News
New Online Dashboard Identifies Threats Posed by Uranium Mines and Mills in New Mexico
The state where the U.S. nuclear weapons program was born has dozens of now-closed uranium mines and facilities where the radioactive mineral was handled. The new program will help everyone from community members to regulators see the hazards they pose.
By Noel Lyn Smith
Over the span of 50 years, New Mexico saw the development of dozens of uranium mines mostly in the northwest part of the state on federal, state, tribal, private or mixed land.
Related Knowledge Center: Methane
State of Play
As the production of natural gas from shale fields has expanded, so have methane emissions. U.S. methane emissions grew 27 percent from 1990 to 2009, according to the Energy Information Administration. Methane contributes about 10 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and is 25 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.