Investigation Of Management Problems At Los Alamos National Laboratory

Discharges of wastes from activities associated with the federal government's Los Alamos site in northern New Mexico began during the Manhattan Project in 1943. Now designated the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), the site is operated under contract by the Department of Energy (DOE). Through past and ongoing investigations, radioactive and chemical contaminants have been detected in parts of the complex system of groundwater beneath the site. Since effective protection of groundwater is important for LANL's continuing operations, DOE's Office of Environmental Management requested technical advice and recommendations regarding several aspects of LANL's groundwater protection program. This interim report summarizes the committee's information-gathering activities and identifies issues within the scope of its task that have risen to the committee's attention without offering any findings or recommendations. The final report is expected to be released in May 2007 and it is the hope that results of the final study will provide guidance and impetus for dialogue and agreement among DOE, LANL, and other stakeholders on a focused, cost-effective program for protecting the groundwater in and around the site.

In 2006, a Los Alamos Nat. Lab. (LANL) contract employee unlawfully removed classified information from the lab. This was the latest in a series of high-profile security incidents at LANL spanning almost a decade. LANL conducts research on nuclear weapons and other nat. security areas for the Nat. Nuclear Security Admin. This report: (1) identifies LANL¿s major programs and activities and how much they rely on classified resources; (2) identifies initiatives LANL is taking to reduce and consolidate its classified resources and physical footprints and the extent to which these initiatives address earlier security concerns; and (3) determines whether its new mgmt. approaches will sustain security improvements over the long-term. Illustrations.