Latest news with #HB140
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Mexico files new lawsuit against US Air Force over PFAS contamination
Firefighters with the 27th Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron test hose water pressure before an exercise Aug. 14, 2015, at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. In January, New Mexico environment officials cited the base for a spill of wastewater containing firefighting foam with PFAS which soaked into the aquifer after a retaining pond leaked. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Alexx Mercer) The New Mexico environment and Department of Justice on Monday announced a new lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Air Force seeking redress for PFAS contamination at Cannon Air Force Base near Clovis. Specifically, as delineated in a news release, the suit aims to order the Air Force to: end all use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam at Cannon for anything other than emergency purposes provide water treatment systems to residents whose water has been affected by PFAS contamination install drinking water lines for any willing residents currently serviced by private wells in the spill area hold regular public meetings with the community install stormwater controls and retention basins to prevent offsite migration of PFAS from contaminated media evaluate nearby private property affected by PFAS contamination compensate the owners of such property for losses resulting from PFAS contamination Per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances – aka PFAS – are a class of thousands of manmade chemicals used in waterproofing. They are in everyday items such as cookware or takeout containers and also in fire-fighting foams for aircraft. But the chemicals' resistance to breaking down from exposure to water, heat and sunlight mean that they are accumulating in the soil and water and in the bodies of animals and people. Health officials have linked PFAS to health risks such as decreased fertility, immune system damage, lower vaccine effectiveness and increased cancer risks. In January, New Mexico environment officials issued a nearly $68,000-dollar fine to the Cannon U.S. Air Force Base Tuesday, stating the military had failed to immediately report a 4,000-gallon spill of PFAS into the groundwater in August. Cannon appealed the fine in February. The new lawsuit follows the enactment of House Bill 140 following the most recent legislative session, which expanded the state's authority to require cleanup of PFAS. Specifically, New Mexico has argued PFAS was subject to regulation under the Hazardous Waste Act since 2019, but the Air Force disagreed and sued NMED over the issue. HB 140 explicitly designates discarded firefighting foams containing PFAS chemicals as hazardous waste. 'After years of contesting responsibility, today's lawsuit puts every one of the Air Force's excuses to rest,'Environment Department Secretary James Kenney said in a statement regarding the new lawsuit. 'The Air Force has spent years contesting the Environment Department's authority as opposed to any meaningful cleanup of the toxic PFAS contamination in local drinking water sources that serve both residents and dairy farmers.' Battle between New Mexico and US Air Force to track toxic chemicals drags on In 2018, outflows from Cannon AFB contaminated water sources with PFAS in 2018 and caused dairy farmers to euthanize thousands of cows. 'PFAS contamination poses a serious and long-term threat to our environment and our communities,' Attorney General Raúl Torrez said in a statement. 'We are committed to using every legal tool available to hold the federal government accountable for the damage done on the base and the surrounding community and to prevent further harm from these dangerous 'forever chemicals.' New Mexicans deserve clean water, safe soil, and a future free from toxic exposure—and we won't stop fighting until they get it.'
New York Post
21-05-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Delaware's assisted suicide bill signed into law, making it the 11th state with such a statute
Advertisement Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer, a Democrat, signed a bill Tuesday legalizing physician-assisted suicide for certain terminally ill patients, arguing that the measure is about 'compassion, dignity, and respect for personal choice.' The End-of-Life Options Act, which takes effect next year, allows mentally capable adults who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and given six months or less to live to request a prescription to self-administer and end their lives. 'We're acknowledging today that even in the last moments of life, compassion matters,' Meyer said at the bill signing. 'Every Delawarean should have the right to face their final chapter with peace, dignity and control.' 'This signing today is about relieving suffering and giving families the comfort of knowing that their loved one was able to pass on their own terms, without unnecessary pain, and surrounded by the people they love most,' he continued. Advertisement 3 Governor Matt Meyer signed a bill Tuesday legalizing physician-assisted suicide for certain terminally ill patients, arguing that the measure is about 'compassion, dignity, and respect for personal choice.' Matt Meyer / Facebook Delaware is now the 11th state to allow medical aid in dying, joining California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. Washington, D.C., also permits physician-assisted suicide. 'Today, Delaware joins a growing number of states in recognizing that end-of-life decisions belong to patients, not politicians,' Meyer said. 'This law is about compassion, dignity, and respect. It gives people facing unimaginable suffering the ability to choose peace and comfort, surrounded by those they love. After years of debate, I am proud to sign HB 140 into law.' Advertisement 3 The End-of-Life Options Act, which takes effect next year, allows mentally capable adults who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and given six months or less to live to request a prescription to self-administer and end their lives. Matt Meyer / Facebook Several other countries, including Canada, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, have also legalized so-called death with dignity. The Delaware Legislature narrowly rejected the measure last year, but Meyer pushed for it this session and it passed last month. The governor's signature now ends nearly a decade of debate on the issue. Advertisement 3 Delaware is now the 11th state to allow medical aid in dying. Matt Meyer / Facebook Under the new law, sponsored by Democrat state Rep. Eric Morrison, patients considering assisted suicide in the state must be presented with other options for end-of-life care, including comfort care, palliative care, hospice and pain control. The bill requires two waiting periods and a second medical opinion on a patient's prognoses before they can obtain a prescription for lethal medication. State Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend, a Democrat, said the law 'is about honoring the autonomy and humanity of those facing unimaginable suffering from terminal illness.' 'This legislation exists due to the courage of patients, family members, and advocates who have shared deeply personal stories of love, loss and suffering,' he said in a statement.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Mexico Attorney General backs bill aimed at protecting consumer's information
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez is backing a bill aimed at protecting consumers' private information and data. HB 140 would establish what rights consumers have over their personal information, including the ability to ask companies and governments to delete the data or hand it over. Entities would also have to be more transparent about how they use or share the data they collect. New Mexico woman pushes bill that would create new crime for home invasion It comes after President Donald Trump's advisor Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency gained access to sensitive personal data and after New Mexico filed a lawsuit against DOGE over what Torrez called an 'unconstitutional power grab.' 'Regardless of someone's ideological perspective, I think a lot of people are uncomfortable with individuals inside the government having direct access to financial information, banking information, health information, information about their children,' said Torrez. The bill is expected to be heard in its first committee hearing Wednesday afternoon. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
