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New Mexico has many federal facilities that deal with nuclear weapons, nuclear research and nuclear waste. The state will receive millions of dollars this year from an annual bill that supplies funding for national-defense-related facilities across the U.S. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was passed by both the U.S. House and Senate. It was sent to President Biden for his signature. The NDAA will provide federal dollars to military installation and initiatives for Fiscal Year 2022. It will also set spending plans and priorities for the next year.
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich is a democratic Senator for New Mexico. He sits on the Armed Services Committee in the Senate. He said that this year’s NDAA would benefit New Mexico by providing dollars to many of New Mexico’s federal projects, boosting its economy and making his state a “leader” in national defense. “These provisions, among many others, benefit New Mexico’s economy, and advance our state’s position as a leader in national security for years to come.”
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is the only deep geological repository for nuclear waste produced by weapons research and production in the U.S. It is located near Carlsbad. Low-level transuranic (TRU) waste consists of clothing and equipment irradiated during nuclear activities. It is shipped to WIPP from facilities across the nation and buried in an old salt mine about two thousand feed underground.
The NDAA authorizes about four hundred and thirty million dollars to operate the WIPP. This amount includes fifty-five million dollars for the repair of the WIPP ventilation system This is part of a three hundred million dollar rebuild of the WIPP known as the Safety Significant Confinement Ventilation System. Another twenty-five million dollars will support ongoing work on a new utility shaft at the facility.
Los Alamos National Laboratory
The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in Los Alamos is a primary facility for U.S. plutonium research. It is the home of the development of nuclear weapons and other defense-related projects. The facility has had problems in recent years which triggered calls from the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) to address groundwater contamination originating from the site.
About one billion dollars was provided to the LANL by the NDAA to support its ongoing plutonium research and production of plutonium pits. These pits are used as the trigger for nuclear weapons. The funding supports personnel, equipment and other work at the lab to meet its pit production quotas for the next five years. Six hundred and sixty million dollars are allocated for plutonium operations and three hundred and fifty million dollars for pit production. Three hundred and thirty-eight million dollars are included in the NDAA for nationwide environmental cleanup. Two hundred and seventy-five million dollars will go to Los Alamos. Another fifty-eight million dollars will go to its excess, unused facilities.
Sandia National Laboratory
Sandia National Laboratory near Albuquerque conducts nuclear research and develops technologies for the rest of the country. The lab also supports the federal nuclear stockpile through research and modernization efforts. The SNL is managed by the National Nuclear Security Administration which received about sixteen billion dollars in the NDAA including funding for Sandia’s engineering, science and systems integration programs. Another fourteen billion dollars is included in the NDAA for a project to develop new power sources at the lab.