Local News

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Federal auditors are recommending that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recover more than $6 million in grant funding from New Mexico.

The EPA's Office of Inspector General says three bureaus within the New Mexico Environment Department did not always comply with federal requirements when it came to charging labor, fringe benefits and indirect costs to federal grants.

The auditors say the Air Quality Bureau and Drinking Water Bureau charged the costs based on budget allocations instead of actual activities performed by workers. The Surface Water Quality Bureau submitted personnel reports that didn't meet requirements.

The department acknowledged Tuesday that some work wasn't sufficiently documented.

However, agency officials say the problem has been corrected and all activities required by the grants were completed and that no funding was misused by the department.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Wildfires have charred nearly 100 square miles of dry, rugged terrain across New Mexico since the end of May.

The largest fire is still raging in the Gila National Forest, but teams of scientists are scouring dozens of square miles in northern New Mexico to assess the damage from two other blazes that are nearly contained.

The teams are looking at the severity of the burn, damage to the soil and possible effects to streams and roads throughout Pecos Canyon and at the Valles Caldera National Preserve.

In all, the Tres Lagunas Fire north of Pecos and the Thompson Ridge Fire on the preserve burned more than 53 square miles in less than three weeks.

Both blazes were 90 percent contained Tuesday.

The Silver Fire burning in the Gila is only 5 percent contained.

The Los Alamos Transportation Board agenda was packed with updates on various projects during a regular meeting June 6.

Bandelier National Monument’s Chief of Resources Barbara Judy presented the transportation aspect of the proposed Tsankawi Management Plan.

The National Park Service proposes building a new visitor staging area with parking aligned with the N.M. 4/East Jemez Road intersection. This would create a four-way intersection with a signal light. Cameras would be trained on the staging area access to provide egress from the staging area only as needed.

“We recognize that the primary traffic movement needs to be along highway 4,” Judy said. “The idea would be that we would minimally add to the burden on that intersection.”

Bandelier staff has been working with the New Mexico Department of Transportation on a request for a Federal Highway Administration Federal Lands Access Grant.

T-board members asked Judy to make sure the plan includes an Atomic City Transit stop with a safe turnaround for buses.

The plan will be made available for public comment in August.

Airport Manager Peter Soderquist updated the board on air service use and the new flight schedules that were implemented June 10.