The cost of LANS managerial screw-ups with WIPP is quickly becoming yuuuuuge! It ranks among the costliest nuclear accidents in U.S. history according to the LA Times.
So much for 'saving money' by using a private, for-profit managerial contract for running LANL, huh, NNSA?
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Nuclear accident in New Mexico ranks among the costliest in U.S. history
Los Angeles Times - Aug 22nd
When a drum containing radioactive waste blew up in an underground nuclear dump in New Mexico two years ago, the Energy Department rushed to quell concerns in the Carlsbad desert community and quickly reported progress on resuming operations.
The early federal statements gave no hint that the blast had caused massive long-term damage to the dump, a facility crucial to the nuclear weapons cleanup program that spans the nation, or that it would jeopardize the Energy Department’s credibility in dealing with the tricky problem of radioactive waste.
But the explosion ranks among the costliest nuclear accidents in U.S. history, according to a Times analysis. The long-term cost of the mishap could top $2 billion, an amount roughly in the range of the cleanup after the 1979 partial meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania.
The Feb. 14, 2014, accident is also complicating cleanup programs at about a dozen current and former nuclear weapons sites across the U.S. Thousands of tons of radioactive waste that were headed for the dump are backed up in Idaho, Washington, New Mexico and elsewhere, state officials said in interviews.
25 comments:
Well...I'm no fan of the for-profit management model, nor its incarnation in LANS/LLNS, which has manifestly cost the tax-payers billions of dollars in return for huge damage to the country's scientific infrastructure.
But in fairness, the burst drum incident could well have happened under pre-transition UC management. Plenty to lay at LANS/LLNS's feet, but I don't think this is one, per se.
"But in fairness, the burst drum incident could well have happened under pre-transition UC management"
I have to disagree with you on this, the story that is going around is that no one consulted any scientist on the organic cat litter issue and that this was a direct results for the management team and practices that came in under LANS particularly the environmental clean up work ect. My understating is that this would not have happened before but it was Bechtel managers that made the call. I think it is pretty clear who is to blame and that this is a direct result of the for-profit model.
August 22, 2016 at 9:07 PM
Your confirmation bias is pretty evident.
Your confirmation bias is pretty evident.
August 23, 2016 at 9:17 AM
As far as I know Bechtel ran the environmental portions of the lab which included WIPP and again scientists where not consulted on the cat litter issue. Please tell me how this is confirmation bias.
"Per se"...whatever.In all fairness (not), "it could have happened" (speculative BS)...but did not now did it. Put some more blah blah blah in your executive PHD I went to west point (lower case on purpose) wally world. Unkayyyyy!
Privatizing the labs has not been about saving money or improving management. It has been about putting taxpayer dollars in the pockets of political patrons.
Privatizing the labs has not been about saving money or improving management. It has been about putting taxpayer dollars in the pockets of political patrons.
August 23, 2016 at 8:00 PM
Way of the world, no one states as outright as you do but this is how it runs. You need to buy in and maybe get some good money or get laid to waste. You can have a consious and do what is "right" but that is your choice however the world has moved on an and those that understand the rules can do well. There is no right or wrong, never was, it is those that follow the money and find the money that win. Next contractor will be the same or worse, it is for profit from from here on out , for the company or maybe for you too. You need to get past the "ideals" and see which way the wind is blowing and you could do well, f pride.
I posted the original comment (6:04). Incidentally I'm a retired LLNL employee.
9:07 ... Fair point, politely made. I wish there was more polite discourse on this blog.
8:00 ... Truth.
5:17 ... Wow.
Should the drum have "exploded" as it did? No. Was it a, " major nuclear accident"? No. The hysteria surrounding this entire incident is manufactured for one reason and one reason only - to make money off of the US taxpayer.
It built up too much pressure and popped the lid. End of story, except for the hysteria and political hype.
LANS did fail in this incident, by not cleaning house and firing all the cowboys who infest LANL. Starting on Day 1.
LANS did fail in this incident, by not cleaning house and firing all the cowboys who infest LANL. Starting on Day 1.
August 24, 2016 at 7:17 PM
I am assuming that you are making a joke. If not than remember they did not consult scientists about the organic cat litter and again these where Bechtel people in charge of WIPP. Now with that out of the way, could you please explain who are the LANL cowboys? If I recall it has been shown fairly conclusively there is no such thing as cowboys at LANL or LLNL. This was a term used by Nanos about missing disks which as history has shown was completly wrong. There are no cowboys at LANL, there are no cowboys at LANL, and you dam well know it. Your hatred toward LANL seems personal and most likely stems from some psychological problems on your partt or your inability to take resposniblity for you own failures in life. It is time to own up and take responsibility for your life and stop blaming others.
Kinda hard to read the maelstrom of nonsense. So don't.
I keep seeing comments here that the WIPP release was "no big deal" in very dismissive terms. So I guess you don't work at WIPP or live in the area. In case you do one or both, how much Pu are you happy to breathe?
Obviously a LNT believer. And not a scientist.
WIPP will not open to any major degree. We are wasting billions after billions on it. It is contaminated with radiation. Any other facility that had this kinda of contamination would be immediately closed and we would be cleaning it up for decades. But no, we will spend many more billions on WIPP. Why? Just because we can and the people in charged will be retired with their wonderful pensions before Congress realizes the billions that have been wasted. No sweat off their backs! It would be cheaper to dig a new WIPP^2 that isn't contaminated.
WIPP will not open to any major degree. We are wasting billions after billions on it. It is contaminated with radiation. Any other facility that had this kinda of contamination would be immediately closed and we would be cleaning it up for decades. But no, we will spend many more billions on WIPP. Why? Just because we can and the people in charged will be retired with their wonderful pensions before Congress realizes the billions that have been wasted. No sweat off their backs! It would be cheaper to dig a new WIPP^2 that isn't contaminated.
August 25, 2016 at 8:40 AM
WIPP will open. You sound like a nut and you have no idea, I mean no idea what you are talking about, none. Ok now that that is out of the way can you please tell us what your real problem is? It is clear that you are not a science person, you have no knowledge of WIPP and even what is done there, and most of all you have not been paying attention to the new. So can you please fill us in on what you major malfunction is? How the hell do you get come to these conclusion?
The moon is made out of cheese. We are wasting billions after billions on it. It is cheese and only cheese. Any other nation would understand that is is made out of cheese and immediately stopped spending money to study it. But no, we will spend many more billions on the moon. Why? Just because we can and the people in charged will be retired with their wonderful pensions before Congress realizes the billions that have been wasted. No sweat off their backs! It would be cheaper build a real moon that isn't made out of cheese.
Actually 8:31 I am a scientist. What are the numbers (contamination levels/safety levels etc.) that make you think this isn't an issue?
Actually 8:31 I am a scientist. What are the numbers (contamination levels/safety levels etc.) that make you think this isn't an issue?
August 26, 2016 at 1:33 AM
I am calling you BS on you, you are not a scientist. The data is all out there for all to read that the levels are low enough to allow for WIPP to be reopened in the near future.
http://www.wipp.energy.gov/wipprecovery/sampling_results.html
All air filters since February 18 have shown no detectable americium or plutonium.
http://www.wipp.energy.gov/wipprecovery/sampling_results.html
So let me guess your response will be that there is a vast righ-left wing Illuminati conspiracy to cover up the real numbers that you "guessed". As for Charles Bowman he is a total and complete flake who has no idea what the hell he is talking about.
^^^Another excellent example of the sociopathic personalities who infest LANL. Long past time to clean house, UC and Bechtel, or these incidents will keep happening.
^^Another excellent example of the sociopathic personalities who infest LANL. Long past time to clean house, UC and Bechtel, or these incidents will keep happening.
August 26, 2016 at 7:51 AM
You can spin your sociopathic hatred all you want but it is pretty clear that many more problems have occurred at LANL since the contract change. This would point to privatization and the bad management being the cuase so when it comes to cleaning house that would mean LANS management not the scientific workforce. To date you have never given a single example how there are cowboys at the lab or any other information to back up your wild claims. To be honest you sound like the sociopath. Just saying.
>I am calling you BS on you, you are not a scientist. The data is all out there for >all to read that the levels are low enough to allow for WIPP to be reopened in the >near future.
Absolutely false, I bet the real radiation numbers must be kept secret to keep the scam going, both the Democrats and Republicans are in on it as well as all the scientists and workers. There are bigger powers behind WIPP and these powers are also tied to many other events going on in the world that are political, sociological and meteorological in nature and it does not matter who becomes President Hillary Clinton and Trump all serve the same masters, just as they all do and have since 1723.
You believe these numbers?
http://www.wipp.energy.gov/wipprecovery/sampling_results.html
Well maybe this is just what they want you to believe to throw us off.
this is just what they want you to believe to throw us off.
August 26, 2016 at 9:22 PM
"They" want "me" to believe something to throw "us" off? I wish someone would throw you off...a cliff.
"just as they all do and have since 1723."
1723? hmm I know that date means something. Treaty of Saint Petersburg?
Some have speculated that 1723 is reference to the year 1723- citing Vivaldi’s composition of “The Four Seasons” as resonant with the cycles of nature
VersaLife Corporation with its molecular structure in multiples of 17 and 23. "1723. The birth of Adam Weishaupt and German philosopher and founder of the Order of the Illuminati
Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocal connects virtual networks through Port 1723. Using this virtual reality as a metaphor for the interactions between minds- Port 1723 is the access point for information exchange between minds, lines secured through common language ques and signifiers. As Port 1723 is “hackable” through packet spoofing, the mind is ‘hackable” through similar use of language ques and semiotic devices. You will find that the hyperreality of the internet is like a self-similar fractal of the actual reality from which it is constructed as a mechanical metaphor.
Whoever this person is when it comes to WIPP they really know their stuff.
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