WASHINGTON, D.C. — At least one lawmaker, Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), is unenthused about the Department of Energy’s interest in rebranding its Office of Environmental Management (EM) at this time.
“What they should be more concerned about is cleaning all the s— [stuff] up that they haven’t cleaned, that’s what they should be spending money on, rather than changing letterhead,” Luján said in response to an Exchange Monitor question on the planned change.
“Everyone over there says there is not enough money to clean things up,” Luján said. “Why don’t they start there and then let’s start talking about name changes – once they clean things up.”
Luján, who apparently had not heard of the planned name change until asked by the Monitor, apologized for the blunt tone of his response. The New Mexico lawmaker initially asked the Monitor who was talking about changing the EM name and what it might be changed to.
EM plans to change its name to the Office of Nuclear Restoration and Revitalization, DOE Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management Tim Walsh told the Waste Management Symposia in Phoenix earlier this month.
At the conference, Walsh and other top EM managers vowed the name change would not signal any de-emphasis on nuclear cleanup at Cold War and Manhattan Project sites. Walsh said some remediation goals at the $8-billion DOE branch could actually be accelerated.
The Monitor asked EM Tuesday if any outreach had been done to lawmakers on the name change. A DOE spokesperson did not address the issue directly but emailed a statement.
“The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management continues to prioritize the protection of the environment and the reduction of risks to human health as its central mission,” the DOE spokesperson said. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to actively engage with our communities and stakeholders throughout all ongoing and future initiatives. As we advance our work, we will ensure transparency and open communication, keeping our partners informed and involved in every step of the process.”
New Mexico is home to several DOE nuclear facilities including Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.