The wildfire-prone New Mexico county where the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory is located has entered “stage 1 fire restrictions,” according to a recent post from the Los Alamos County Department of Public Utilities.
“Fire Marshal Colorado Cordova of the Los Alamos Fire Department (LAFD) has enacted fire restrictions to Stage 1, effective April 28, within the boundaries of Los Alamos County to safeguard public health and safety, as well as protect lands, structures, natural and historical artifacts,” according to an online notice.
The stage 1 restrictions prohibits or limits use of outdoor fires in most situations. Violations of fire restrictions laid out in the order can result in a written citation and potential criminal penalties, according to the notice. The area around the DOE lab has seen its share of wildfires through the years with one of the most recent being the Cerro Pelado wildfire four years ago that burned thousands of acres.
Democratic mayoral candidate Gary Goodweather proposed the idea of powering Washington, D.C. with a nuclear reactor during a mayoral primary debate this week.
Goodweather said that Washington, D.C. could use technologies such as geothermal and solar to help bring down energy costs now, but nuclear could be used down the line. He said the nuclear reactor could be placed on federal land such as Joint Base Anacostia-Boiling and near the Department of Homeland Security.
According to a Wednesday City Cast DC poll, Goodweather trails in third place with garnering 7% of the pollers votes. Democratic mayoral candidates Janeese Lewis George and Kenyan McDuffie headlined the poll with garnering 39% and 34% respectively.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Doug Weaver was reconfirmed by the Senate Monday to serve a full five-year term as a commissioner that will expire in June 2031.
Weaver was confirmed alongside nearly 50 of President Donald Trump’s other nominees in the en bloc package, Senate Resolution 690, spearheaded by the Republicans. The nominees’ confirmation passed in a 46–43 vote.
Coming off the heels of Annie Caputo’s resignation late last summer, Weaver was originally nominated in November 2025 to fill in her previous spot on the commission. Once Weaver was confirmed and sworn in as a commissioner in December 2025, he was set to finish out Caputo’s term, which ended June 2026. Trump renominated Weaver for a new five-year term on Jan. 29 and Weaver passed through the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in a 15–4 vote, just like he did in his first go-round with the committee in November.
Sen. Bill Cassady (R-La.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and one of the few remaining Republicans in Congress who once voted to impeach President Donald Trump, has lost a GOP primary race in Louisiana.
Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, and state Treasurer John Fleming both finished ahead of Cassidy in the Louisiana GOP primary, news outlets reported over the weekend. The top two Republican candidates will face each other in a June GOP runoff. Likewise, the top two Democrats, Jamie Davis and Gary Crockett will face each other in a June 27 runoff election
Cassidy said he would not contest the primary results. When you lose an election, “you don’t pout, you don’t whine, you don’t claim an election was stolen.”
Exchange Monitor offices will be closed on Monday May 25 in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. We will be back on the job Tuesday. wbarber@acccessintel.com.