Cleanup at LANL In Limbo
By Michael ColemanAlbuquerque Journal Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON— Environmental cleanup at Los Alamos National Laboratory remains in limbo because the Bush administration hasn't set aside enough money for the job.
Department of Energy officials said Wednesday they are reshuffling nuclear cleanup priorities nationwide because of tight federal budget constraints. It remains unclear which projects will move to the top of the list, the officials said.
The administration included $164 million in its 2009 budget proposal for cleanup at LANL, but that's about $100 million short of what's needed to meet federal benchmarks set in a 2005 cleanup agreement with the state Environment Department.
The so-called consent order calls for a fence-to-fence cleanup of hazardous waste over the lab's 40-square-mile property by 2015.
Regulators fear that if left untreated, contaminants could pollute regional drinking water supplies, among other problems.
James Rispoli, DOE's assistant secretary for environmental management, told a congressional subcommittee Wednesday that the federal government is negotiating with states, including New Mexico, to determine which cleanup projects should take priority.
"We are in a dialogue to discuss, from a relative risk standpoint, which cases need to be done and which ones could be postponed, if you will," Rispoli said.
State Environment Department officials in recent weeks have accused DOE of attempting to wiggle out of its commitments under the cleanup agreement and indicated it will continue to fine the lab when benchmarks are missed.
New Mexico already has fined the lab $750,000 for violations of the cleanup agreement.
Sen. Pete Domenici, the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, said during Wednesday's hearing the Bush administration's budget is inadequate.
"Your budget again fails to provide adequate funding to meet the milestones negotiated between DOE and the state of New Mexico for cleanup at Los Alamos," Domenici said.
Unlike in previous years, Domenici said he is not sure he can convince Congress to add the money to its budgets this year.
"I am not confident that I will be able to find $100 million needed to keep the cleanup in compliance with the agreement you negotiated," Domenici said.
Domenici said administration budget requests for the DOE environmental cleanup projects nationwide have dwindled from more than $7 billion in 2005 and 2006 to just $5.5 billion for 2009.
"It's really embarrassing and very troubling when they enter into an agreement and then the feds come along and don't have the money to do it," Domenici said in an interview after the hearing. "And that's where we are now."
Journal Northern Bureau staff writer Raam Wong contributed to this report.
It's hard even for a superpower to fund clean-up of its own back yard when its priority is to keep trashing Iraq. But, it certainly is good for "freedom" and the support of democracy there. Yessiree.
ReplyDeleteThis is just the beganning of "life" without Domenici. Many more budgets cuts, along with the downsizing will come to be, we will see in the not too distant future just how much he brought to the party.
ReplyDeleteYour needle is stuck.
ReplyDeleteWell if the "Santa Fe" folks would stop their incessant whining and crying, and huge waste of taxpayer money be trying to damage control over their libelous claims...maybe there would be money.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Santa Fe should become a new dump site, they welcomed LANS with open arms..(legs?)
wtf 9:30???
ReplyDeleteAre you claiming that the cleanup budget was diverted to the PR budget?
I'm not sure what 9:30 said either. On the topic of money for cleanup here is the latest from Senator Domenici. It doesn't seem to be on his agenda.
ReplyDeleteFrom Pinky's link:
ReplyDelete- Senator Says Plan Needs More Defined Science Role for NNSA Nuke Labs --
Domenici endorsed the “preferred alternative” transformation plan. But he also outlined areas of the proposal that should be improved before the plan is implemented, including enhancing the science base at the weapons laboratories.
"As the complex is transformed, it must not measure success only in terms of floor space and manpower reductions but also in terms of enhancements to the science base that is the lifeblood of stockpile stewardship. The preferred alternative falls short in this regard,” he said.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
Pit production and plutonium science are the only "science" that NNSA and LANS have planned for LANL's future.
Poor Pete. NNSA knows he'll soon be out of the picture and they can then proceed with the dismantling of what's left of the diversified science base at LANL.
Give it a few more years and you won't be able to recognize LANL as a top national science lab any longer.
4/10/08 9:49 PM
ReplyDeleteDuh
I think 9:30 is saying is that instead of focusing on the issue the focus is not getting sued on the issue.
ReplyDeleteSeems simple.
The "cleanup" monies are being consumed by inappropriate staffing, overhead and an orgy of form-filling. Of course, we need more.
ReplyDeleteIt still gets me...LANL gets fined by the state because DOE doesn't pony up the money (read THEIR responsibility) to clean the place up.
ReplyDeleteThen, the SF whiners chorus out how evil, wicked, mean, and nasty the Lab is for not cleaning up the waste.
In the meantime, DOE continues to sit on it's environmental hands so it can fund projects to make their beltway managers look like heros.
Who is DOE serving anyway? Kind of like asking the same question about LANS.
"Give it a few more years and you won't be able to recognize LANL as a top national science lab any longer." Said
ReplyDelete4/10/08 11:14 PM
Huh? Where have you been the last few years? You still think LANL is a "top. national science lab?" Where do you get your insight from? Kevin Roark? Wake up my friend. This train left the station years ago.
Give it a few more years and you won't be able to recognize LANL as a top national science lab any longer.
ReplyDeleteIt is already happening. Sure there are still good PIs with ideas and money. But one is getting really lonely at the lab. There are many empty offices and labs. And at least half of the scientists I've talked to and who are still here are actively planning to leave. With the hiring freeze exactly zero new scientists will be recruited. As some other mentioned, almost exclusively engineering and procurement positions for the CMRR are advertised.
SSPed
From 9:31 - "With the hiring freeze exactly zero new scientists will be recruited."
ReplyDeleteHow wrong you are - if you are the AD for CLES you can hire any second-rate scientist you want. There have been numerous conversions and external hires in our directorate since June 2006. We can't afford them but they keep being mandated from above.
"if you are the AD for CLES you can hire any second-rate scientist you want"
ReplyDeleteThese new people should feel right at home!
"The 'cleanup' monies are being consumed by inappropriate staffing, overhead and an orgy of form-filling. Of course, we need more."
ReplyDeleteAmen to that statement!
LANS has made a considerable
mess of LANL. Even the DOE
recognized that in the annual evaluation. BUT, the DOE is unlikely
to acknowledge and fix the problem.
Remember, when, if ever, we finally get the mess cleaned up, then they will stop giving us money to clean it up!
ReplyDeleteOnly the DOE are dumber than our management!
"if you are the AD for CLES you can hire any second-rate scientist you want"
ReplyDeleteAs they say, misery loves company!
Hey Pete - What is really embarrassing is the inability for our elected officials to ACCOMPLISH anything, with the exception of lining their own pockets.
ReplyDeleteThe federal government has a history of not being able to understand the meaning of the word TRUST, unless it comes with a little on the side.
What's bad is that I can not think of anything I can do, other than vote against any current member of the house or senate.
Much has been said about the agreement that LANL signed with NMED defining the timeline. I am curious about who really signed that agreement and what legal implications it has for the current LANL management.
ReplyDeleteDownload a copy of the Consent Order here.
ReplyDelete"The undersigned persons executing this Consent Order represent that they have all the requisite authority to bind the Party that they represent to the terms of this Consent Order, and further agree that this representation of authority as to each such Party shall be legally sufficient evidence of actual or apparent authority to bind each of them to all the terms and conditions of this Consent Order."
ReplyDeleteOne of the signatures on the consent order is Ed Wilmot, manager LASO. In other words the DOE signed this agreement. I see no reason for LANL to pay any fines to NMED. The DOE should be paying the fines. The consent order says DOE is bound by it.
Moreover DOE is one of the respondents, as is UC. Not LANL. The Consent Order was written prior to LANS. Why didn't LANS go to court to break this order?
9:29 pm: "Why didn't LANS go to court to break this order?"
ReplyDeleteYeah, right. Like LANS would stand a chance in a NM court against NMED. No one at LANS will rock that boat, until the LANS situation is truly desperate. Not quite yet, but coming...
929, the consent order said that it had to be incorporated into the requirements for any new contractor. Therefore, LANS is bound through its prime contract.
ReplyDeleteEveryone, including NNSA, and DOE know that Sen. Domenici is no longer a player. His hey day is over and they most likely be "polite" to the old guy, and then go their merry way. Los Alamos will be the "Pit" Manufacturing Center. Science will be a thing of the past and in a few years most people will forget that LANL was one of the leading Scientific Instutions, as time marches on. I am guessing that the future will bring about 5000 FTE's and have a steady budget to support the Pit, but no more fun money. (The price of house's will make Los Alamos the bargin basement of the U.S.
ReplyDelete"929, the consent order said that it had to be incorporated into the requirements for any new contractor. Therefore, LANS is bound through its prime contract."
ReplyDeleteSo is DOE through its signature. Shouldn't they be paying the fines?
4/13/08 11:17 AM
ReplyDeleteThe new name is unfortunately already known and posted here before, by me, and others:
LAPPP.
(Los Alamos Pit Production Plant.)
Couldn´t DOE/NNSA put this into their work portfolio, on a larger scale:
(1) Directed Energy Weapons.
(2) Missile defense.
(3) Energy.
(4) A more advanced rationale between DOE/NNSA, DoD, DHS, and the National labs, that would also bring extra funding, at least in theory.
(Visionaires today: Burt Rutan, J. Craig Venter, the chief designer and chief engineer of SR-91 Aurora, the follower of SR-71 Blackbird, most likely developed by Lockheed Advanced Development Programs (ADP), and probably hypersonic, Mach 5+, and the Orion Spacecraft, developed by Lockheed Martin and NASA, the spacecraft that hopefully will return man to the Moon, and further out into the space.
Who are the Burt Rutan´s, J. Craig Venter´s, SR-91 Aurora´s, Orion Spacecraft´s of DOE/NNSA and the National labs, as of today, or in other words:
Who set the course for the future?!)
No, 2:24. Compliance with the consent order should have been incorporated into the LANS contract, according to the consent order. That is, the consent order did not allow the loophole of changing contractors to escape the order.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if I read it correctly, the maximum fines are about 1M, with a maximum number of fines being 15/year. So LANL can ignore the consent order and just pay $15M per year instead. I would bet that LANL has done the cost/benefit analysis, and would rather pay 15M in fines than 150M in cleanup.
"I would bet that LANL has done the cost/benefit analysis, and would rather pay 15M in fines than 150M in cleanup." 4/14/08 11:41 AM
ReplyDeleteLANL doen't have the money to pay or the decision to make. Congress and NNSA are the ones holding out.