Weapons Complex Monitor
November 20, 2014
DOE Launches Enforcement Investigation into Los Alamos TRU Waste Program
The Department of Energy’s Office of Enterprise Assessment is conducting an investigation into remediation of transuranic waste drums at Los Alamos National Laboratory that have been linked to the release at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The Office of Enforcement’s investigation will center on “the facts and circumstances associated with the remediation of selected transuranic waste drums at Los Alamos National Laboratory and its potential relationship to the radiological release event” at WIPP, according to a Nov. 14 notice to LANL from Office of Enforcement Director Steven Simonson. Separately, the New Mexico Environment Department is expected to also soon take enforcement action against Los Alamos for violations related to transuranic waste processing.
http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/11/f19/LANS Notice of Investigation (11-14-14).pdf
2 comments:
LANS tried to "hurry-up" and save a "buck" on their LANL Transuranic Program (LTP) and will end-up costing the U.S. taxpayers a few billion dollars on this debacle. In terms of how I know? Take my work for it, I worked on this so called "program" at LANL. LANS is scheming bow to ensure this cost is not actually taken from them. In fact, in their "glaring" stupidity, Congress is giving LANS more money to get the LTP operating again! Why should we pay for LANS incompetence on this?
Look for DOE to seek the full $54 million back from LANS that NMED has assessed. Also this is only the first of several looming fines that must be paid for LANS screw-ups that caused WIPP to be closed. It would not be surprising for DOE to look to LANS to pay the full recovery costs, now estimated to be in excess of $500 million.
For years the peace activists have been trying to get the government to close down LANL. While they have been unsuccessful, it is looking like Charlie and his crew will be turning out the lights.
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