Anonymously contributed:
It's is too early to say how much the Las Conchas Fire will cost Los Alamos National Laboratory, according to laboratory spokesman Kevin Roark.
Some 13,000 LANL employees returned to work Wednesday.
"People are just now filling out their timecards for last week," Roark said, adding that there is a cost code for fire-related activities.
On the most elementary level, assuming a $2.5 billion annual budget and dividing that by the 260 days in a normal work year, there is a daily cost of $9.6 million — or $58 million for the six missed days.
But there is not a single number on which everyone agrees for the lab's annual income. Many operations run 24/7, with at least some of them continuing or even costing more during an emergency.
"The last time the lab calculated the cost of a 'snow day,' the number was about $3 million," Roark said.
After the 2000 Cerro Grande Fire, the lab received $341 million from the U.S. Energy Department, some of which went toward replacing damaged buildings and some for other infrastructure and improvements. It is not clear yet how much of the laboratory's losses, if any, can be passed along to sponsors.
It's is too early to say how much the Las Conchas Fire will cost Los Alamos National Laboratory, according to laboratory spokesman Kevin Roark.
Some 13,000 LANL employees returned to work Wednesday.
"People are just now filling out their timecards for last week," Roark said, adding that there is a cost code for fire-related activities.
On the most elementary level, assuming a $2.5 billion annual budget and dividing that by the 260 days in a normal work year, there is a daily cost of $9.6 million — or $58 million for the six missed days.
But there is not a single number on which everyone agrees for the lab's annual income. Many operations run 24/7, with at least some of them continuing or even costing more during an emergency.
"The last time the lab calculated the cost of a 'snow day,' the number was about $3 million," Roark said.
After the 2000 Cerro Grande Fire, the lab received $341 million from the U.S. Energy Department, some of which went toward replacing damaged buildings and some for other infrastructure and improvements. It is not clear yet how much of the laboratory's losses, if any, can be passed along to sponsors.
Comments
Can LANL take a $58 million hit on top of other cuts and budgetary freezes and not reduce the head count? We'll soon see.
Most of the cost is cash flow that was going to happen anyway. Scope is just going to get trimmed to accommodate for lost time.
Most of the cost is cash flow that was going to happen anyway. Scope is just going to get trimmed to accommodate for lost time.
July 11, 2011 10:34 PM
Your dreaming. In the environmental program at LANS, there was no scope reduced to meet existing 2011 PBIs. We will work harder and faster with the same resources (i.e. people). There are pushing people to the threshold of safety. This will result in more Injuries and lost time, and possibly fatalities.
You only thought you had enough money left for your project's deliverables. Get ready to pay up! All projects will be hit up for cash, including Work For Others (WFOs).
Why the sudden need to squeeze projects for these fire related "Report Pay" days of closure? This doesn't seem right. Looks like another ploy by the LLC management to squeeze some extra cash out of lab projects. They just can't help themselves, can they? Like kids in a candy store.
I remember the horror on the face of the NSF guys working on the "privatization report" last year that was investigating the effects of the LLCs on LANL and LLNL research activities. When they found out that LANL staff costs around half a million per year (fully burdened) they almost fainted. They could hardly belief it.
Well, now they can increase that amount to $510,000 per year for a LANL FTE. And next year, of course, it will likely be even higher!
And to think, the LLC privatization of lab management was sold by the NNSA to Congress as a means for achieving "cost efficiency" at the labs. What a hoot!
July 19, 2011 1:35 AM
I'm worth every penny of this!
Bret Knapp