nitrate salts and organic cat litter is to blame for a mishap that forced the closure of the nation's only underground nuclear waste repository. The independent technical team released its report Thursday. The team was charged by the U.S. Energy Department to investigate the chemical reactions that may have led to the release of radioactive material at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in February 2014. The report comes more than a year after a single container of waste stored at the repository breached and contaminated 21 workers with low-level radioactivity. The container came from Los Alamos National Laboratory. While it couldn't determine the cause of the breach with absolute certainty, the team says it's clear a thermal reaction inside the container forced the lid to pop.
A portion of southeastern New Mexico's oil patch is among the top 10 fastest growing areas in the nation. New data released from the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday shows the Hobbs area saw a population increase of more than 2 percent between July 2013 and July 2014. The region includes part of the Permian Basin, which has seen the number of barrels of oil produced each day more than double over the last several years. The boom has led to housing shortages and more traffic throughout southeastern New Mexico. Lea County, where Hobbs is located, was one of six counties in New Mexico to see a population gain between 2013 and 2014 due to migration. All remaining counties saw population decreases.
A bill introduced in the Navajo Nation Council this week seeks to oust the tribe's chief justice. Herb Yazzie was appointed to the Navajo Nation Supreme Court in 2005 and given a lifetime term in 2007. He previously served as the chief legislative counsel and as the tribe's attorney general. The bill to remove him comes shortly after the high court reaffirmed an order requiring the tribe's belated presidential election to be held without further delay. Tribal lawmakers wanted to hold a referendum vote on language requirements for top elected posts before the presidential contest. The bill's sponsor, Leonard Tsosie (SOH'-see), insists it's not a form of revenge. He says Yazzie has failed in his duties and wrongfully interpreted laws. Yazzie declined through a spokeswoman to comment on the bill.
Bernalillo County commissioners have delayed a final decision on the future of a planned community west of Albuquerque that developers say could someday be home to as many as 90,000 people. Commissioners decided Thursday to schedule another hearing on the development known as Santolina for May 11. The nearly 22-square-mile development would rival some of New Mexico's largest cities once completed. It's the largest development master plan ever considered by Bernalillo County. Opponents of the plan spoke out in an effort to convince county commissioners to vote down the development. They say the community would take away needed water resources in Albuquerque's South Valley. The development would be located along Interstate 40 and would have its own business parks and town centers.
Santa Fe Weather: Mostly sunny today with the high 68. Tonight, expect mostly clear skies with the overnight low down to 41. Tomorrow-sunny skies and a high of 72.