Udall, Heinrich, Luján Statement on Los Alamos National Lab Contract Decision

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján responded to the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) decision to award the management and operating contract for Los Alamos National Laboratory to Triad National Security, LLC, a group led by Battelle, the University of California, and the Texas A&M University System. Udall is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, including the subcommittee overseeing the Department of Energy's budget, and Heinrich serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and Senate Armed Services Committee. Luján serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and represents the 3rd Congressional District, which is home to Los Alamos National Labs.

The lawmakers issued the following joint statement:

“Los Alamos National Laboratory and its employees play an essential role in our national security, in the community, and in New Mexico’s economy. As we have stated throughout this process, our paramount concern for the management and operation of LANL is assuring the stability of the high quality workforce, including the safety and health of the employees – and the public – while ensuring the lab meets its crucial national security missions. We congratulate the Triad National Security team on its selection, and we look forward to working together with the new lab leadership to meet our shared goals of  LANL’s success, which includes serving a positive role in northern New Mexico communities. We welcome their commitment to increase contracts with small businesses and hope to see that benefit New Mexico businesses. Moving forward, we urge Triad and NNSA to take the positive steps that are needed to ensure a strong workforce, healthy communities, and an improved safety and compliance record in the years to come.”