Udall queries the funding of the nuclear labs

A week after Energy Secretary Steven Chu parceled out $1.2 billion in economic stimulus money to the Department of Energy’s civilian national laboratories , newly elected senator Tom Udall (D-NM) urged Chu to find additional sources of support for the nuclear weapons labs , which did not receive any of the stimulus funds.

Udall lamented that while Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory, both located in New Mexico, have long been performing considerable amounts of work for other federal agencies, the National Nuclear Security Administration pays for nearly all of the expense of maintaining the labs’ workforce and facilities needed to fulfill their core missions.

“This has led to wide concern that the budget and mission constraints of the NNSA could lead to its being unable to provide the very necessary capabilities that are so critical to our nation,” Udall warned.

While applauding several “strategic partnership agreements” (SPAs) that other agencies have signed with NNSA to share more of the labs’ costs, Udall said much more is needed.

“In order to allow other federal agencies to benefit from the expertise and capabilities developed at the NNSA labs, I believe additional resources and commitment should be devoted to expanding the [labs’] mission in general,” Udall said in calling for further SPAs. “It is quite clear that each of these labs has recognized the need to diversify their missions, and I firmly believe that we should encourage that diversification, otherwise we risk losing many of the scientists and much of the research that is so crucial and so critical for our national interests.”

David Kramer