Sandia Labs, Kirtland AFB update public on environmental restoration work
Three contaminated groundwater sites remain today.
The U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense held a state-required semiannual meeting Tuesday in Albuquerque to update the public on environmental restoration work Sandia Labs and Kirtland Air Force Base are doing.
Much of the contamination being cleaned up by the entities dates back to a time before federal environmental regulations — when the labs and Air Force base were in operation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had not yet been established.
"All the DOE labs, they started after World War II, and it's because of those activities starting from the '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s," said Jun Li, a Sandia Labs environmental professional. "(The) '80s was the time that we had the federal (regulatory) laws."
Now, the federal agencies work with New Mexico to clean up whatever contamination still remains from decades ago.
"I really do think DOE labs are really ahead of the curve, trying to clean up," Li said, adding that weapons labs around the nation are tasked with cleaning up contamination from past activities.
The three groundwater sites Sandia is actively cleaning up or monitoring today cover parts of the Manzanita Mountains east of Albuquerque, as well as the north-central and west-central parts of Kirtland Air Force Base and Sandia Labs, according to presentations on display.
All the sites have nitrate contamination, a naturally occurring and man-caused substance that, in high levels, poses risks to human health. The carcinogenic compound trichloroethylene, or TCE, was also present in some cases.
Sandia will continue monitoring all three sites, likely for decades, according to the labs. Officials say none of the contamination sites present risks to human health because the groundwater isn't used for drinking purposes.
On the other side of the room, Kirtland Air Force Base had presentations on display for its five major active cleanup sites, which included groundwater and soil contamination, specifically for nitrate and TCE, and landfills.
One site in particular, located on the Air Force Base, is in the early phases of an investigation. U.S. Air Force engineer Begnaud Moayyad said the questions that need to be answered include figuring out what the contamination is, its source, how widespread it is, how toxic it is relative to drinking water standards and if it presents risks to human health.
Another flagged site, this one focused on soil contamination, exists on the northwestern part of Kirtland Air Force Base, near the Sunport. Contamination on the site, formerly used for aircraft movement and parking, potentially stemmed from the release of fuel, lubricants and degreasers, according to Kirtland.
The base identified the contamination in the '90s, not finding any excessive levels, but still treated the contamination, according to the Kirtland presentations. Cleanup operations took place from 1999 through 2019. The base stopped because it no longer detected contamination, said Darren Knight, a program manager at the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center.
The New Mexico Environment Department in 2020 requested the base continue monitoring groundwater and vapor concentrations. Knight said Kirtland has already drilled two new groundwater wells and expects state approval to drill additional vapor monitoring wells.
"The reason why it takes so much time is because you have to follow a lot of regulations," Knight said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
17 hours ago
- Fox News
Skip the multivitamin: 5 nutrient-rich foods recommended by doctors instead
In today's fast-paced world, many Americans turn to multivitamins as a quick fix for their nutritional needs. But health experts say relying solely on supplements may not be the most effective approach. Fox News Digital spoke with two medical professionals who shared their top food-based swaps for common multivitamin ingredients. Below are five doctor-approved foods that can help naturally replace or reduce your reliance on multivitamins. Some of these may be surprising. Dr. William Li — physician, scientist and author — noted that spinach is packed with necessary nutrients, including vitamins A, C, B1 (thiamine) and B2 (riboflavin). He told Fox News Digital the leafy greens also contain vitamins B3 (niacin), B6, B9 (folate) and E. "Spinach can help lower blood pressure, which is important for cardiovascular health and stroke prevention," he said. Papaya is an excellent source of vitamins A and C, said Li, author of the 2019 book "Eat to Beat Disease." The tropical fruit also provides B5, B9 (folate) and E vitamins, supporting hormone, cellular and immune health, respectively. "Papaya can help lower inflammation and improve immunity, as well as aid in digestion," Li said. Lentils are full of B vitamins, Li said, including B1 (thiamine), B2, B3, B5, B6 and B9. The legumes can "improve metabolism, lower bad LDL cholesterol and lower inflammation," Li noted. Dr. David Kahana, based in California, also recommended lentils, he told Fox News Digital. He suggested black beans or chickpeas as alternatives. These are "great for plant-based protein, B vitamins and gut health," the gastroenterologist said. Adding blueberries, raspberries, strawberries or whatever berry you prefer to your daily diet can be a game-changer, Kahana said. All berries contain "powerful antioxidants" that help fight inflammation and support heart health, he said. Kahana recommended fatty fish, such as salmon and sardines, to cover daily nutritional bases. These fish are "packed with omega-3s for brain and heart health," he said. There's nothing wrong with a multivitamin — but Li said consuming whole foods is "always the best way" to get in your basic vitamins. "This is because the foods supply not only the vitamins, but also an array of other useful macro- and micronutrients," he said. In his clinical work, Kahana emphasized that he always starts "with food first." "Then, [I] use supplements strategically when diet alone isn't enough," Kahana said. "But I'm not anti-supplement," he added. "For people with restrictive diets, absorption issues or specific medical conditions, supplements can fill in gaps." "The goal is balance: Eat a nutrient-dense diet daily and use supplements where they truly make sense."
Business Wire
17 hours ago
- Business Wire
IonQ Partners with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Demonstrating Quantum Power Grid Optimization Advancements
COLLEGE PARK, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), the leading commercial quantum computing and networking company, announced a new achievement in applying quantum technology to energy grid optimization challenges. Through a collaborative partnership between IonQ, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the team has successfully demonstrated that its hybrid quantum-classical computing approach can address the Unit Commitment problem, a critical task for power grid operators. The Unit Commitment problem involves determining the optimal schedule for power generators to meet electricity demand at minimal cost. This task becomes increasingly complex as power systems scale and generate more energy using dispatchable energy resources (e.g. nuclear plants, natural gas, hydroelectric…etc.) and intermittent sources such as solar and wind. IonQ and ORNL developed a hybrid approach that combines IonQ's 36-qubit Forte Enterprise quantum computing with classical computing. Using this hybrid approach, the team found varied solutions for power generation scheduling across 24 time periods and 26 generators. 'This demonstration marks a significant milestone in applying quantum computing to real-world energy challenges. We are proud to be partnering on this ground-breaking work with ORNL and the DOE,' said Niccolo de Masi, CEO of IonQ. 'As our systems scale to thousands and millions of qubits, we expect to solve grid optimization challenges at a scale that classic computing methods cannot match.' The energy sector is increasingly viewed as a key early use case for quantum computing advantages, given its reliance on complex optimization and simulation tasks. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, more than 60% of energy used in electricity generation is currently lost, pointing to a significant opportunity for waste reduction through improved planning and computational methods. This research is part of DOE's multi-year GRID-Q project, which brings together national laboratories, academic partners, and private-sector companies. ORNL leads the project, with IonQ as one of only two quantum industry partners tasked with developing scalable quantum algorithms for grid operations. 'This case study, completed by ORNL in partnership with IonQ, demonstrated the feasibility of using an ion-trapped quantum computing device to solve the Unit Commitment problem in the power grid,' said Suman Debnath, who led ORNL's contributions to the project. 'As the quantum device scales, concurrent research is intended to test how the application performance can gain a quantum advantage.' IonQ anticipates that quantum systems with 100 to 200 high-fidelity qubits, which are expected as early as 2026, will be capable of solving grid-scale Unit Commitment problems. The quantum optimization methods demonstrated in this work are applicable to a broad range of industries, including logistics, scheduling, and finance. This latest announcement builds on the established relationship between IonQ and ORNL. The organizations have partnered on several projects including: noise-tolerant methods to help solve the world's hardest optimization problems as well as a novel approach to scalable quantum computing. IonQ is also engaged in a separate $22 million project with EPB of Chattanooga that includes optimizing the energy grid. About IonQ IonQ, Inc. [NYSE: IONQ] is the leading commercial quantum computing, quantum networking and quantum applications company, delivering high-performance systems aimed at solving the world's most complex problems. IonQ's current generation quantum computers, IonQ Forte and IonQ Forte Enterprise, are the latest in a line of cutting-edge systems that have been helping customers and partners such as Amazon Web Services, AstraZeneca, and NVIDIA achieve 20x performance results. The company is accelerating its technology roadmap and intends to deliver the world's most powerful quantum computers with 2 million qubits by 2030 to accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense. IonQ's advancements in quantum networking also positions the company as a leader in building the quantum internet. The company's innovative technology and rapid growth were recognized in Newsweek's 2025 Excellence Index 1000, Forbes' 2025 Most Successful Mid-Cap Companies list, and Built In's 2025 100 Best Midsize Places to Work in Washington DC and Seattle, respectively. Available through all major cloud providers, IonQ is making quantum computing more accessible and impactful than ever before. Learn more at IonQ Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Some of the forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words. Statements that are not historical in nature, including the words 'anticipates,' 'can,' 'eventually,' 'expect,' 'expected,' 'ground-breaking,' 'opportunity,' 'scale,' 'will,' and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include those related to the IonQ's quantum computing capabilities and plans; IonQ's technology driving commercial quantum advantage or delivering scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computing in the future; the relevance and utility of quantum algorithms and applications run on IonQ's quantum computers; the necessity, effectiveness, and future impacts of IonQ's offerings available today; and the scalability, fidelity, efficiency, viability, accessibility, effectiveness, importance, reliability, performance, speed, impact, practicality, feasibility, and commercial-readiness of IonQ's offerings. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections, and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: IonQ's ability to implement its technical roadmap; changes in the competitive industries in which IonQ operates, including development of competing technologies; IonQ's ability to deliver, and customers' ability to generate, value from IonQ's offerings; IonQ's ability to implement its technical roadmaps, business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, to identify and realize partnerships and opportunities, and to engage new and existing customers; IonQ's ability to effectively enter new markets; IonQ's customers deciding or declining to extend contracts into new phases; changes in U.S. government spending or policy that may affect IonQ's customers; and risks associated with U.S. government sales, including availability of funding and provisions that may allow the government to unilaterally terminate or modify contracts for convenience; changes in laws and regulations affecting IonQ's patents; and IonQ's ability to maintain or obtain patent protection for its products and technology, including with sufficient breadth to provide a competitive advantage. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's filings, including but not limited to those described in the 'Risk Factors' section of IonQ's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and reports on Form 10-Q. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and IonQ assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. IonQ does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations.
Politico
a day ago
- Politico
DOE questions climate change consensus
President Donald Trump's allies have long floated the idea of a 'red team, blue team' exercise to debate the merits of climate science. On Tuesday, they got their wish. Only the Trump administration left out the blue team. The Department of Energy released a 141-page report on climate science this week to coincide with the administration's plan to repeal the legal backbone of climate rules. Written by five scientists known for denying accepted climate science, the report is rife with disinformation, write Chelsea Harvey and Scott Waldman. It uses misleading and inaccurate statements to argue that climate science has overstated the risks of a warming planet while underestimating the societal benefits of burning fossil fuels. 'It's a red team report without the blue team, and it's explicit about that,' Matt Burgess, an economist who studies environmental policy at the University of Wyoming, told me. Red team, blue team exercises were initially a military concept, where competitors were pitted against each other to test their assumptions. Trump's advisers spent much of his first term contemplating the idea of employing the concept with regards to climate science, but ultimately never acted on it. Climate scientists noted the DOE report's publication comes after the Trump administration pulled the congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment down from its official government webpage. That report involved scores of scientists, public comments and peer review from the National Academy of Sciences, said Phil Duffy, a physicist who studies climate change and served at the Office of Science and Technology Policy during the Biden administration. 'If the administration wanted to have a good review of climate science and the impact of climate change on the United States, then they shouldn't have pulled the plug on that assessment,' Duffy said. Burgess is sympathetic to some of DOE's claims. His research on the overcitation of worst-case climate scenarios is referenced in the report, and he thinks assessments like the NCA could do a better job of incorporating feedback from researchers outside of the mainstream. His view: The report raises legitimate concerns about the uncertainty in some climate research, like the economic costs of climate damage. 'There's way more uncertainty in the social cost of carbon and in climate economic damages than sometimes the mainstream narrative gives it credit for,' Burgess said. 'Where I would disagree a little bit with the report is uncertainty cuts both ways. You can't say this is uncertain, and therefore we know there's no problem.' It's Wednesday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Benjamin Storrow. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to bstorrow@ Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Zack Colman and Alex Guillén break down EPA's proposal to roll back the endangerment finding. Power Centers Green groups reel as Trump goes 'scorched earth'Environmental nonprofits are watching years of work evaporate as the Trump administration slashes spending, torpedoes regulations and dismantles federal agencies, writes Robin Bravender. The assault has left the movement scrambling to regain traction and gear up for several more years of playing defense. Some organizations aren't getting the surge in donations they saw during the first Trump administration — and prominent green groups have laid off staff when they'd like to boost personnel to fight back. 'The reason for bad vibes is obvious: This is the most anti-environmental administration that our country and perhaps the world has ever seen,' said Bill McKibben, a longtime environmentalist and author. 'It is difficult to be hopeful in the face of all that.' Why utilities may not want climate rule rollbackEPA's proposal to roll back the endangerment finding could add uncertainty to a power sector already grappling with a changing energy landscape, Jason Plautz writes. The proposal — released Tuesday — is part of the Trump administration's efforts to ditch federal rules that limit climate pollution, including those for fossil fuel power plants. But it comes as power markets tilt heavily toward renewable energy sources because of their relative cost and speed to dispatch. The loss of federal climate rules could open up utilities to a flurry of lawsuits and more state regulation, while making it difficult to plan future investments. 'This is one in a number of steps the administration is taking to determine what power plants are built, what power plants retire and what kinds of power can continue to operate in this country,' said Catherine Hausman, an associate professor of public policy at the University of Michigan. But, she added, 'We have enough cheap wind and solar available that there's no economic reason to prop up inefficient old coal power plants, despite what regulations say.' US, EU unite to fight Chinese exportsUrsula von der Leyen won the European Union a trade deal with the U.S. after playing hardball in Beijing last week, Antonia Zimmermann writes from Brussels. The U.S. and EU agreed to work on fast-tracking materials used for solar panels and batteries — items that China has flooded the global market with. Von der Leyen, the European Commission president, indicated in comments after the trade announcement that Washington and Brussels needed to team up to confront the competitive threat from China. 'On steel and aluminum, the European Union and the U.S. face the common external challenge of global overcapacity,' she said. In Other News Power moves: Tech companies are increasingly turning to the nation's aging nuclear power fleet for electricity, even as the plants have struggled to compete with cheaper renewables and gas. Get in line: Two new aluminum smelters being planned in the U.S. will need a lot of electricity at a time when artificial intelligence is already straining demand. Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. Trump on Wednesday slapped tariffs of up to 50 percent on certain imports of copper, which is essential for electric wiring and power grids. EPA's move to repeal the endangerment finding is likely to face a legal gauntlet in the courts. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum moved to end what he called 'preferential treatment' for wind and solar projects at the agency. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.
