Funds to help NM sites with cleanup projects
Hazardous materials workers at MDA-B. LANL photoFederal stimulus funds will help clean up the legacy of the Cold War.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced Tuesday that $172 million in recovery act funding will accelerate the preparation of nuclear waste shipments destined for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad and $212 million will help northern New Mexico's Los Alamos National Laboratory demolish old buildings and clean up dump sites. More clean up here.
$384 million from stimulus plan will go to WIPP, Los Alamos
The federal government will pump $384 million into New Mexico's nuclear institutions to clean up and dispose of old Cold War waste in one of the largest economic stimulus investments in the state. Los Alamos National Laboratory will get $212 million between now and 2011 to clean up radioactive waste on an old lab site next to the community of Los Alamos. Read more about stimulus here.
Ten years in operation, WIPP boasts sterling safety record, continued support
Carlsbad’s WIPP site (DOE photo) Deep in an underground tunnel, standing 20 feet away from a stack of barrels of nuclear waste left over from the Cold War, Roger Nelson, chief scientist at WIPP, brought up the issue of safety.
It's been 10 years since the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant began operations, and more than 7,200 shipments later the site and its transportation system have had no major problems, including no releases to the environment and no worker contamination, Nelson said proudly. Explore more about WIPP here.
Laboratory cosponsors Expanding Your Horizons conference
Nancy Palomina of Pojoaque Valley Middle School uses hot glue to construct a bridge during a hands-on activity. LANL photo.The event at the University of New Mexico, Los Alamos, drew about 100 middle- and high-school girls from 12 New Mexico schools. "This is all about showing young women that they can do science, that science is cool,” said Lisa Colletti of the Lab’s Actinide Analytical Chemistry organization.
Other activities included workshops related to astronomy, aerospace, chemistry, and earth science; a team-building activity; and various demonstrations. Teachers learned innovative ways to teach math and science at a teacher conference that took place simultaneously. Expand your horizons here!
To subscribe to Los Alamos Report, please e-mail listmanager@lanl.gov and include the words subscribe los alamosreport in the body of your email message; to unscubscribe, include unsubscribe losalamosreport.
Please visit us at www.lanl.gov
