New Mexico

New Mexico wants feds to pay for PFAS cleanup at Holloman Air Force Base – Carlsbad Current-Argus

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2024

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New Mexico wants feds to pay for PFAS cleanup at Holloman Air Force Base – Carlsbad Current-Argus

Amended complaint targets water pollution at bases throughout state

Adrian Hedden

Carlsbad Current-Argus

New Mexico officials want the federal government to pay millions of dollars for cleaning up pollution from “forever chemicals” secreted by Air Forces bases throughout the state, now including Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range.

The New Mexico Attorney General amended its complaint to add Holloman and White Sands as contaminated areas, along with Kirtland Air Force near Albuquerque. Previously Cannon Air Force Base was the only contamination site included in the suit.

The amendments also added the Department of Defense and Air Force as defendants, along with companies 3M and DuPont which produced per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the chemicals at the center of the suit.

The State also called for a court to award costs, damages and other financial relief to New Mexico from the federal government, based on new regulations enacted by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA recently added several PFAS to its list of hazardous substances that could warrant federal cleanup under the “superfund” statute.

The state’s complaint detailed about $16.7 million in incurred and estimated future expenses it said were tied to the Department of Defense’s PFAS contamination at all three Air Force bases, Fort Wingate near Gallup and in communities in Otero and Curry counties.

The Air Force did not respond to a request for comment.

New Mexico holding feds ‘accountable’ for PFAS

PFAS were first produced in the 1940s and were widely used in the decades since. They are believed contained in firefighting foam used at the bases but were also tied to myriad products and processes including cookware and oil and gas drilling.

Long-term exposure, often through water supplies, was known to cause cancer, liver damage and other health problems in people. Other impacts were found in nearby wildlife, reducing hatch rates in birds.

Plaintiffs in New Mexico’s PFAS case against the federal government were the New Mexico Environment Department, New Mexico Office of Natural Resources Trustee and the New Mexico Department of Justice.

“For over five years, the U.S. Department of Defense failed to take accountability for PFAS clean-up in New Mexico – leaving New Mexicans with a legacy of toxic PFAS pollution to shoulder,” said NMED Cabinet Secretary James Kenney in a statement.

“Thanks to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s science-driven leadership on PFAS, New Mexico will now hold the U.S. Department of Defense accountable for the monetary costs of clean-up and damages to our environment.”

The amended filing made New Mexico the first state in the U.S. to seek damages from the Department of Defense under the EPA’s PFAS guidance, NMED reported, and was intended to see the DOD pay to clean up PFAS in both public and private water sources on or near the bases.

“PFAS has now contaminated freshwater aquifers on which the communities and hardworking people of New Mexico depend,” said New Mexico Natural Resources Trustee Maggie Hart Stebbins. “Our residents suffer when they can’t use that groundwater and it’s time for the federal government to compensate communities that are bearing the burden of its pollution.”

UNM study ties PFAS near Holloman to firefighting foam

PFAS levels near Holloman Air Force Base and around Alamogordo reached dangerous levels, according to a February report from the University of New Mexico, published in the journal Environmental Research.

A team of researchers from UNM’s Museum of Southwestern Biology (MSB) said there were “unexpectedly high levels” of PFAS contamination found in birds and mammals around the base in the Holloman Lake between the base and White Sands National Park. The lake is part of a fragile wetland system in the arid Tularosa Basin, part of a series of wastewater catchments ponds created by the Air Force.

“Because these large wetlands are the only ones in the region, they are immensely attractive to wildlife,” said MSB Director and biology professor Christopher Witt, a lead author of the study. “Holloman is one of the three most important wetlands in New Mexico for migratory waterbirds —over 100 species and tens of thousands of individuals use these habitats annually.

“The wetlands are also heavily used by people for recreation and hunting.”

The study pointed to the Air Force’s firefighting practices at the base as the main cause of contamination. The foam was widely used starting in 1970 for training, the report read, but was recently phased out of manufacturing. Runoff from the base when the foam was in use flowed into the catchment ponds, read the report, leaching into local groundwater sources.

The research team conducted more than 2,000 measurements of PFAS compounds in different species and tissue types, focusing on aquatic birds due to their heavy exposure to water and because they are sought by hunters. Desert rodents were also tested to see if animals could be contaminated without exposure to the water.

Both were found contaminated.

“There were differences among species in how much of each PFAS they contained, reflecting differences in their habitats, diet, and physiology,” said co-author of the study Chauncey Gadek, a Ph.D. student at UNM”s Department of Biology. “Ultimately, these differences illustrate the different paths by which PFAS can move through ecosystems and accumulate in various species, including people.”

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 734-972-6855, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.

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New Mexico

Phoebe Bridgers Debuts New Music at First Show in Three Years

Published

9 hours ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

Phoebe Bridgers Debuts New Music at First Show in Three Years

Phoebe Bridgers played her first solo show in three years on Friday night at The Liberty in Roswell, New Mexico. And if reports are to be believed, the singer’s next album/creative era could truly be out of this world.

The intimate, 13-song set at the 400-capacity venue served as Bridgers’ first solo performance since May 2023 when she opened for Taylor Swift at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. According to posts from several attendees, Bridgers described the evening (which strictly forbid all recording devices) as a “test” for her third album (and follow-up to 2020’s excellent Punisher).

In addition to hits like “Motion Sickness” and “Kyoto,” Bridgers debuted three to four new songs. One attendee described the new music, which included one track tentatively-titled “This is Gonna Kill Me,” as “very sad folk.” Harmonica arrangements were also featured prominently across the new music, provided by Christian Lee Hutson, who served as part of Bridgers’ band.

New Mexico

New Mexico DOJ data: Shell-casing tracking links shootings in Doña Ana County

Published

21 hours ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

LAS CRUCES, N.M (KFOX14/CBS4) — A gun-tracking program that uses shell casings to connect shootings is already helping investigators link crimes in Doña Ana County, according to new numbers released by the New Mexico Department of Justice.

The effort is part of New Mexico’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center, which uses ballistic evidence such as shell casings to track guns believed to be used in multiple crimes. The program relies on the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, or NIBIN, a national database that compares ballistic evidence to determine whether shell casings may have come from the same weapon.

In April, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez described how the technology can connect cases across jurisdictions.

“There may be a shooting that occurs in Deming that’s actually connected to a crime gun that’s recovered in Las Cruces. We may find shell casings in Silver City that are connected to something that happened in T or C,” Torrez said.

Four months into the program, the Department of Justice said 210 bullet casings have been analyzed in Doña Ana County. Those casings helped link 32 incidents to 13 guns.

Jordan Salas reports on New Mexico DOJ data: Shell-casing tracking links shootings in Doña Ana County (Credit: KFOX14)

Statewide, more than 700 casings have been entered into the system, connecting 74 shootings to 31 guns.

One person reacting to the numbers said, “That’s crazy. Honestly, all those shootings all coming from that little amount of weapons is crazy.”

New Mexico officials say the system is designed to help law enforcement share information faster and build cases more efficiently.

Also in April, Doña Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart pointed to a local case she said the technology helped resolve quickly.

“We resolved a homicide with a suspect arrest in four days. We know that those casings may lead to another 1 or 2 incidents in another city,” Stewart said.

Some residents said the technology alone will not solve gun violence, but they see it as a step forward. One person said, “I mean, growing up, like hearing gunshots in the distance. That wasn’t something crazy. I have stories of, like, friends who’ve gone to parties that had guns go off there. So, yeah, I would say guns are a problem there.”

Another person said, “I would think that it’s a good thing. I’m personally like, just anything to help the gun crimes, you know?”

KFOX14/CBS4 contacted Las Cruces police and the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office to ask how the leads are being used in local investigations, but we are awaiting a response.

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New Mexico

New Mexico AG seeks $3.7B from Meta over alleged ‘public nuisance’ claims

Published

1 day ago

May 8, 2026

Press Room

New Mexico AG seeks .7B from Meta over alleged ‘public nuisance’ claims

(Photo Credit: FotoField/Shutterstock)

Who: New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez brought a lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc.
Why: The state claims Meta misrepresented harms to minors and created a public nuisance through its social media platforms.
Where: The lawsuit is pending in New Mexico state court.
How to get help: Has social media impacted the mental health of you or your child? You may qualify to join a social media lawsuit against the platform.

New Mexico’s attorney general is asking a state court to order Meta to pay approximately $3.7 billion to address what the state describes as a “public nuisance” caused by the company’s social media platforms.

The request comes after a jury previously found Meta misrepresented the risks its platforms — including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — pose to underage users. The jury also imposed a $375 million penalty in the first phase of the trial.

The case has now moved into a second phase, where the court will determine what additional remedies, if any, Meta must provide.

According to the state, the proposed $3.712 billion abatement plan would fund a 15-year effort to address the alleged harms caused by Meta’s platforms. The plan includes funding for public education, school resources, law enforcement support and mental health services for children affected by issues, such as online bullying and sexual exploitation.

“This request recognizes the scope of the public nuisance that Meta has caused,” counsel for the state argued in court.

The lawsuit alleges Meta concealed or downplayed the extent of harmful activity on its platforms while publicly portraying them as safe for younger users.

Meta disputes liability, challenges proposed abatement plan

Meta denies the allegations and argues there is no legal basis for the sweeping relief requested by the state.

Attorneys for the company contend the proposed abatement plan does not directly address or stop the alleged harmful conduct and instead seeks compensation for downstream effects.

“What no court has ever allowed … is payment for the downstream effects,” Meta’s counsel argued, describing the request as “damages masquerading as something else.”

The court is expected to hear additional testimony during the second phase of the trial before determining whether to approve any form of injunctive relief or financial remedies.

In March, a California jury found Meta and Google liable for mental health harms suffered by plaintiff Kaley G.M., who became addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a child, awarding $6 million in damages, including $3 million in compensatory damages and $3 million in punitive damages.

What do you think about the claims against Meta in this case? Let us know in the comments.

The state is represented by Raul Torrez of the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General and Donald Migliori, Linda Singer, Michael Pendell and David Ackerman of Motley Rice LLC.

The Meta lawsuit is New Mexico v. Meta Platforms Inc., et al., Case No. D-101-CV-2023-02838, in the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico.

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