Los Alamos National Laboratory

Last week, lab director Charlie McMillan established the Los Alamos National Laboratory Integrated Stewardship Council, which would help make financial decisions in order to achieve $200 million in savings across the lab.

In a memo obtained by the Los Alamos Monitor, Rich Marquez, who reports to McMillan as part of the senior management team at the lab, wrote that “Organizations have been asked to execute only those employment and procurement actions that are essential.  In addition, they have been asked to implement a 20 percent cost savings (from FY11 levels) in foreign and domestic travel and in M&S expenditures.

More than 1,100 children and seniors will have more gifts under their tree this year because of a holiday gift drive at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The lab’s annual holiday drive came to a close Wednesday with 1,130 gifts, including 35 bicycles of all colors and sizes being delivered to agencies partnering with LANL.

“More than 1,000 children and seniors from around Northern New Mexico will have a brighter holiday because LANL employees enthusiastically participated in the holiday gift tag program,” said Tim Martinez of LANL’s Community Programs Office. “I’m so proud to be part of such a worthwhile program.”

Los Alamos National Laboratory employees have pledged a record $1.81 million to United Way and other eligible nonprofit programs. Los Alamos National Security, LLC, which manages and operates the laboratory for the National Nuclear Security Administration, plans to prorate its $1 million match among the selected nonprofit organizations, bringing the total donation to $2.81 million.

“Our Los Alamos employees can take pride in this accomplishment,” said Carolyn Zerkle, LANL’s associate director for Information Technology and this year’s campaign champion. “The LANL team raised $1.81 million, which surpassed last year’s total of $1.5 million by more than 20 percent.”

This week, the National Nuclear Security Administration Los Alamos Site Office dotted its Is and crossed its Ts as it sent a 386-page Class 2 permit modification request for the addition of a new Transuranic Waste Facility at Technical Area 63 to the New Mexico Environment Department.

In addition, the LASO office sent a 1,074-page document to the NMED, concerning a Class 3 permit modification request for the addition of open detonation units at TA-36 and TA-39.

There were no public comments associated with the open detonation permit modification request.

But that certainly was not the case with the Transuranic Waste Facility, with 30 different emails accompanying the request, all of them against LANL’s plans for the new facility.