NMSU, consortium partners to vie for $100 million Hub to address water challenges

NMSU, consortium partners to vie for $100 million Hub to address water challenges
DATE: 03/26/2019
WRITER: Tiffany Acosta, 575-646-3929, tfrank@nmsu.edu
CONTACT: Pei Xu, 575-646-5870, pxu@nmsu.edu
As a leader in water treatment research, the College of Engineering at New Mexico State University is a part of a team preparing a proposal for a new U.S. Department of Energy grant to create an Energy-Water Desalination Hub. The award for the Hub will be approximately $100 million, $20 million per year for five years, with a five-year renewal possibility.

As a member of the National Alliance for Water Innovation team, Civil Engineering Associate Professor Pei Xu is leading NMSU’s effort in a consortium that includes Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and National Renewable Energy Laboratory along with several universities and industry partners.

“We aim to develop cost-effective and energy efficient availability of clean water reclaimed from a variety of traditional and non-traditional sources such as brackish water, seawater, wastewater and produced water for a range of applications including municipal drinking water, agricultural uses, manufacturing and other industrial needs,” Xu said

“Results from this research and development would advance economic competitiveness, energy and water security and responsible environmental stewardship of the nation. NMSU’s participation in the Hub would benefit the state of New Mexico, which faces water scarcity and severe droughts.”

Proposals for the Hub are due in May with an announcement slated for August.

“We have a very unique expertise we can bring to the Hub,” she said. “We are developing innovative technologies for selective removal of contaminants from water, and high-efficiency, renewable energy driven desalination processes.”

In addition to research funding, Xu said the Hub would bring in significant educational opportunities for students and postdocs to develop the next generation of workforce in water treatment.

“Dr. Xu has earned widespread respect for her research in the water-energy nexus. One of her primary research areas is to develop sustainable water-energy-food-environment systems using low-cost, highly efficient and flexible treatment processes to reclaim produced water. She is an ideal person to be involved in this effort, and New Mexico is an ideal location for the Energy-Water Desalination Hub,” said Lakshmi N. Reddi, dean of the College of Engineering.

The Hub opportunity is good timing, Xu said, because it would allow NMSU to continue water treatment research with the conclusion of a National Science Foundation grant, the Engineering Research Center for Re-inventing the Nation’s Urban Water Infrastructure, in 2021. NMSU partnered with Stanford University, Colorado School of Mines and the University of California, Berkeley in 2011 to create ReNUWIt with a goal of identifying new ways to supply urban water and treat wastewater with greater efficiency, resource recovery and environmental mitigation.

After joining the NMSU faculty in 2013, the work of Xu and her research team has garnered more than $3.5 million in research support. Along with her work in municipal water reuse, brackish water desalination and concentrate treatment, Xu also examines produced water generated during oil and natural gas exploration. Xu and multiple NMSU leaders including Chancellor Dan Arvizu discussed a possible new industry collaboration with ExxonMobil representatives and Peter Fiske, the lead of the NAWI team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in a meeting on campus in January.

“Support from industrial partners such as ExxonMobil is essential to the strength of this research. The future of water and energy is important to their business, and they will play an important role going forward with water-energy research,” Reddi said.

Xu believes a collaboration with ExxonMobil would be a mutually beneficial partnership that would allow NMSU to test its research.

“They make sure our technology isn’t just in an ivory tower, but it will be applicable to solve real-world problems,” she said.

ExxonMobil has one of the most active oil and gas operations in the region, which includes the Permian Basin in West Texas and New Mexico, with plans to triple total daily production by 2025. At the meeting at NMSU, representatives from ExxonMobil discussed its research portfolio including the lifecycle of produced water.

Xu said she is optimistic about both the Hub and collaboration with ExxonMobil and credits NMSU civil engineering faculty members such as Assistant Professor Yanyan Zhang, Associate Professor Lambis Papelis and Professor Nirmala Khandan and Tanner Schaub from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences along with faculty members from chemical and materials engineering and mechanical and aerospace engineering for creating a strong research team.
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USDA Assists Farmers, Ranchers, and Communities Affected by Recent Flooding

USDA Assists Farmers, Ranchers, and Communities Affected by Recent Flooding

(Washington, D.C., March 21, 2019) - To help residents, farmers, and ranchers affected by the devastation caused by recent flooding, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to aid people in their recovery efforts. USDA staff in the regional, state, and county offices are responding and providing a variety of program flexibilities and other assistance to residents, agricultural producers, and impacted communities at large.

“Recent flooding in the Midwest and along the Missouri and Mississippi River Valleys has caused devastating impacts across the region, and USDA has personnel and resources devoted to helping farmers and communities recover after this storm,” Secretary Perdue said. “I encourage area farmers and ranchers to contact their local USDA Service Center so we can work with them to identify the resources and tools needed to reestablish their operations. While farmers and ranchers in the area are resilient, the pain is real. We will do everything in our power at USDA to be as helpful as we possibly can.”

On Thursday, President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the Nebraska counties of Butler, Cass, Colfax, Dodge, Douglas, Nemaha, Sarpy, Saunders, and Washington.

Background:

Farm Production and Conservation Agencies Helping Producers Weather Financial Impacts:

When major disasters strike, USDA has an emergency loan program that provides eligible farmers low-interest loans to help them recover from production and physical losses. USDA also offers additional programs tailored to the needs of specific agricultural sectors to help producers weather the financial impacts of major disasters and rebuild their operations.

Livestock owners and contract growers who experience above normal livestock deaths due to specific weather events, as well as to disease or animal attacks, may qualify for assistance under USDA’s Livestock Indemnity Program. Producers who suffer losses to or are prevented from planting agricultural commodities not covered by federal crop insurance may be eligible for assistance under USDA's Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program if the losses were due to natural disasters.

USDA's Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program provides payments to these producers to help compensate for losses due to disease (including cattle tick fever), and adverse weather or other conditions, such as blizzards and wildfires, that are not covered by certain other disaster programs.

USDA Helping Agricultural Operations Recover After Disasters:

USDA provides financial resources through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program for immediate needs and long-term support to help recover from natural disasters and conserve water resources.

Orchardists and nursery tree growers in the affected area may be eligible for assistance through USDA’s Tree Assistance Program to help replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes, and vines damaged by natural disasters.

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has information about protecting livestock on its Protecting Livestock During a Disaster page. Additionally, the agency is helping to meet the emergency needs of pets and their owners, as inspectors are coordinating closely with zoos, breeders, and other licensed facilities in the region to ensure the safety of animals in their care.

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service Preventing Foodborne Illness:

As residents make it back into their homes, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is helping ensure they are taking the proper steps to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. Food safety tips after a power outage and flooding are available on the FSIS website.

USDA encourages those whose homes flooded during the storm to take steps to protect the safety of their food.

Tips to protect food safety after flooding occurs:

• Drink only bottled water that has not come in contact with flood water. Discard any bottled water that may have come in contact with flood water.
• Discard any food that is not in a waterproof container if there is any chance it may have come in contact with flood water. Food containers that are not waterproof include those with screw-caps, snap lids, pull tops, and crimped caps.
• Discard wooden cutting boards, plastic utensils, baby bottle nipples, and pacifiers that may have come in contact with flood water.
• Thoroughly wash all metal pans, ceramic dishes, and utensils that came in contact with flood water with hot soapy water. Sanitize by boiling them in clean water or by immersing them for 15 minutes in a solution of 1 tablespoon unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water.
• Undamaged, commercially prepared foods in all-metal cans and retort pouches (for example, flexible, shelf-stable juice or seafood pouches) can be saved. Follow the "Steps to Salvage All-Metal Cans and Retort Pouches" in the publication Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency.

USDA Helping Impacted Communities Recover:

During declared natural disasters that lead to imminent threats to life and property, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service can assist local government sponsors with the cost of implementing recovery efforts like debris removal and streambank stabilization to address natural resource concerns and hazards through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program.

USDA Rural Development (RD) offers technical assistance, loans, grants, and loan guarantees to rural communities and individuals to assist with the construction or rehabilitation of utility infrastructure including water and wastewater systems, community infrastructure, and housing. Rural Development is also helping businesses and utilities that are current USDA borrowers by considering requests to defer principal and/or interest payments, and to provide additional temporary loans. Current USDA single-family home loan customers may also qualify for assistance. Rural community leaders and current USDA Rural Development customers can contact their local RD office or visit the RD disaster resource website to obtain more information.

Visit USDA's disaster resources website to learn more about USDA disaster preparedness and response. For more information on USDA disaster assistance programs, please contact your local USDA Service Center. To find your local USDA Service Center, go to offices.usda.gov.

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New Mexico Pecan Buyers Licensure is in effect

New Mexico Pecan Buyers Licensure is in effect

In-shell pecan buyers must apply for license with NMDA

(Las Cruces, New Mexico) – If you have a business in New Mexico and plan to purchase in-shell pecans that are grown commercially or from residential trees grown in the state, you must apply for a pecan buyers license with the New Mexico Department of Agriculture.

At the request of the New Mexico Pecan Growers Association, the state legislature passed the Pecan Buyers Licensure Rule earlier this year in an effort to prevent the spread of pecan weevil from infested areas of the state to uninfested pecan growing areas of the state. Pecan growers also point out that the rule will indirectly help deter the increasing problem of pecan theft from residential and commercial properties.

Pecan weevil is considered the most significant insect pest of pecan producers. Pecan weevil was confirmed in approximately 200 residential pecan trees in several eastern New Mexico pecan-growing counties and several commercial pecan orchards. Earlier this year, the state legislature passed the Pecan Weevil Interior Quarantine Rule, which established Eddy, Lea and Chaves Counties as quarantined areas. The quarantined areas have specific restrictions related to the movement of in-shell pecans out of the area. 

The rule established licensing fees, licensing requirements and a licensing period. The rule also provides NMDA staff and law enforcement agencies the authority to inspect records to determine the origin of in-shell pecans purchased at each location. The rule may be viewed in its entirety at https://bit.ly/2DvGDdv.

Licenses are required for fixed buying locations for a $300 annual fee and for mobile buying units for a $275 annual fee. A permit is required for each location at which a mobile unit will be parked and engaged in the purchase of in-shell nuts for a $25 annual fee.

All applications require a business name, business owner’s name and valid contact information for the person authorized to request a license for each buying location.

Applications for fixed buying locations require:

§  A physical address or directions for each buying location

§  A physical address or directions where buying records are maintained

§  Days and hours of operation, including seasonal deviations

Applications for mobile buying locations require:

§  Mobile unit description including make, model, year, license plate and color that will be parked and used for the purchase of in-shell pecans

§  A physical address or directions where buying records are maintained

§  Physical address(es) or directions where each mobile unit will be parked for the purpose of purchasing in-shell pecans

§  Registration of additional location permits, prior to engaging in the business of purchasing in-shell pecans, for locations not identified in a current and valid license application

§  Days and hours of operation, including seasonal deviations

All in-shell pecan buyers must maintain records of seller information, including location and date of the purchase, seller contact information and street address or physical location of the tree or the farm from where the in-shell pecans originated. Seller information must include a personal identification number from a valid United States license or passport, as well as a license plate number, make and model of the seller’s motor vehicle. The total weight of the in-shell pecans purchased must also be recorded.

Buyers must ensure record of in-shell pecans purchases available for inspection by NMDA or a peace officer within 48 hours of a transaction.

For an application, click on this link: https://bit.ly/2A8isOT. Licenses are valid from Oct. 1, 2018 to Sept. 30, 2019.

For more information, visit www.nmda.nmsu.edu or call 575-646-3207.

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