Public demonstrations in Rio Rancho on occasional Saturdays aim to focus on Intel issues ranging from tax rates to the environment.

Some environmental advocates have worked in a very different forum on air and water issues of Intel since 2004 -- the Community Environmental Working Group (CEWG). The CEWG meets in public the third Wednesday of every month at the Corrales Senior Center, 5 to 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome to observe and participate.   

Persistent work in the CEWG forum, in combination with the efforts of others, has gained major environmental improvements at Intel and more will come. The achievements are described in our one-page annual short reports to the community.

The largest achievements this year are:

■ Stacks (chimneys) were raised higher to reduce the maximum ground level concentrations of pollutants.

■ Redundant (backup) units were added to the thermal oxidizer pollution controls.

■ Community-controlled testing for crystalline silica was done on Intel's stack emissions; federal test results found no significant crystalline silica. 

The CEWG also takes into account findings about Intel's emissions from the tax-funded work of many state and federal agencies, namely:

   * the Air Quality Bureau of the New Mexico Environment Department

   * U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (on-site inspection report, fall 2010) 

   * U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (public health consultation, report 2009) 

   * National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (analytical results for silica emissions, report 2011)

   * New Mexico Department of Health (analysis of Corrales health data, report spring 2011) 

The named reports can be found in various sections of this website.

The CEWG welcomes inquiries and involvement in its work methods and continued environmental gains.