Advancing National Security Science while Protecting the Environment

Los Alamos Site Manager's Vision

NNSA is committed to stewardship of the Nation’s and New Mexico’s resources. I take that responsibility personally and I ensure that everything that the Los Alamos Site Office does to support the Los Alamos National Laboratory’s mission has environmental protection and stewardship fully considered.

As a result, I challenged LANL to integrate environmental protection activities into a comprehensive long-term execution strategy that has a minimum of a 50 year horizon. The intent of this effort is to take control of LANL’s future and set the standard for environmental stewardship for all of New Mexico.

The mission performance of the Laboratory depends in many factors to include the best science and technology, working safely, producing quality produces, and doing it securely. But without the heath and long term viability of the Los Alamos Site that mission is could easily be jeopardized.

The 50 year environmental action plan is the blue print to managing our environment, demonstrating responsible management to regulators and the public, and creating our future vice letting it happen to us. This includes cleaning up the legacy past, controlling and enhancing current operations, and transition to long term sustainable future.

Laboratory Director's Mission

The Laboratory’s commitment to excellence in science and technology is inseparable from our commitment to complete all work in an environmentally responsible manner

The Plan looks to the future to challenge Laboratory managers to envision the long-range environmental issues that will face us. If the first nearly 70 years of the Laboratory are any indication, much can change in the coming decades. This Plan provides a framework for us to ask the right questions now, so that when new issues arise, we will be prepared.

For example:

• What are the most effective ways to remediate the Lab’s remaining Cold War-era waste?
• How can we further reduce waste and environmental impacts on air, water, soil, and wildlife from current—and importantly future—national security missions?
• Will energy efficiency alone supply the power needed for tomorrow’s Laboratory facilities, including the next generation of supercomputers?
• What actions, from individual workers to facility planners, will help create a sustainable Laboratory for the future?

The Laboratory’s commitment to excellence in science and technology is inseparable from its commitment to complete all work in a safe, secure and environmentally responsible manner. A 50-year time horizon provides a useful standard to think about the end-state of current programs and projects and envision what the Laboratory of the future will look like. We are committed to operating the site sustainably now and in the future.