Nov 29, 2007

Udall pushes for LANL growth

By CAROL A. CLARK Monitor County Editor

Citing Sandia as the model to mimic, Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., is urging Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Michael Anastasio to seek funding to expand non-weapon areas such as nonproliferation, energy security and energy renewables. The issue, Udall said, is the shrinking nuclear weapons footprint in the country.

“The administration has decided it can be shrunk down and still be effective,” he said. “Los Alamos has the biggest share and so it can take the biggest hit of the three labs (LANL, Sandia and Lawrence Livermore). My vision is to try to get the lab to diversify in a number of ways that they are already doing on a small scale.”

Udall said he has spoken with Anastasio about the "Sandia model" on several occasions.

About six years ago, Sandia saw the shrinkage coming and decided to get out in front of it, Udall said, adding they came down from some 75-percent weapons to 50-percent weapons. They’ve done it in such a way that they’re now diversified, so this latest shrinkage is going to be minimal, maybe just 70-80 jobs, he said.

“I told Mike (Anastasio) he needs to get out there and hustle for the lab like Sandia did – to work with various agencies in the government to grow these areas,” Udall said during an interview Wednesday at the Los Alamos Research Park. “He told me he’s the guy to do that.”

Udall was in town for a series of classified briefings during an overview of LANL’s Weapons Programs to the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, of which he is a member.

“As I tour the laboratory, what’s evident is we have top-notch scientific staff and great support staff,” Udall said. “Energy security is a huge national security issue now and will be more so in the years to come. I see a thriving future for this lab and I have a vision for making sure there’s a permanence for this lab in playing a role in the important challenges facing this nation. This lab has made a huge contribution to our national security and as we redefine that security, the lab can continue to play a significant role.”
Chair Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif., Ranking Member Terry Everett, R-Ala., Undersecretary for Nuclear Security Tom D’Agostino of the National Nuclear Security Administration and several congressional staffers made up the Congressional Delegation (CODEL).

Udall commented that he and Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., joined the group for a working lunch at the Nicholas C. Metropolis Center for Modeling & Simulation, where they received a security briefing. “We saw how they are trying to secure (classified electronic media) and had a 45-minute briefing from the guy who runs that area,” Udall said.

The group also toured the Super Vault Type Room (VTR) and the old Chemistry & Metallurgy Research facility and its replacement site, he said.

Udall said he and Domenici left the group at about 3 p.m. The rest of the delegation went on to tour the Plutonium Facility before departing for a trip to the Pantex Plant in Amarillo.

During Wednesday’s interview, Udall spoke of his nearly 10 years of service in Congress in which he said he has “proudly and strongly represented LANL and its workers.”

Udall is currently serving his fifth term in Congress, representing New Mexico’s Third Congressional District. He is running for the senate seat coming vacant when Domenici retires next year. He spoke of the vote he cast that other senatorial candidates are trying to use against him. Udall spoke up against abrupt change for the lab and stood up, he said, to restore $200 million to the budget.

“The point was made all the way along, he said, that those cuts were too deep and that it needed to be transitioned,” he said.

There was $600 million in new funding for energy projects in that bill. A month later there was another vote during which time he spoke with the administration, D’Agostino and others and said he was assured the laboratory could compete for some of that money. In knowing that, Udall explained that to him, the vote was about the future of Los Alamos.

“My opponents are pandering to people’s worst fears,” he said of their claiming he voted against the lab. “I voted for the lab’s future because this is where we are going to stabilize the lab and grow additional jobs.”

Udall continues to work with Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., to see that LANL has the resources it needs to do its future work. He explained he has always recommended LANL be very generous on their severance plan as an incentive for people to voluntarily retire to minimize or avoid layoffs.

“The thing that’s absolutely clear in listening to the Bush and Cheney administration is that they fully intend to layoff 500-750 people regardless of what happens with the budget – they’ve headed down that road,” Udall said. “My heart truly goes out to families that have a breadwinner who’s going to lose their job. My focus has been that they are taking precautions to give incentives to entice voluntary retirements.”

The Congressional Delegation gathering actually began Tuesday evening with a dinner at La Posada de Santa Fe. Anastasio hosted the meal attended by Don Winchell, National Nuclear Security Administration Los Alamos Site Office Revitalization manager; Jan Van Prooyen, LANL deputy director; Glenn Mara, principal associate director of Weapons Programs; Terry Wallace, principal associate director of Science, Technology and Engineering; Michael Mallory, principal associate director of Operations; Patrick Woehrle, Government Affairs Office leader; and David Lyons, Washington, D.C., Federal Office leader.

“I had an opportunity to spend about an hour talking with these people about the lab and its future,” Udall said. “Mike (Anastasio) said one of the big things is the storage of energy so in peaking periods you can tie that energy into the grid. The lab should play a big part in that. The best scientists in the country are here in Los Alamos and they can solve these challenges if we give them the resources.”

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do the "hustle", Mikey, do the "hustle"! Time is quickly running out for LANL.

Anonymous said...

"The Congressional Delegation gathering actually began Tuesday evening with a dinner at La Posada de Santa Fe. Anastasio hosted the meal attended by Don Winchell, National Nuclear Security Administration Los Alamos Site Office Revitalization manager; Jan Van Prooyen, LANL deputy director; Glenn Mara, principal associate director of Weapons Programs; Terry Wallace, principal associate director of Science, Technology and Engineering; Michael Mallory, principal associate director of Operations; Patrick Woehrle, Government Affairs Office leader; and David Lyons, Washington, D.C., Federal Office leader."

I certainly hope LANS didn't charge this lovely meal to LANL. That would be against the new rules and unethical, remember?

And this vision of LANS head honchos dining on expensive treats on the very same day that the SSP staffing 'target' numbers are roll-out? Priceless!

Anonymous said...

Don't you just love the part that states: "so LANL will take the biggest hits"....and then Mr. Udall goes on to say that he told Mikey some time ago that he knew what Congress was going to do, yeah! way back then he knew...wonder if he knew way back then he would also loose the race for Pajama Pete's Sen. seat?

Anonymous said...

“I told Mike (Anastasio) he needs to get out there and hustle for the lab like Sandia did – to work with various agencies in the government to grow these areas,” Udall said during an interview Wednesday at the Los Alamos Research Park. “He told me he’s the guy to do that.”

There's goes Mikey, lying again. Here's what he had to say on the subject, from John Fleck's blog, dated September 17. Read it on this post:

http://lanl-the-rest-of-the-story.blogspot.com/2007/09/n.html

Los Alamos' approach, as explained by lab director Michael Anastasio at a July meeting of the New Mexico state Legislature's Los Alamos National Laboratory Oversight Committee, looks very different from Sandia's go-go diversification of recent years.

Any fundamental makeover of the lab's mission would require a dramatic change in direction from Washington.

"We don't set policy," he said.

Such a change in direction could require a whole new set of skills and infrastructure that the lab currently doesn't have, he said.

Anonymous said...

Udall! Udall! He's our man! If he can't do it, no one can! Yay Tom!

--Taxpayers United Against Plutonium Pete's Pork

Anonymous said...

it's hilarious that "taxpayers" are rooting for the lab's downfall.... when the exodus starts and you're taxes start taking a hike while your housing market tanks, just remember your bilious cheers... the lab keeps northern NM afloat whether you like it or not.

Anonymous said...

11/29/07 1:30 PM You just don't get it. The rest of this state is living in abject poverty except for a few small pockets of wealth, Santa Fe and Los Alamos. So we really won't notice our taxes or property values going anywhere fast. You are always making fun of the cesspool Espanola is anyway, what will change with you gone except our air will be better.

Anonymous said...

1:30 just can't accept that he won't be missed when he's gone.

Anonymous said...

We should tie the bonuses and Mikey and his minions to the budget.

Anonymous said...

Comment to Udall:

Under LANS, LANL is doomed. You want LANL to succeed then the mistake needs to be owned up to and LANS neets to be booted, and sued for incompetence.

Anonymous said...

11/29/07 3:01 PM

Actually, I think you are the one suffering from the rectally inserted cranium.

Anonymous said...

I love it when scientists talk dirty.

Anonymous said...

Udall's comments in this article demonstrate that he is getting scared and very desperate. If he's always felt as he says he has about LANL's need for project diversity, he certainly did and said nothing about it during his previous 10 years in office as our Congressman.

It's going to be so much fun watching Udall face the voters wrath in his bid for the Senate. He's pissed off all of Los Alamos, much of Espanola, and parts of Santa Fe.

Then, consider the fact that most of the people who live in ABQ (which is about 50% of NM's total population) haven't even heard his name before, but they sure know the name of their mayor, Martin Chavez.

In truth, I agree with Udall's feelings. LANL should have started getting serious about diversifying into new areas. However, Udall is simply looking for political cover for the huge screw-up he committed with his votes this summer.

Udall no longer deserves to be our district's Congressman, much less a Senator from the great state of New Mexico. If he does take the Senate seat (God forbid!) he'll quickly turn his back on the lab workers and all the good paying jobs he has helped destroy in this state.

Anonymous said...

Well said, 9:59! Those are exactly my sentiments.

I am thinking about changing parties (as someone suggested here), so I can vote against Udall in the primary. FYI, I sent a letter of complaint to Udall about a month ago, and he just now responded with a form letter that pointed out what a forward thinker he was. He is definitely feeling the heat.

Anonymous said...

I don't think it would be wise to put up "Udall for Senate" campaign posters if you live in Los Alamos. There's a lot of anger at Tom Udall in this town because of the harm he's done to jobs at LANL.