In a nod to Oppenheimer’s legacy, US officials vow to prioritize cleanup at nuclear lab

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Independent federal investigators say the price tag for cleaning up waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory is rising and federal officials need to do more to track costs and progress of the $7 billion effort. The Government Accountability Office says the U.S. Energy Department hasn’t taken a comprehensive approach to prioritizing cleanup activities at the New Mexico lab and needs to boost oversight of the contractor doing the work. The report comes as federal officials hosted a forum Thursday in Los Alamos to talk about cleanup efforts. New Mexico environmental regulators say the report validates their concerns — that cleanup has been mired in unnecessary delays that threaten public health and the environment.