The New Mexico Environment Department is expected to take enforcement action ‘any day now’ against Los Alamos National Laboratory for violations uncovered in the wake of the radiological release at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, LANL Director Charlie McMillan told employees this week. A transuranic waste drum processed at LANL was linked to the WIPP release, and NMED Secretary Ryan Flynn has warned that the Lab will see significant penalties due to permit violations and communications and safety concerns. LANL anticipates "a state enforcement action any day now," McMillan said in a Nov. 17 message to lab employees addressing a recent story in the Sante Fe New Mexican and other issues. "We expect that the action will stem mostly from waste characterization and processing violations we discovered and reported as part of our own internal investigation after the Los Alamos drum breached. We voluntarily reported the violations to the state in July and October, and we will work with NMED to reach resolution of the enforcement action.”
McMillan added that LANL also expects “DOE will soon release its plan” for transition of management of the remaining legacy cleanup work from the National Nuclear Administration to the Office of Environmental Management. Currently, cleanup activities at Los Alamos are overseen by the NNSA Los Alamos Field Office but funded by EM, however DOE agreed to develop a plan for the transition after pressure from NMED. “We remain committed to working closely with DOE-Environmental Management, NNSA and the Field Office as well as the State of New Mexico. We appreciate your patience and support as we work through these challenging issues,” McMillan said.