New Mexico lawmakers introduce bill to require uranium mining royalties

Two New Mexico Democrats today introduced a bill that would require uranium mining companies to pay a 12.5-percent royalty on federal lands – a move Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado at least favors studying given the growing interest in uranium mining and nuclear power. The Uranium Resources Stewardship Act introduced by U.S. Reps. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján would shift the regulation of uranium mining from the 1872 Mining Law to the Mineral Leasing Act and require royalty payments to federal and state governments similar to those paid by the coal, oil and gas industries.

Markey lands spot on D.C. pub’s 50 Most Beautiful list of Cap Hill denizens

It’s official: Colorado’s Betsy Markey turns heads. Dubbed a “Woman of the West,” the Fort Collins Democrat won a spot on The Hill’s annual 50 Most Beautiful People list, posted Wednesday by the Capitol Hill-insider publication.

“The congresswoman comes…