Los Alamos nuclear lab under siege from wildfire

Image via Wikipediahttp://www.oakridger.com/topstories/x2108624530/Los-Alamos-nuclear-lab-under-siege-from-wildfire

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. —

A wildfire burning near the desert birthplace of the atomic bomb advanced on the Los Alamos laboratory and thousands of outdoor drums of plutonium-contaminated waste Tuesday as authorities stepped up efforts to protect the site and monitor the air for radiation.


Officials at the nation's premier nuclear weapons lab gave assurances that dangerous materials were safely stored and capable of withstanding flames from the 93-square-mile fire, which as of midday was as close as 50 feet from the grounds.

A small patch of land at the laboratory caught fire Monday before firefighters quickly put it out. Teams were on high alert to pounce on any new blazes and spent the day removing brush and low-hanging tree limbs from the lab's perimeter.

"We are throwing absolutely everything at this that we got," Democratic Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico said in Los Alamos.

The fire has forced the evacuation of the entire city of Los Alamos, population 11,000, cast giant plumes of smoke over the region and raised fears among nuclear watchdogs that it will reach as many as 30,000 55-gallon drums of plutonium-contaminated waste.

"The concern is that these drums will get so hot that they'll burst. That would put this toxic material into the plume. It's a concern for everybody," said Joni Arends, executive director of the Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety, an anti-nuclear group.


Arends' organiziation also worried that the fire could stir up nuclear-contaminated soil on lab property where experiments were conducted years ago. Burrowing animals have brought that contamination to the surface, she said.

Lab officials said there was very little risk of the fire reaching the drums of low-level nuclear waste, since the flames would have to jump through canyons first. Officials also stood ready to coat the drums with fire-resistant foam if the blaze got too close.

Lab spokeswoman Lisa Rosendorf said the drums contain Cold War-era waste that the lab sends away in weekly shipments for storage. She said the drums were on a paved area with few trees nearby. As of midday Tuesday, the flames were about two miles from the material.

"These drums are designed to a safety standard that would withstand a wildland fire worse than this one," Rosendorf said.

Los Alamos employs about 15,000 people, covers more than 36 square miles, includes about 2,000 buildings at nearly four dozen sites and plays a vital role in the nation's nuclear program.

Los Alamos fire inches closer to nuclear waste

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/28/national/main20075257.shtml

UC San Diego's engineering institute located at the Los Alamos National Laboratory is seen as flames rise from a wildfire in Los Alamos, N.M., Tuesday, June 28, 2011. (AP Photo)

(AP)  LOS ALAMOS, N.M. — A wildfire burning near the desert birthplace of the atomic bomb advanced on the Los Alamos laboratory and thousands of outdoor drums of plutonium-contaminated waste Tuesday as authorities stepped up efforts to protect the site and monitor the air for radiation.
Officials at the nation's premier nuclear weapons lab gave assurances that dangerous materials were safely stored and capable of withstanding flames from the 93-square-mile fire, which as of midday was as close as 50 feet from the grounds.

Related articles

• Los Alamos Wildfire (dawnmarie4.wordpress.com)
• Wildfire Races to Los Alamos Plutonium (newser.com)
• Los Alamos fire inches closer to nuclear waste (cbsnews.com)
• Los Alamos fire stokes fear of radioactive smoke (cbsnews.com)
• Wildfire shuts Los Alamos lab, forces evacuations (physorg.com)
• Thousands flee Los Alamos as wildfire advances (cbsnews.com)
• Los Alamos Nuclear Lab Threatened by Wildfire (fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com)
• Los Alamos lab still under threat from blaze (cbsnews.com)
• Huge Blaze Edges Closer To US Nuclear Lab (news.sky.com)
• Los Alamos evacuation ordered because of wildfire (ctv.ca)
• New Mexico wildfire closes Los Alamos nuclear laboratory (theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com)

Wildfire triggers evacuation for Los Alamos laboratory - Yahoo! News

Image via Wikipediahttp://beta.news.yahoo.com/wildfire-triggers-evacuations-near-los-alamos-002006674.html
SANTA FE, New Mexico (Reuters) - Voluntary evacuations have been issued for Los Alamos, including the Los Alamos National Laboratory, which is threatened by a fast-moving wildfire that broke out in northern New Mexico on Sunday, authorities said.
The Las Conchas Fire flared early Sunday afternoon around 12 miles southwest of Los Alamos, charring about 3,500 acres and endangering the nation's nuclear weapons laboratory and its surrounding communities, said Lawrence Lujan, a spokesman for the Santa Fe National Forest.
"We have homes and we have the labs, so it's a very, very big concern, not only locally but nationally and globally," Lujan said.
"This fire is very complex. We have a national type one team coming in because of the nature of the fire," he said.
New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez has ordered the New Mexico National Guard to Los Alamos to provide support for the ongoing efforts to protect lives, property and critical infrastructure threatened by the fire.
"My administration will make every effort to provide support for local emergency response crews," said Governor Martinez.
"With evacuations in place and the fire burning quickly, it is important that residents in the surrounding communities remain attentive to the local emergency operations' alerts and orders," she added.
Martinez said she had requested that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issue a Fire Management Assistance Declaration for the Las Conchas Fire to provide further assistance.
The blaze continued to throw flames a half mile ahead of the fire pushed by high winds and hot dry conditions. It remained zero percent contained late Sunday.
Bandelier National Monument has been evacuated, as have the communities of Cochiti Mesa and Las Conchas. Voluntary evacuations have been issued for Los Alamos and nearby community White Rock.
Jeff Berger, a spokesman for the Los Alamos National Laboratory, where the world's first atomic bomb was developed, said the fire was rapidly advancing but had not yet reached lab property.

Los Conchas fire spreads to over 43,000 acres

 

In less than 24 hours the Los Conchas fire burning in Los Alamos County has grown from a couple thousand acres to over 43,000 acres.

The blaze broke out around 1 p.m. Sunday, about 12 miles southwest of Los Alamos near Highway 4 and is said to have burned 43,597 acres by Monday morning.

In 2000 the historic El Cerro Grande Fire burned 47,000 acres but took nearly two weeks to grow to that size.

The fast moving blaze moved within a mile of Los Alamos National Laboratory overnight but officials say as of Monday there was no fire on lab property.

The lab cut natural gas to some areas overnight as a precaution and officials say all hazardous and radioactive materials are being protected.

On Sunday officials decided to close the lab Monday and issue a voluntary evacuation for all of Los Alamos County.

Related articles

• BREAKING NEWS: Las Conchas wildfire shuts down Los Alamos National Laboratory! 3500 acres burned. Warning issued (economy4abc.blogspot.com)
• Los Alamos Labs closed by large wildfire (news.cnet.com)
• New rankings of world's fastest supercomputers released: Japan, China, US take top three spots (boingboing.net)
• lange marries art to science & math for los alamos cdc (shaunaleelange.com)
• Laboratory Conditions (coudal.com)
• New Los Alamos Director Is Weapons Veteran (news.sciencemag.org)
• Fujitsu has built the fastest supercomputerer at 8.2 petaflops the K supercomputer (nextbigfuture.com)
• Say hello to cheaper hydrogen fuel cells (eurekalert.org)
• Scientists pioneer nanoscale nuclear materials testing capability (sciencedaily.com)
• Plans For The V-Bomb (rudyrucker.com)
• Research questions reality of 'supersolid' in helium-4 (eurekalert.org)
• The Solution to the World Energy Crisis (tipggita32.wordpress.com)
• Nuclear watchdog groups slam New Mexico plan (newsfortheproactive.com)
• Los Alamos National Laboratory Scientists Develop Inexpensive Catalysts for Fuel Cells (cryptogon.com)

Commercial Spaceport to Open in New Mexico

Image via WikipediaI wanted to share this story here on Todays World News mostly because this is a huge deal and a major Breakthrough for America. To see them actually builiding the Space Port in New Mexico is something so many have been waiting for for decades. Be sure to check out the link here below for the full story and Videos.
http://commercialspaceport.blogspot.com
British millionaire and Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson is one step closer to his dream of providing commercial flights into space with the construction of a spaceport in Upham, New Mexico. What is certainly the product of the commercialization of the space industry, Spaceport America is destined to become the "flagship" of other spaceports throughout the world. In fact a similar spaceport project is already underway in Singapore.

Ticket pre-sales for the pricey space flights have already reached over $45 million dollars. Each ticket, costing approximately $200,000 will take you on a sub orbital flight on the VSS Enterprise. Boasting only 6 seats, it is sure to be an adventure to brag about.

The Taxpayer funded, $198 million spaceport will take tourists on short hops into space at first, but plans are already underway for more extended flights that Branson hopes will one day include orbit flights and stays in a space hotel.


Fortunately, the design allows for "green technology" by incorporating a core design implementing renewable energy. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, southern New Mexico has the second highest potential for solar power in the nation. The videos at the bottom of the page contain more information on some of the methods being incorporated into planning.


In addition, cooling methods such as buried air pipes will assist traditional methods. According to the
Spaceport America
site, " By powering the nation's first purpose-built commercial spaceport, Spaceport America, with clean, abundant solar energy, the world will look to New Mexico as the leader in implementing renewable energy solutions!"

This image from the October dedication ceremony shows the terminal under construction

Weekly flights are set to begin in approximately April, 2012. Also on the agenda for the new spaceport are several companies who will be specializing in research and in transporting payload to space.

Related articles

• Two mile long runway opens at Spaceport America (gizmag.com)
• Spaceport America Runway To Be Dedicated Friday In New Mexico (PHOTOS) (huffingtonpost.com)
• Two Mile Long Runway Opens at Spaceport America (dvorak.org)
• Runway at world's first commercial spaceport ready (topinews.com)
• Richard Branson Dedicates Spaceport America's First Runway (luxist.com)
• "Richard Branson On Hand To Open Spaceport America's First Runway" and related posts (jaunted.com)
• Richard Branson set to open Virgin Spaceport today. (virgin.com)
• "Spaceport America Runway Dedication" and related posts (nss.org)

Why the borders need to be protected.

Be sure to check out these links below.

 

This is why AZ and the entire U.S. border must be secured. The first in an eye opening four part series aired in Texas in 2007. We must close down our borders or face peril from Islamic terrorists that have the aim to make us forget 911 with an even bigger event. They are coming across with Mexican illegals and this must stop.



This is the second in an eye opening four part series aired in Texas in 2007. We must close down our borders or face peril from Islamic terrorists that have the aim to make us forget 911 with an even bigger event. They are coming across with Mexican illegals and this must stop.



This is the third in an eye opening four part series aired in Texas in 2007. We must close down our borders or face peril from Islamic terrorists that have the aim to make us forget 911 with an even bigger event. They are coming across with Mexican illegals and this must stop.



This is the fourth in an eye opening four part series aired in Texas in 2007. We must close down our borders or face peril from Islamic terrorists that have the aim to make us forget 911 with an even bigger event. They are coming across with Mexican illegals and this must stop. Must see what Texas Homeland Security agent says about it. We are in peril, and WE MUST SHUT DOWN OUR BOARDERS, OR FACE DIRE CONSEQUENCES....

Islamic terrorists have promised to hit the U.S. with an act of terrorism that will make us forget 911

after which...

Our borders will be shut down by the U.S. Military, with orders like... SHOOT TO KILL.

Somali terrorist believed on Mexican border

Sara Carter:

Somalis with ties to a terrorist organization are believed to be plotting to illegally enter the United States after being mistakenly released from custody in Mexico, a confidential federal law enforcement report said.

The report, obtained by the Washington Examiner, said that 23 Somalis who entered Mexico illegally earlier in the year were caught there, then released in late January.

Only 16 of the 23 people were identified by both Mexican and U.S. law enforcement officials, while the "other 7 are unknown," the report says.

Included in the group is Mohamed Osman Noor, 35, of Somalia, who U.S. officials suspect has strong ties to Al-Shabaab Mujahideen, an Islamist insurgency group in the ongoing war in Somalia with ties to al Qaeda.

What so many seem to not understand lately is this is a very serious matter. It is also the reason Arizona had to do something about it.

See the video below out of Atlanta.

http://www.wsbtv.com/video/23438021/

http://www.wsbtv.com/video/23438021/index.html

TERRORISTS CROSSING MEXICAN-U.S. BORDER!

From News channel 2 in Atlanta. Agents in New Mexico and Arizona are catching thousands of OTM's (other than Mexicans). Border patrol and ranchers are finding muslim prayer shaws, muslim jackets with "martyr" patches on them. "There are people who mean to do us harm who cross our borders every day"

Posted via email from Todays World

Related articles by Zemanta

• F-16s respond to flight near Mexican border in AZ (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Mexican Terrorists Slaughter Three US Citizens with Connections to US Consulate (dvorak.org)
• U.S. and Mexican Officers Team Up on Either Side of Border (nytimes.com)
• 10 reviews of Islamic Terrorism (rateitall.com)
• Out of Touch and Out of Focus (dakotavoice.com)
• Mexicans Petition Don't Go to the US (livingstrongandhappy.blogspot.com)
• Yemen al Qaeda threatens attacks on U.S. over cleric (nationalpost.com)

White House land grab

Image via Wikipedia

Proposal to seize land would favor animals over Americans

clipped from www.washingtontimes.com You'd think the Obama administration is busy enough controlling the banks, insurance companies and automakers, but thanks to whistleblowers at the Department of the Interior, we now learn they're planning to increase their control over energy-rich land in the West. A secret administration memo has surfaced revealing plans for the federal government to seize more than 10 million acres from Montana to New Mexico, halting job- creating activities like ranching, forestry, mining and energy development. Worse, this land grab would dry up tax revenue that's essential for funding schools, firehouses and community centers. At a time when our national unemployment rate is 9.7 percent, it is unbelievable anyone would be looking to stop job-creating energy enterprises, yet that's exactly what's happening. The 21-page document, marked "Internal Draft-NOT FOR RELEASE," names 14 different lands giving the chickens more room to roost is no reason for the government to override states' rights.

Related articles by Zemanta

• In the West, 'Monument' Is a Fighting Word (nytimes.com)
• New Mexico pueblo waits for geothermal grant money (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• US Misses Deadline for Offshore Drilling Study (gcaptain.com)
• US settles royalty dispute with Indian tribes (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Obama Broken Campaign Promise Celebrates Second Anniversary, According to the American Small Business League (eon.businesswire.com)
• U. of Washington: $191.2 million in stimulus $$ (seattlepi.com)
• New Mexico Bill COuld Set Precedent For Carbon Storage In Underground Caves (huffingtonpost.com)
• More on those job-destroying energy taxes (michellemalkin.com)
• Another Newsweek "Conspiracy Theory" Claim Debunked (davewesley.blogspot.com)