Los Alamos cleanup bosses talk staffing, fire safety

There is good news and bad news to report on staffing, the head of the Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup field office at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico told a federal advisory panel last week.

“I am happy to report that no federal employees within the EMLA [Environmental Management Los Alamos] field office were terminated by any of the mass terminations,” Jessica Kunkle, who manages the field office, told DOE’s local citizen advisory board for cleanup May 14.

“But we did have a number of personnel who opted into the deferred resignation program,” Kunkle added, without offering specific numbers. As a result, “we have “taken a very intentional review” of staff roles “and have made some realignments.”

“Right now there are no work stoppages associated with any of the staffing reductions we have seen,” Kunkle told the advisory board. The manager added she does not foresee any big problems arising from the staff departures.

On a related issue, Kunkle said she expects the DOE’s formal budget request to be released by the end of May. 

Also during the meeting, a manager for environmental prime Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos (N3B), Brian Clayman, said the DOE lab, its contractors and local authorities are bracing for another wildfire season in the region.

Los Alamos County entered stage 1 fire restrictions on May 4 due to linger dry conditions and high winds