Two nuclear laboratories in New Mexico are facing hefty fines for the faulty handling of classified information or material.
The federal Department of Energy has fined Sandia Corp. $577,500 for violation of control of nuclear weapons data, reports the Albuquerque Journal. Los Alamos National Laboratory is also facing fines for two separate incidents.
Sandia Corp. is a Lockheed Martin company that serves as the private operator of Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque.
Sandia presented information at improper lab settings and to the public over many years, according to a preliminary notice of violation issued by the DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration last week.
The company was cited for four Level 1 violations and two lesser ones. The Level 1 errors are said to cause a higher national security risk.
At Los Alamos National Laboratory, the private contractor Los Alamos National Security LLC faces a $247,500 fine for loss of classified material and a $150,000 fine for exposure of workers to a hazardous material.